One user on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu shared a guide for how women can test their boyfriends based on their reaction to the film.

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.

  • @[email protected]English
    13•2 years ago

    It’s not, though. It’s antagonistic to the patriarchy, sure, just like it’s antagonistic to the matriarchy, but “man” and “patriarchy” are two entirely separate concepts.

    It’s like if a movie came out that criticized the for-profit medical insurance industry in the US and people started saying that it criticized all doctors. That doesn’t make any sense, and neither does this

    • BibliotectressEnglish
      1•2 years ago

      You’re being disingenuous. Women in China are obviously talking about the messages in Barbie like whether women should be able to be who they want to be, have equal rights, achieve positions of power, that it’s okay to be petty AND smart, and if they feel moved by that speech by America Ferrera’s character (or at least don’t get angry about it).

      If my husband bitched about the movie being anti-men or how society should stay as it is, I’d also have to start thinking, and pay more attention to how he reacts to things at home. I would ask myself, “Is he supportive of me and my dreams? Does he treat our son better than our daughter? Does he believe women are incapable of being in positions of power?” etc. But luckily he’s not an asshole, so I don’t have to worry about it.