The ‘Barbie’ movie portrays men as "emasculated eye-candy himbos" and sends out the wrong message about gender to young people, according to columnist David Quinn.

Note: This article contains spoilers for ‘Barbie’. 

The summer blockbuster has earned $781 million so far and has entered the list for highest-grossing openings for films.

Director and writer Greta Gerwig has previously said in press junkets the film is feminist in the sense that "it includes everyone".

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, columnist and Iona Institute CEO David Quinn said he thought the multi-million-dollar blockbuster was “having a right go at men”.

“The men in Barbieland who are all Kens... [they] are just kind of emasculated eye candy himbos," he said.

Like the dolls the film is based on, each Barbie has a job, including doctor, diplomat and President - while the Kens are, according to the film, "just Ken".

“Then Barbie and Ken went to the real world, where the men were sexist creeps," Mr Quinn said. "There's hardly a single guy you can look at say he’s a nice decent guy.” 

Mr Quinn also noted “romance was absent” from ‘Barbie’. 

“The fact that Barbie and Ken don’t get together is obviously trying to invert stereotypes, but what’s the message?” he asked. “That men and women can’t get along?”

The neighbourhood of Dreamhouses in Barbieland in the 2023 movie 'Barbie'. Image: FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo

The columnist said he wasn’t sure what kind of message the film was trying to send to young women and men. 

“If you’re a guy watching that, particularly if you’re from Gen Z, I'm not quite sure what the message of the movie was for you,” he said. 

“I'm not entirely sure what the message was for women watching it either, because you’re given a pretty dim view of men. 

He said it seemed like the message was “life is impossible under the quote-unquote ‘real world’ for women”. 

“There's a lecture at the end about the conflictual, contradictory challenges women have to put up with in real life, which is kind of a bleak message,” he said. 

“We got so many lectures about the patriarchy it was unreal.”

Actors from 'Barbie' playing variations of Barbie and Ken dolls, which Margot Robbie's Barbie disciplining two Kens. Image: FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Quinn said ‘Barbie’ might be trying to subvert expectations and swing the pendulum in women’s favour for once – but that doesn’t mean it’s a good film. 

“It’s fine for a guy my age, because I grew up in a different world, but if you’re a 20-year-old guy, I’m just not sure what the message is for them."

“It’s fine for a guy my age, because I grew up in a different world, but if you’re a 20-year-old guy, im just not sure what the message is for them." 

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