Archetypes Revisited: Contemporary Gender Perspectives as Reflected in Barbie Fantasy Comedy (2023)
Archetypes Revisited: Contemporary Gender Perspectives as Reflected in Barbie Fantasy Comedy (2023)

Summary/Abstract: Starting from the concept of archetype, broadly understood as a mental image supposed to be present in the collective unconscious, and considering that knowledge, expectations and requirements are socio-culturally constructed, we intend to revisit the Prince Charming and Cinderella archetypes in order to explore the way they are redefined today. In this regard, we shall analyze the perspectives provided through Ken and Barbie movie characters as presented in the American fantasy comedy Barbie (2023), directed by Greta Gerwig. To that end, in addition to documentation and comparative analysis, we shall employ grounded theory, which we consider the most appropriate method for meeting the goal of our qualitative research. We view the topic as relevant, especially in the wider context of the current “crisis” in redefining gender and gender roles. As further evidence for the heated ongoing debates stands the fact that Barbie has become one of the top-grossing movies of 2023 in the USA and worldwide. Therefore, in the present article, we shall examine several constructed perspectives of reality in the frame of cultural studies.

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