Is Barbie a Feminist Film?

 

As part of my super curricular studies, i read the article “Is Barbie a feminist film?”. This article discussed how the Barbie movie attempts to critique the patriarchy through Barbie’s journey from an objectified, idealised doll to a human woman, yet still reinforces traditional beauty standards shaped by the influence of the male gaze and white Western ideals. 

It questions why Barbie chooses to leave Barbie Land, where she has all the power, for the real world, where she seems to have very little. Thus suggesting, that the narrative implies women must accept a world where they lack power in order to appear “real.” 

Although the film appears feminist, the article argues that it’s message is limited by commercial interests, , especially Mattel’s involvement, and that its feminist idea are simplified for mainstream audiences through humour. 

From this, i learned that feminist representation can sometimes reproduce the inequalities it tried to challenge, and that media texts balance social messages with commercial messages. 

I can link this to my studies through feminist theories such as Mulvey’s male gaze and bell hooks’ ideas on beauty standards, also through the complexity of representation showing how mainstream media can adhere to and critique traditional dominant power structures.