The highly anticipated Barbie debuted to strong reviews (it has a 90% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes), with many reviewers singling out the feminist themes as a highlight, but right-wing media have called out Barbie’s feminist angle as “woke” and criticize what they say is a “man-hating” portrayal of Ryan Gosling’s Ken.
Margot Robbie attends the press junket and Photo Call for "Barbie" at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles ... [+]
Far-right media figure Jack Posobiec called Barbie a “man-hating Woke propaganda fest,” criticizing the film for portraying Ken as less smart than the Barbies and for its themes about rising up against the patriarchy.
Posobiec also tweeted a clip of Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” song from the film, in which the character laments his “blond fragility,” with Posobiec calling it “possibly the most anti-male film ever made.”
Conservative commentator Ben Shaprio struck a similar tone, tweeting: “All you need to know about #BarbieTheMovie is that it unironically uses the word "patriarchy" more than 10 times,” urging his followers to leave negative reviews for Barbie if polled by CinemaScore, a market research firm that asks audience members on opening night to give a film a letter grade between A and F.
BlazeTV host Lauren Chen accused studios of hiding how “INSUFFERABLY WOKE” Barbie is in promotional materials, also pointing to the film’s anti-patriarchal themes.
In a Fox News segment, conservative author Peachy Kennan called the film an “insidious packaging of feminist cliche and trans grooming,” criticizing the casting of transgender actress Hari Nef as one of the Barbies.
Ginger Gaetz, wife of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), called for a boycott of the film despite attending a premiere event decked out in pink, criticizing the movie for neglecting to “address any notion of faith or family,” trying to “normalize the idea that men and women can’t collaborate positively” and for portraying Ken as not masculine.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called the film “Chinese communist propaganda” for depicting the South China Sea as Chinese territory on a map, a disputed claim that led to the film being banned in Vietnam.
Forbes has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, released on July 21 after months of internet excitement and an extensive marketing campaign. Many of the film’s positive reviews point to its feminist angle as a highlight. CNN’s review praised Barbie’s “overt feminist message and desire to put Barbie in a broader sociological context.” IndieWire wrote the film is able to contain a “genuine message of feminism” while maintaining a sense of joy throughout, even when tackling these heavy topics. Entertainment Weekly praised the film as a “fierce, funny, and deeply feminist adventure that dares you to laugh and cry,” which can “pair insightful criticisms of the wage gap with goofy gags about Kens threatening to ‘beach’ each other off.”
Some on social media mocked conservatives who criticized Barbie for being woke. One user tweeted: “Did they want Barbie to promote being a stay at home wife and homeschooling children or whatever? Barbie’s whole thing is she could do any job men could do lol, she has never been ‘antiwoke,’” with more than 100,000 people liking the tweet. Podcast host and MSNBC analyst Brittany Packnett Cunningham tweeted she didn’t have plans to see Barbie in theaters, but after she saw the anti-woke backlash, she said: “nah lemme head to the theater.” Comedian and writer Mike Drucker ridiculed the conservative backlash, tweeting: “How am I supposed to go about my day knowing my favorite doll isn’t in the freedom caucus?” referencing the right-wing House of Representatives caucus.
Whether or not Barbie dolls are feminist has long been a subject of controversy. A frequent criticism of the dolls is that they promote an unrealistic body image for young girls, with many Barbie products depicting women as tall and thin. Mattel introduced Barbie dolls with a range of body types in 2016 in an attempt to make their products more diverse, though the BBC reported the “curvy” Barbie was still slimmer than the average woman. Barbie dolls, however, have also been praised for their financially accessible price, centering women instead of men (Ken is an “afterthought, a joke,” TIME reported) and for the endless possibilities girls can use Barbie dolls for by using their imaginations.
$22.3 million. That’s how much Barbie grossed at the domestic box office from Thursday previews, the second biggest total for Thursday previews behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made $26.5 million in April. Barbie more than doubled Oppenheimer’s $10.5 million Thursday previews total.
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