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In China, 'Barbie' moves women to tears, 'triggers' men to walk out
Greta Gerwig's blockbuster film resonates as gender issue gains traction
asia.nikkei.com
Margot Robbie stars in "Barbie," which has reached over $29 million at the box office in China. © Reuters
For women in China, the Hollywood blockbuster "Barbie" has provided a rare viewing experience that can reveal what their boyfriends really think about gender equality.
Director Greta Gerwig's reinvention of the iconic American doll for the big screen opened to a generally receptive audience in China last month. While the film's feminist take on the Barbie universe appears to resonate with many women, there have been sightings of men storming out of theaters in fury.
"Men triggered by Barbie" has become a trending topic on Chinese social media, where women share their experiences witnessing fleeing men and their own take on how the issue of patriarchy was handled in the film.
In particular, a "normal guy" test posted by a user named Little Squirrel has gone viral on lifestyle social media app Xiaohongshu. The post renders an unsparing judgment on men based on their reactions to the movie.
"If a guy hates 'Barbie', bashes 'Barbie', walks out of the theater criticizing the female director, this guy is definitely a misogynist and he was triggered by the film," wrote Little Squirrel.
"If a guy is willing to watch 'Barbie,' understand 50% of the jokes, leaves the theater thinking this is an interesting film, then he is an emotionally stable normal guy with a reasonable value system," the post continued. "If a guy loves 'Barbie,' wears pink Barbie clothes to watch the film, wears Barbie sunglasses and Barbie hat, then he must be a Ken."
A speech on women's general hardship delivered by America Ferrera, who plays a Mattel employee and mother named Gloria, struck a chord with many women.
"It is literally impossible to be a woman," Gloria tells Margot Robbie's Barbie after Ken takes over Barbie Land, speaking about the double standards women face in society. "You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong."
"When I watched the monologue in the theater, my eyes bawled," said a user named Ann Hathaway. Many netizens gave a nod to the comment with "me too." A screenshot showing the entire monologue is being widely shared online.
According to Maoyan, the Chinese leading movie ticketer, "Barbie" was the fifth-most popular film in China as of Aug. 3, with total box office revenue reaching nearly 213 million yuan ($29 million) in the 15 days since the movie premiered in the country.
"I will say the marketing executive of Warner Bros. has done a fabulous job both domestically and internationally, but especially those working in China, they've targeted the right Chinese audience," said Sophie Changhui Shi, a Los Angeles-based independent producer and acquisition executive at EST Studios.
According to Shi, the marketing effort for "Barbie" in China specifically targets educated, working professional women in their 20s and 30s, who are highly aware of gender inequality and are receptive to feminist messages.
The gender equality issue has gained traction in China in recent years. A scroll on apps like Xiaohongshu yields many videos and posts calling for equal opportunity and advocating for independent lifestyle choices for women, such as remaining unmarried and childless.
"The timing works great for 'Barbie,'" said Shi. "In a way that Chinese audiences find this very relatable as the Chinese female audience have already been educating themselves about misogyny and feminism and gender issues in the past few years."
"Most of the viewers are women, everyone laughs together and cries together in the theater, women feel connected to each other," Liang Xiaowen, a Chinese feminist organizer based in New York, said. "It shows that a lot of young Chinese women hold progressive values and they crave feminism and want it to be mainstream."
"Because it is so difficult to achieve societywide understanding of gender inequality and backlashes are often severe, it makes this film even more precious than its commercial value," Liang added.
But there are naysayers. Some criticize the movie in social posts for "aggravating gender conflicts" and promoting "Western propaganda."
"If some supernatural power makes women multiple times stronger than men, then I'd be happy to accept that it is women's time, but the reality is, women are naturally weaker than men," read one comment.
The film's "easter egg is that every screening has 'triggered men' to the theater," wrote Xiaohongshu user Asphodel. "I always thought this was a joke, until I went to watch 'Barbie' with my friend today and it really happened. It's too funny."
While there are other films addressing gender issues being released in China, Barbie's straightforward storytelling style seems to make it a more efficient conveyor of messages.
"The director doesn't give you an opportunity to shy away from this. She put it right in front of you, whoever is in the cinema has to listen to this," said Shi, referring to the character Gloria's monologue in the movie.
Despite the 'Barbie' controversy, its box office success may be a signal that the China market is ready for more female-centered productions.
"I look forward to more films about female awareness to be made in China and I think there are definitely Chinese filmmakers that are working on those things," said Shi.
