Women in China are telling each other to bring their boyfriends to see 'Barbie' — and to use it as a litmus test for their thoughts on feminism and patriarchy
For some women in China, "Barbie" is more than just a movie — it's also a litmus test for their partner's views on feminism and patriarchy.
The movie has prompted intense social media discussion online, media outlets Sixth Tone and the China Project reported this week, prompting women to discuss their own dating experiences.
One user on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu — a photo-sharing site similar to Instagram that's mostly used by Gen Z women — even shared a guide on Monday for how women can test their boyfriends based on their reaction to the film.
According to the guide, if a man shows hatred for "Barbie" and slams female directors after they leave the theatre, then this man is "stingy" and a "toxic chauvinist," according to Insider's translation of the post. Conversely, if a man understands even half of the movie's themes, "then he is likely a normal guy with normal values and stable emotions," the user wrote.
Does stingy have a different meaning than cheap? Seems like a weird thing to infer.
Seems like a language barrier to me. Stingy can mean "ungenerous," which kind of makes sense, but I don't think a native speaker would have chosen that word.
Agreed, it definitely struck me as a possible lost in translation turn of phrase
I really like "toxic chauvinism" instead of "toxic masculinity", though. Much clearer, in particular because there's only very limited ways to be chauvinist in a non-toxic way, the vast majority of those being tongue in cheek.