How Barbie will save your holiday

… Without messing with your feminist ideals. 

When my four-year-old daughter was given a Barbie movie on DVD for Christmas last year – Barbie and the Three Musketeers – I was a little dismayed. Having the toys is one thing (she’s got a few hand-me-downs), but the message that “woman equals Barbie” in technicolour threatened to be a whole new level of ignoring the feminist voice in my head.

But then I watched it, and I kind-of loved it, too. 

Let’s put aside the unattainable ideal of Barbie’s figure for a second. The message of the movie is that you should follow your dreams, no matter how many people try to make you think you’re not capable; that you can succeed if you have the right support and the drive to see it through. And you don’t need to be saved – you’re the one that can save other people, while saving yourself. Could there be a more “girl-power” message to send to young girls?

The message of the movie is that you should follow your dreams, no matter how many people try to make you think you’re not capable.

And this is still the only movie my daughter has ever sat through from beginning to end. So I got to thinking – with school holidays looming, should I stock up on other Barbie movies for her? Or is one more than enough on the conscience of a feminist mother?

I decided to do a little investigation into each of the Barbie movies on Showmax.

What did I learn? They’ve all got an empowering message for girls, and elements that they’ll fall in love with – satisfying both my feminist ideals and my daughters’ taste for bright colours, uplifting songs, anthropomorphic, talking animals, and happy endings.

Plus, I can download all of them on the Showmax app while I’m on Wi-Fi, and then my daughter can watch them on my tablet while we’re offline, on the road or the plane or during her daily imposed “rest time” (which, until three months ago, was “nap time”, sob).

Find out why Barbie has millions of online fans here.