Online Search Interest in Gynecologists After the Release of the Film Barbie

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2821491?resultClick=3&utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8BqKoSMn7cUYuEu2cEFECXfPSicxgbNIjuJs04j5eQEzjit7ge4v2_z4CVDezQgPHBFX4SuBC4bz5lUiwMSnd8i7EFSQ&_hsmi=317386118&utm_content=317386118&utm_source=hs_email Barbie, the SEO queen of gynecology Last summer’s Barbie movie spawned endless memes (that even the American Medical Association got in on), songs of the summer from Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, and a shortage of hot pink paint. But did the iconic last scene — Barbie’s very enthusiastic declaration, “I’m here to see my gynecologist” — birth a renewed interest in getting Pap smears? Other high-profile medical mentions — such as Katie Couric’s televised colonoscopy and Angelina Jolie’s breast cancer essay in the New York Times — led to increases in colonoscopies and genetic testing, so researchers in JAMA Network Open wondered if Barbie did the same thing. Looking at online search trends, researchers reported that while searches for “gynecologist” and “gynecologist definition” spiked 51% and 154%, respectively, at the time of the Barbie movie’s release, there was no change in searches for gynecologist appointments. It wasn’t clear to researchers whether people needing the definition of a gyno were the same people who require gynecologic care, but the trend overall suggested that an increased awareness didn’t translate to an increase in people seeking out appointments.