Gynecology Queries Surged After Barbie Movie Release

Following the release of the “Barbie” movie last summer, search queries about gynecology surged while searches for actual appointments remained stagnant, a cross-sectional study found.

At the end of the movie, Margot Robbie in the titular role of Barbie walks into an office building and declares, “I’m here to see my gynecologist.”

In the first week after the movie’s release, online search volume rose by 51.3% for terms referring to gynecologists (P<0.001) and by 154.1% for the definition of the word gynecologist (adjusted P=0.03), reported Anupam Jena, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues in a JAMA Network Open research letter.

But searches related to seeking gynecologic care did not change, nor did searches for broader health terms, which the authors wrote supports “the assumption that the observed increase in gynecologist-related searches may have been influenced by the film’s release and not other factors.”

Co-author Eva Senechal, BS, of McGill University in Montreal, told MedPage Today that the team was inspired by the sheer impact of the “Barbie” movie, which became one of the highest grossing movies ever.

“Are people learning more about women’s health because of the ‘Barbie’ movie?” Senechal asked herself, especially because so many young people saw the movie. For them, “Barbie’s” ending line may have been the first time they heard of gynecology, and the results highlighted that many people in the “Barbie” audience didn’t know what a gynecologist is or what they do.

Ultimately, authors concluded that their “results suggest that ‘Barbie’s’ closing line may have spurred interest in gynecology, further suggesting the potential influence of popular films on health literacy and awareness.”

Nikki Zite, MD, MPH, of the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, who was not involved in the study, said that this research “is a good reminder about the potential impact that movies can have,” adding that she “laughed and cheered during that closing scene.”

“We also know that media and legislative events impact internet searches — for example, the increase in searches for vasectomy or female permanent contraception after the Dobbs decision in June of 2022,” Zite said.

Melissa Simon, MD, of Northwestern Medicine in Chicago and director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation, who also was not involved in the study, pointed out that the “Barbie” movie was released just over a year after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

“Barbie going to a gynecologist and taking care of herself and exercising her self-agency to obtain a healthcare appointment for her gynecologic health I think is an important message,” especially on the big screen, Simon said. However, no cause-and-effect conclusion can be drawn from the study data or methodology, she cautioned.

Following the release of the “Barbie” movie, researchers analyzed search trends for 34 queries about gynecology. The queries were categorized as relating to the gynecologist, gynecologist definition, or gynecologist appointment, while another group of more general search terms served as controls: women’s health, doctor, and doctor’s appointment. Using Google Trends and Glimpse, the researchers compared weekly search trends for the year prior to and 3 months following the movie’s July 21, 2023, release date.

“Other than ‘Barbie’s’ release, there were no major events during this period that may have led to widespread changes in search interest in gynecology,” the researchers noted.

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