For some women in China, “Barbie” is more than just a movie — it’s also a litmus test for their partner’s views on feminism and patriarchy.
The movie has prompted intense social media discussion online, media outlets Sixth Tone and the China Project reported this week, prompting women to discuss their own dating experiences.
One user on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu — a photo-sharing site similar to Instagram that’s mostly used by Gen Z women — even shared a guide on Monday for how women can test their boyfriends based on their reaction to the film.
According to the guide, if a man shows hatred for “Barbie” and slams female directors after they leave the theatre, then this man is “stingy” and a “toxic chauvinist,” according to Insider’s translation of the post. Conversely, if a man understands even half of the movie’s themes, “then he is likely a normal guy with normal values and stable emotions,” the user wrote.
I mean there’s no harm in using a cultural moment as a starting point to see if two people are compatible?
I think the language in the article and perhaps from the influencers is a bit rigid.
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that if a man has valid reasons for disliking the movie they are automatically exist. The idea is that the film is causing a knee jerk reaction in men who are otherwise prone to hiding their misogyny.
I didn’t get a lot of the inside jokes about the product. And the barbies and Ken’s did not unite to kill Will Ferrell.
Why would a knee jerk reaction be any indication of misogyny? The movie is very antagonistic towards men. The proposition that having a negative reaction to that is misogyny is absurd.
It’s not, though. It’s antagonistic to the patriarchy, sure, just like it’s antagonistic to the matriarchy, but “man” and “patriarchy” are two entirely separate concepts.
It’s like if a movie came out that criticized the for-profit medical insurance industry in the US and people started saying that it criticized all doctors. That doesn’t make any sense, and neither does this
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Lol no it isn’t
If you have that point of view after watching the movie that’s exactly the red flag the women in the article are looking for
Lol straight up told on himself live in the comments
Cool, you didn’t understand the Ken subplot.
The movie makes it pretty clear what they were going for at the end too.