The latest Hollywood flick Barbie, which took everyone on a dreamy journey in the plastic world, has been breaking records ever since its release. The Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling starrer is being very well received by the audience, not only in North America but the entire world, except South Korea. Apparently, Koreans are not willing to go watch the movie as feminism is still considered a taboo in the South Asian country.
The Greta Gerwig directorial has officially become the highest-grossing movie by a female director. The movie has done extraordinarily well despite its competition with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Despite the love South Korean audiences have for their entertainment industry, Barbie is not a movie that is being cherished in the country. According to the Korea Box-Office Information System, the movie has recorded an audience of about 460,000, which is extremely low in comparison to that of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which sold over 3.6 million tickets. Elemental also did well, with more than 5.8 million tickets being sold.
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As per a report by the Guardian, feminism is still considered taboo in patriarchal South Korea. Barbie’s concept that celebrating women’s empowerment did not go well with Koreans, due to which the movie could not perform well. Moreover, the country’s rank in gender equality is relatively low, and the pay gap between males and females is high.
A women’s rights activist, Shim Hae In, mentioned how people are hesitant to watch such a women-centred film and told the publication, “I think Barbie undoubtedly highlights the fact that a women-centred film with feminist humour is still regarded as a taboo subject. Women might be hesitant to go watch the film. The fear of being labelled as a feminist in South Korea is real.” She continued, “The word ‘feminism’ has become a dirty word to a lot of individuals in Korea, and people are unwilling to recognise – and are uncomfortable confronting – the deeply rooted patriarchy that has driven society for so long.”
A film critic named Youn Sung Eun added that despite gender equality being a principle among the citizens, some portions are still not supported and rather perceived as radical feminism. She said, “In this context, Greta Gerwig’s gender equality education is not very appealing… Since Barbie is intended to be an entertaining movie, presenting such sensitive themes prominently might not resonate well.” Another critic mentioned how a local women-centric film is still doing well in the country.
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The post Barbie: Margot Robbie Starrer’s Pro-Feminist Plot Is A Taboo For South Koreans? Here’s Why The Greta Gerwig Starrer Is Underperforming In The Country appeared first on Koimoi.
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