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Kenstituent power: an exploration of feminist constitutional change in Barbie

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ruth HoughtonORCiD, Professor Colin MurrayORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2024. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie explores the influence of childhood dream worlds and toys over adult life, and the singular importance of a toy which represents an empowered woman. But this story plays out against the backdrop of deep societal challenges. That the subject matter of the film is light does not detract from its cultural significance; it enhances its reach and thereby its influence. Constitutional change, property, dissent, inequality and revolution are not the B-plot of the film, they suffuse every scene and motivate its major characters. In this article we explore the significance of Barbie Land as a supposed embodiment of a feminist utopia and the extent to which Gerwig is confronting viewers with difficult questions about authority and just governance in the Real World.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Houghton R, Murray CRG, O'Donoghue A

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Feminist Theory

Year: 2024

Volume: 25

Issue: 4

Pages: 608-625

Print publication date: 01/12/2024

Online publication date: 12/11/2024

Acceptance date: 30/09/2024

Date deposited: 25/11/2024

ISSN (print): 1464-7001

ISSN (electronic): 1741-2773

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/14647001241291463

DOI: 10.1177/14647001241291463

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