Is Barbie a feminist film? A decolonial feminist perspective

Barbie took theatres by storm in 2023 igniting a global conversation about feminism. In many ways, seeing a film that explicitly critiques patriarchy, performing exceptionally at the box office suggests a societal uptake of feminism. For this reason, it is useful to examine the kind of feminism on display in Barbie. This article outlines and applies a decolonial feminist lens combined with feminist film theory to analyse Barbie. From our position within the “post”-colonial context of South Africa, we explore the ways in which the film successfully presents a critique of patriarchy, while showing how the film represents an example of white, elite feminism that fails to be intersectional. In applying the decolonial feminist lens, we explore examples throughout the film of where it falls short from this perspective, where it may offer insights or representations, and where it may support us to explore other ways of bringing a more inclusive feminism into film and media. It is argued that the film ultimately fails to be decolonial, however it provides insight into ways in which humour could be used as a decolonial feminist tool in media going forward.