There could hardly be a wider gulf between a biopic of the father of the atom bomb and a Mattel-backed comedy about the world’s most famous blonde doll, but “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” have captured the attention of the nation — and of their representatives.
Congressional lawmakers were hopping on the #Barbenheimer train ahead of the Friday releases of the two critically acclaimed movies.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) appeared to express interest in both films, tweeting a photo of herself grinning in all neon pink alongside a black-and-white pic of her looking serious in a congressional hearing.
“Get you a Senator who can do both,” Sinema tweeted along with the photos. “#Barbenheimer.”
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) agreed, “For those of you asking, I’m a Barbenheimer.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D), however, was more one-sided. In response to users trying to guess which senator from each state would see which film, he tweeted, “You thought wrong, my friend,” alongside a parody of “Barbie’s” promotional materials saying, “This Barbie is Maryland’s senior senator.”
Cardin’s in-state colleague Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) offered a pink olive branch, saying, “Ben — we can both be barbies.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), however, was more willing to roll with his cinematic assignment, tweeting simply “If you say so” after he was guessed for “Barbie.”
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), meanwhile, took the Oppen-tunity to point out Washington’s lack of full representation in Congress.
“Naturally, I’ll see both, since I handle the work of two Senate offices and a House office on behalf of nearly 700K DC residents,” she tweeted.
Her post drew a response from Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who asked if he could “join in the fun.”
And it wasn’t only members of Congress getting involved. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) threw in a reference to Aqua’s 1997 hit song “Barbie World,” tweeting, “Come on Barbie, let’s go govern.”