Saying That Star Wars Is Being Turned Into a “Girl Brand” Is Foolish and Sexist
Welcome to 2026, folks, when, apparently, a scented candle can topple an empire. No, not the Galactic Empire. This is the empire of Star Wars as a whole, which, according to certain corners of the internet, is now under threat by… uh, *checks notes*, the scent of lavender.
Some people have got it into their heads that a Bath & Body Works tie-in for The Mandalorian and Grogu, the film that marks the franchise’s return to the big screens after a 7-year absence, might be contributing to the downfall of Star Wars as a franchise, because it’s too girly.
Geeks + Gamers recently ran a piece arguing that the collaboration — which is essentially soaps, sprays, and candles as merchandise — proves Disney has finished converting the franchise into what they call a “girl brand,” a phrase originally popularized by Film Threat’s Chris Gore.
He had warned in 2024 that turning Star Wars into another “girl brand” would result in people losing interest in the galaxy far, far away, and now, just because The Mandalorian and Grogu is underperforming at the box office, he thinks he’s been proven right.
Is Star Wars having trouble generating enough interest in new projects? Sure. Is Chris Gore’s entire argument ridiculous and unfounded? Absolutely. And here’s why.
The numbers don’t add up
First, let’s get the facts right. If Star Wars had been feminized into commercial oblivion, as it’s being suggested, somebody forgot to tell the people buying the tickets. When The Mandalorian and Grogu opened over Memorial Day weekend, Variety reported that 63 percent of opening-weekend audiences were male.
The movie went on to earn an A-minus from CinemaScore, and it debuted at number one. That’s not the demographic profile of a brand that has chased off its core fans over the unforgivable crime of… selling hand soap.
The film does have problems. And sure, it did end up having the worst opening of any Disney-era Star Wars movie, collapsing roughly 70 percent in its second weekend, but none of that is a verdict on which companies Disney is collaborating with to sell merchandise.
Besides, The Mandalorian and Grogu can still experience steady gains, and it’s still early to call it a box office flop as Chris Gore has done on X.
The tell is always in the premise
Now the sexist part, which is the most problematic aspect of this claim. When you strip down the argument to the base, you’re left with one glaring assumption, and that is: “appealing to women” is synonymous with death for a media franchise.
The whole framework treats the presence of women, whether it’s as heroes on the screen or as customers at the register, like a contaminant. And it’s almost as if the franchise isn’t allowed to want both audiences. Star Wars either belongs to boys or it’s been ruined.
Of course, the reading ignores the reality of the situation. Bath & Body Works didn’t even pitch the line as a clearance bin of girl stuff. The company explicitly marketed it as a Father’s Day gift and stocked it with cologne. In fact, The Mandalorian’s signature scent is called “Bounty Hunter” according to The Hollywood Reporter, built on sea salt and patchouli and marketed as something rugged.
To read that as the supposed emasculation of Star Wars is, as young people these days would say, “giving” fragile and obsessed. Imagine thinking that a candle is a gateway drug to weakness. If you said that to Star Wars fans in the early ‘80s, they’d laugh in your face.
Sure, the complaint always comes dressed as box office analysis, but the actual grievance has nothing to do with quality nor includes any sound arguments as to why there’s been a dip in the quality of writing, or storytelling, or directing, or editing, or any number of things that make up a production of this scale.
Star Wars history would like a word
Last but not least, here’s what the “girl brand” crowd gets backward, and only as a flinching reaction to certain developments in the franchise that tracked where we are as a culture — and perhaps because Kathleen Kennedy wore a Nike “The Force is female” t-shirt that one time.
Star Wars was never a boys-only clubhouse, and pretending otherwise would require rewriting a fair bit of history. Princess Leia ran the Rebellion, and she was instrumental in the fall of the Empire. Even in the Legends timeline — “before the dark times,” before Disney took over — characters like Jaina Solo and Mara Jade were often the main draw, inspiring thousands of fans. Generations of women grew up on this stuff.
Yes, the franchise has been dealing with issues like quality, fatigue, and a business model that seems hell-bent on zapping creativity, but I think a lot of these are industry-wide problems, not just exclusive to Star Wars. And they most certainly have nothing to do with candles and cologne and whatever new business deal Disney struck with an accessory company last week.
Let’s face it: If having a Grogu-shaped loofah is enough to sink a multibillion-dollar franchise, perhaps the Force was never really with it.
(featured image: Disney)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow The Mary Sue:
