Communication in Popular Culture

The "Occluded" Truth About Barbie

I want to start by saying, I loved the Barbie movie! However, I am going to point out some negatives about Barbie's messaging. It's challenging to find movies, music, or other forms of pop culture content that adhere to a clear narrative or preferred reading type. Most have layers, and the type of reading that interests me the most is occluded readings. Sellnow (pg 119) describes an Occluded (preferred) Reading as messaging that protects the status quo or aligns with the popular ideology hidden within apparently oppositional arguments. 

On the surface, the Barbie movie presents as a self-aware feminist critique of the patriarchy (Wahoo!), and I love it for that; we all do! It exposes through humor and irony how gender norms restrict both men and women. Barbie's journey is one of discovery and empowerment. Serving as inspiration to women to reject the impossible standards placed on them and to redefine themselves beyond male approval. It positions itself as progressive, inclusive, and culturally reflective. 

But what does the text downplay or conceal? 

The film frames empowerment as a personal enlightenment or self-acceptance rather than a collective, political, or economic change. Barbie does not challenge the material conditions that shape gender inequality, like wage gaps or the exploitation of women's unpaid labor. Instead, freedom from the patriarchy is framed as an internal shift.

 Another interesting message revolves around the film's approach to Ken and the patriarchy. While the story critiques toxic masculinity, it ultimately draws a lot of attention back to male feelings. Instead of framing patriarchy as a system that oppresses women and gives men power, it treated it more like a result of Ken feeling ignored or insecure. I feel like the movie softens the critique and shifts the problem from structural inequality to individual hurt feelings. This lessens the urgency to fix anything. 

The film definitely broaches a critique of the patriarchy, but ultimately, it falls short. The Oppositional messages are contained, softened, and do not threaten hegemony. By portraying feminism as self-awareness rather than the need for real systemic change, it downplays the systems that perpetuate gender inequality.

I will conclude with my original statement with one caveat: I loved the Barbie movie!!—But it definitely fell short of the mark. The two are not mutually exclusive. Both can be true. 

What do you think? Did the Barbie movie push feminism forward, or did it repackage it into something safe and mainstream?