Pop Culture FeminismFilms

In the seemingly perfect world of Barbieland, Barbie begins to question the meaning of her existence and embarks on a philosophical journey to the real world. This pink-packaged blockbuster explores profound issues of patriarchy, beauty standards, and female identity in an entertaining format.

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut revolutionizes the high school comedy genre, following two academic overachievers who decide to cram four years of fun into one wild night before graduation. This self-aware coming-of-age comedy explores female friendship, academic pressure, sexual identity, and teenage identity formation through an inclusive lens.

A "way existential" 1990s time capsule of fashion, pop culture, and Valley girl verbiage, Amy Heckerling's rom-com riff on Jane Austen's Emma celebrates female friendship and sexuality, and it puts a woman's self-fulfillment above finding a man. Even if "fulfillment" technically includes finding a man.

A bored housewife becomes fascinated by the free-spirited lifestyle of mysterious Susan and embarks on an adventure of mistaken identity. This 1980s film by a female director uses humor and wit to explore themes of female identity, self-discovery, and breaking free from social constraints.

If you don't yet worship at the altar of Pam Grier, then good lord, what are you waiting for? An action legend who has been shattering glass ceilings for decades, the woman has made a film or television show nearly every single year since 1970. And one of her best is Foxy Brown, a crime classic that has a feminist streak piercing through all its revenge-glory chaos.