International Research Journal of Education and Technology

The study here brings into focus the movie Barbie and how it has successfully brought to limelight if not demolished the existing patriarchal structures and has targeted the deep-rooted gender biases that it brought forth. As per previous academic analyses, the study here intends to prove how the toy brand, Barbie as well as the movie has played a major role in shaping male and female identities. One is right in saying that the patriarchal system is entrenched but how much? The movie, Barbie proves to be a yardstick. The movie’s narrative is based on Mary Pipher’s ‘Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls’ (1994). Serving as a framework, the film fuses ideas from the theoretical framework to a bold work of art. The expose that ‘Reviving Ophelia’ was serves fodder to deconstruct the structures that had been deemed normal till now. The societal pressure on young girls is toxic and the movie is a sharp criticism of the same. Barbie and Ken are central characters in the movie.  Yet, at the same time, the focus of the study moves from Barbie to Ken. Through Ken, a sharp satire is unleashed on hegemonic masculinity. Their portrayal in the movie opens the discourse to critical analyses in uncovering uncomfortable yet essential debates around gender roles and societal accountability. Though Barbie became a commercial success, it puts forth a strong argument against patriarchy and the generation of individuals it inflicted- both men and women.

KEYWORDS: Patriarchy, Feminism, Hegemony, Toxic Masculinity, Body shaming, society, accountability