Barbie Breakups and Feminist Utopias: Consciousness-Raising in Postfeminist Times

This chapter argues that Barbie pays homage to a tradition of feminist utopias in literature and theory by offering a stage for a simple but interesting thought experiment about power imbalances and alternative gender systems. In addition to the “Real World,” the film depicts two different fictional worlds, Barbieland and Kendom, each with different gendered power dynamics and values. Barbieland could be described as an artificial matriarchy where the Barbies hold all the positions of influence, responsibility, and power. In Kendom, the rules of patriarchy from the Real World have been simplified and reproduced, and the Barbies are objectified and treated as inferior. The authors suggest that the film’s version of a feminist utopia risks reiterating postfeminist and neoliberal ideas about female agency, empowerment, and desires, that go against the vision of a more authentic feminist utopia. They also claim that Barbie’s version of “girlpower” could even render women more vulnerable to various forms of oppression. Finally, they analyze the film’s contrasts and heavily gendered power dynamics in the context of relationships and sexual violence in the Real World, and ask how differently balanced gender systems can affect the laws of romance, desire, and relationships.