FEMINISM AND CONSUMERISM IN SEX AND THE CITY AND BARBIE

Abstract

This chapter argues that Barbie the film shows a critical awareness of current feminist and political issues, but the question remains about how it fares when it comes to critique of consumerism. If these issues are unexamined within the film, which kind of feminism does Barbie stand for? Similar questions were raised twenty years ago during the third wave of feminism by the Sex and the City franchise, frequently viewed as a signpost of a kind of postfeminism that was accepting, and indeed, welcoming, of consumerism. Post-2008 recession, and especially the second decade of the 21st century, marked a number of ideological changes, both with the rise of the fourth wave of feminism and with #MeToo and other social movements. One example is the rise in awareness of climate change and how our consumerist lifestyles are affecting it through our addiction to, for example, fast fashion. Halldórsdóttir argues that although Barbie engages with feminist issues that arose during the last decade, its focus centers neoliberal, consumerist feminism rather than more radical feminist movements. Furthermore, she claims that just as Sex and the City, it operates within the parameters of ironic consumerism, as the fast fashion trend Barbiecore shows.