Justice for Barb: How Stranger Things created a movement

What is Justice for Barb?

Stranger Things fan favorite Barb Holland caught the attention and hearts of many from the moment we met her in the first season and her death created a movement to remember.

For Stranger Things Theme Week, we are celebrating Barb with an official Barb Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

What can we say about good old Barb Holland that hasn’t already been said? From the very first episode of Stranger Things, she captured the hearts of fans everywhere. From always being there for Nancy, to her heartfelt and caring demeanor, and even to her absolutely incredible fashion sense (anyone down for some sweet mom jeans?), Barb’s actions she took in Hawkins left an impact on everyone.

For those who don’t know or recall, Barb was Nancy’s best friend in the first season of Stranger Things. She accompanied Nancy to Steve Harrington’s house. There, she cut her hand, and while Nancy went inside with Steve, Barb sat alone at the pool. Barb was, then, attacked by the Demogorgon and pulled into the Upside Down.

We don’t know what happened next, but Hopper and Joyce found her dead in the Upside Down while they were searching for Will.

Of course, as we all know, Barb’s time on the show was unfortunately and unfairly short-lived and we had to say goodbye to her at the end of the first season of the show. Little did we know that her death would ignite a very impressive movement that adopted the title “Justice for Barb”.

As of today, the #JusticeforBarb tag on Instagram has over 72,000 posts and has gained attention across multiple other social media platforms.

These examples from this year show just how much people care about our glasses-wearing best friend hero:

Shannon Purser, who portrayed Barb in the show, weighed in on the movement back in 2018 during an interview with BUILD:

Ultimately, Barb’s death served as a catalyst and the inspiration for Nancy moving forward as she worked to figure out exactly what was going on in Hawkins. She was finally properly laid to rest with a funeral and was “served justice” in a way (not as much as fans hoped!) and her parents were given the closure they so desperately needed.

Barb wasn’t only Nancy’s “angel on her shoulder”, but she was a best friend, a kind soul, and a warm heart that Nancy seemed to take for granted until it was too late. Regardless, Barb’s impact on Hawkins and Stranger Things fans alike remains today as strong as ever!

What do you think of #JusticeforBarb? Is there still more that can be done? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for even more Stranger Things stories and news!