Last modified: 2025-06-06
Abstract
This study investigates how language reflects and constructs power relations in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), utilizing the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Selected conversations that illustrate the change in female power dynamics are the main focus of the investigation, especially the comparison between Barbie Land and the actual world. Through CDA, this study analyzes linguistic choices, patterns of conversational control, and the portrayal of authority in character interactions. The aim is to uncover how language operates as a means of exercising dominance, asserting identity, and reinforcing or challenging existing ideologies. The findings suggest that in Barbie, discourse is not neutral but serves as a site of ideological struggle where power is constantly negotiated. The film’s dialogue reveals how patriarchal values are linguistically constructed, but also how resistance emerges through subversive language and narrative shifts. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between language, power, and gender, and how discourse in popular media can both reflect and shape social hierarchies.