Revived with a baby's brain in an adult body, Bella rejects patriarchal control, embraces hedonistic self-discovery via extensive sex work and travel, witnesses poverty and war, and evolves into a champion of workers' rights and brothel ownership for prostitute liberation—explicitly framing her journey as standing against the prejudices of her Victorian-era world. These elements manifest as fantastical critiques of gender norms, class inequality, and traditional marriage, with dialogue and sequences directly addressing systemic oppression.

Casting includes organic diversity in supporting roles (e.g., Black and Middle Eastern actors in a colorblind steampunk setting), but no unjustified race- or gender-swapping since it's an adaptation of a 1992 novel already infused with feminist and socialist allegory. Director Yorgos Lanthimos avoids activist labels, emphasizing artistic exploration over messaging, yet the film's overt focus on 'liberation' aligns with contemporary social justice tropes. Reception shows critical acclaim and box office success ($117M on $35M budget), but audience backlash from anti-woke voices labels it perverted male-gaze feminism, faux-progressive, and ideologically intrusive, though it doesn't dominate the surreal comedy-adventure enough to tank quality or provoke widespread 'go woke go broke' failure.