It may have spurred women to seek out gynecological health.

But I’m not sure I agree with this: “In the film’s final scene, after deciding to leave Barbieland for the real world, Barbie enthusiastically tells a receptionist, “I’m here to see my gynecologist,” a joke that could be based either on her supposed lack of genitals or her evident excitement for care many women find unpleasant.” Sénéchal and colleagues write in their paper.

I finally saw the flick on the plane to Miami last week, and that wasn’t my interpretation (spoiler alert). She had just talked to her creator, who told her that she could live in the real world if she wished to. I took her visit to the gyno to mean that, like Pinocchio, she had finally become a real woman. FWIW, I did find the movie an interesting commentary on gender and new-wave feminism and the modern relationship between American (or western) men and women.