The Barbie movie is a "resounding success", according to gender studies professor Rebecca Stringer.
Stringer told Breakfast this morning the film "operates as a vehicle" for discussion of all of the feminist themes.
She said: "Mattel down the years has modelled and remodelled Barbie in ways that kind of follow that culture and then that process reaches its apotheosis in the film where really they have taken a lot of care to really cover all of those issues, to bed them into the story and make it kind of funny, and engaging, and gorgeous all at the same time."
Stringer said Barbie as a brand provides unrealistic beauty expectations, but the film "foregrounds that quite sensitively".
"The Barbie film really is concerned with those gender norms and the beauty ideals and you know, you hear in dialogue you know them saying this has made people feel terrible about themselves, there's the confrontation between Barbie and one of the characters where all of that comes out.
"It's clear that Barbie really knows the way round those issues, but I put it to you that Mattel hasn't really had a choice in following those things."
She said the reason Barbie has longevity and is still profitable is because it's followed important themes and folded them into the story.
"But also because you know, Mattel's a multinational corporation, they have relentlessly pursued cheap labour in southern and eastern Asia to produce their barbies.
"So really, a feminist perspective is always attentive to, in the Barbie question, those for whom Barbie is work not just play."
Stringer said she encourages parents to take their kids to see the movie because Barbie on screen is a "terrific story".
She said despite some compelling issues with the Barbie brand, the film deals with beauty ideals "beautifully".
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