Greta Gerwig’s Barbie

Radner and Stringer have assembled an impressive global roster of contributors to provide a breadth of perspectives on the cultural phenomenon that was Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Collectively, these authors provide fresh ways of interpreting the film – and its filmmaker’s – industrial, creative, political, and sociocultural impact. * Alisa Perren, Professor, Department of Radio-Television-Film, University of Texas at Austin, USA *
Given the phenomenal global success of Barbie (2023), it is not surprising that leading film and media scholars have come together in this superb collection to dissect the film, the franchise, and the phenomenon. Under the expert editorship of Hilary Radner and Rebecca Stringer, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie emerges as a major scholarly achievement! * Yannis Tzioumakis, Professor of Film and Media Industries, University of Liverpool, UK *
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie: Popular Cinema and Contemporary Feminism is a triumph—a smart, incisive, wide-ranging, and global assessment of the knotty problem of Barbie as indie-blockbuster, IP, single-use plastic commodity, and as a troublesome yet enduring avatar of imperial, corporate, American girlhood and feminism(s) released into a churning global media and political landscape. * Kathleen A. Feeley, Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Redlands, USA *
Radner and Stringer bring together an esteemed group of international scholars for a rigorous examination of the biggest commercial female-driven blockbuster in Hollywood history. By grappling with questions of authorship, identity, and representation as well as industrial context and cultural impact through a multifaceted feminist lens, the collection makes an important argument for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie as the defining film of its era. * Courtney Brannon Donoghue, Associate Professor, Media Industry Studies University of North Texas, USA *
Like the movie that spawned it, this collection of essays is smart, savvy and witty. I had almost as much fun reading it as Barbie and Ken no doubt had in the privacy of their camper. * Catherine Lumby, Professor of Media and Communications, University of Sydney, Australia *
This collection offers an incisive exploration of Barbie and its global, cultural impact. With a stellar slate of contributors exploring the film from a diverse array of perspectives, the book gets at the heart of the contradictions and complexities of films made for women by women in the contemporary media landscape. It is sure to appeal to both Barbie’s fans and its critics. * Michele Schreiber, Associate Professor of Film and Media, Emory University, USA *