cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/2911882
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 entirely agree with this concept! Barbie was not only a sensational movie but it would be very triggering to certain sorts of men (i.e. Ben Shapiro).
What does it mean if your man reacts to the movie by buying Barbie dolls and burning them on his fascist propaganda channel?
Did this actually happen?
Yes - Shapiro burned the dolls in a reaction video before going on a 40+ minute “anti-woke” rant. I didn’t watch the entire thing and I don’t want to link his filth here, but you can easily search for it if you want to see it.
But I should clarify one thing - I’m not sure if he bought the Barbie dolls, stole them from a child, or took them from his personal collection.
It means that deep down he may wants to wear pink and play with Barbie, but he hasn’t been able to reconcile that latent desire in a healthy way because of his deeply traumatic upbringing. So his Barbie play is destructive and full of violence. After all he did purchase the dolls and he did play with them. This little boy is dealing with a lot of self hate that he will likely project on to the world around him. So we should first view his play through that lens. His every accusation will be an admission. He’s probably still a straight cis male, but his worldview won’t allow him to accept that he can be all those things and still like dolls and bright colors. With any luck he’s close to cracking and accepting himself and (eventually) the world for what it is without hate. Unfortunately, he is very dangerous to those around him and will double down on the pointless hate until he sorts that shit out. Or maybe this is all a lie some of us need to tell ourselves so that this prolapsing asshole’s firehouse of vitriol doesn’t infect us and spread through our own souls like the brain eating amoebas common in the waters of his home state.
Put a ring on that one hun!
Guys who have a problem with this would probably fail anyway.
“I’m going to test my BF every week to see if he’s the perfect man, instead of sharing my beliefs with him and talking it out”
My friend, the first thing you need to know about shitty people is that they tend not to be open about how shitty they are. If you share your beliefs with someone manipulative, they will usually hid their real opinions from you.
While I’ll agree with you that this should not be needed in a long term relationship, as you should have already been able to have open conversations about your hopefully shared core values, but I’d say using it as a weeder for an early relationship or first date situation isn’t a bad idea. It allows you to start the conversation naturally.
And early in the relationship, the guy is likely just gonna go “uh huh, I totally get that.” When a topic like that is brought up overtly, while with a movie you could at see if he took the feminist elements seriously or thought that it was just girls being silly.
Agreed. By having this neutral third party you get to see, hopefully, a more genuine reaction than just being told what you want to hear.
I’ll be honest I have absolutely no idea what gender dynamics are like in China but there may be a safety component there. A cursory google yields this study. Which lists patriarchal beliefs as a significant risk factor for domestic violence.
No one is testing it on their partner every week.
Some men in the dating world will do anything to get a date, including claiming to be a feminist because being treated like a person appeals to women these days. An actual feminist will watch the movie and understand it’s themes of how the patriarchy hurts everyone, including Ken. Someone who is misogynist in feminist clothing will watch it and say the movie is just bashing men.
Watching the movie together will out these people.
Also it will weed out people who can’t accept criticism of their gender. Needing to tip-toe around man-child egos sounds pretty exhausting.
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It’s not as simple as portraying them as stupid. It’s portraying these men as victims of the patriarchy. Often times they are overconfident to their own detriment due to the circumstances they grew up in. It’s not about how ‘men are stupid’, it’s about how men in power were conditioned to dismiss women at their own expense. The movie shows how by taking a moment to learn and empathize with women’s struggles, they come to learn that healthy masculinity isn’t defined by how they are views by women’s it’s by how they view themselves. This is what Ken does at the end. He escapes the kencel pit and learns to value himself for who he is and his own interest instead of relying on female attention to define his worth.
None of this is something that the men did because they are ‘stupid’. It’s because of patriarchal conditioning, something that all of us are subjected to in this day and age.
This is an oversimplification. What is early dating besides experiencing life together and testing compatiblity?
Sharing media you enjoy is actually sharing your beliefs and ideas. Most people are not poets and are bad at conveying especially emotions but also complex topics in general with words.
“Women in China” ≠ One user on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu
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