Plastic Feminism: The Barbie Movie and the Commodification of Feminist Discourse

Irem Kepkep

Abstract:

This paper examines the commodification of feminist discourse in the neoliberal era, using the Barbie movie as a case study to explore how feminism is resignified and repackaged for mass consumption. While feminism is traditionally a critique of systemic inequality, neoliberalism absorbs its dissent, reframing feminist ideals to align with market logic. This occurs on two levels: first, by commodifying feminist ideals like empowerment into individualized, consumer-driven goals; second, by commodifying feminist activism through communicative capitalism and interpassivity, where activism is reduced to product consumption and symbolic engagement. These processes shift the responsibility for social change from grassroots movements to corporations, ultimately depoliticizing feminism and undermining its transformative potential. The paper argues that such commodification neutralizes feminism’s radical critique, particularly by excluding capitalism as a target of intervention. Reclaiming feminism’s disruptive force, therefore, requires resisting its absorption into consumer culture and reasserting its foundational commitment to collective emancipation and structural change.

Kepkep_2025_Plastic Feminism.pdf

Download PDF • 710KB