In recent years, the DC character Harley Quinn has been hailed as a feminist icon. Increasingly media depicted her from this standpoint including the 2019 animated series, Harley Quinn. The show is widely known and praised for its feminist themes. While this should be acknowledged, I think the show could be best understood through a neoliberal feminist lens. 

In season one, Harley breaks up with her boyfriend, the Joker. Throughout their relationship, Harley was mistreated, subordinated, and scapegoated by him. She spends a majority of the season proving to herself and by extension the Joker, that she can be a villain rather than a sidekick. She gets a crew and eventually gets accepted into the Legion of Doom (LOD), which is a congregation of supervillains.

The main cast of Harley Quinn

Neoliberal feminism (alternatively known as Girl Boss feminism) is not a school of thought within feminism but a byproduct of our neoliberal society. It individualizes the injustices and inequalities that women face and proposes that women must resist and overcome them. Neoliberal feminism supports the “legitimation of hierarchical relationships and gendered socio-economic inequalities” by creating classed and racialized distance from othered women, particularly lower-class women and women of color. 

Within the show, female characters mention that there’s a “glass ceiling” and double standards for female villains. These truths are told to Harley to motivate her in her quest to become an acknowledged and respected supervillain. Harley realizes that the only way she can rise from subordination as a sidekick is to gain prominence with a crew. She finds outcasts to make up her crew which consists of all “men” (they’re not all human). The crew and cast of the show are male-dominated. There is a lack of recurring female characters in the show, especially in season one. They only prominent female characters are Harley and Poison Ivy. One would think that Harley would team up with more women considering that they are underrepresented and face many double standards within their practice. In this way, Harley could combat the injustices that female villains face by creating a collective with other women and working together. 

Poison Ivy (left) and Harley Quinn (right)

From a neoliberal standpoint, the biggest narrative flaw in my opinion is why Harley wants to join the LOD. Harley’s motivations are clear, she wants to prove to the Joker that she can be a supervillain. But why would she want to join a system that neglects its female members? Feminist thinkers such as bell hooks and Mary Barfoot propose that some upper-class white women strive only for the equality of women within their class, which would essentially make them equal oppressors with white men. By joining the LOD, Harley does the same thing. She doesn’t make any systemic changes while she’s a member. She simply accepts their hierarchy. Season two gets better on some of these issues. It features more women, none of which are added to the main cast. After the LOD is destroyed, Harley rejects the hierarchy proposed by the male supervillains and mobilizes the goons to renounce the subordinate roles they play. 

Every show that has a female protagonist doesn’t have to embody feminism, but if it claims to be a feminist show, it is open to feminist critiques. Despite my criticisms against it, the series has slowly become one of my favorite adult animated shows. It’s hilarious and I highly recommend it.