Can Barbie Be Rebranded as a Feminist Icon?

<p>“Barbie” is premiering this weekend and is trying to pull off a seemingly impossible task: taking a doll best known for reinforcing conventional stereotypes of women and rebranding it as a symbol of feminism, all without coming off as a shameless ad for the doll’s maker, Mattel. Willa Paskin, a journalist and host of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast, recounts her conversation with the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, about how she approached the challenge.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://slate.com/author/willa-paskin">Willa Paskin</a>, Slate’s television critic and the host of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast.</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Mattel wanted a summer blockbuster to kick off its new wave of brand-extension movies.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/magazine/greta-gerwig-barbie.html?searchResultPosition=8"> Greta Gerwig wanted the film to be a work of art.</a></li><li>The reviews are in: Some critics viewed “Barbie” as satirically capitalistic,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/arts/barbie-movie-reviews.html?searchResultPosition=4"> while others saw it as capitalistically satirical.</a></li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit </p><p><a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a></p><p>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>