From Mav: So I had been thinking of doing an episode like this ever since last year when the Barbie movie came out. BUT I didn’t want to do it right around Barbie because I don’t so much want to talk about the movie specifically as I do the concept of Barbie in general. Barbie is one of the most enduring toys of all time and she’s fascinating. Part of what I find so interesting about her is the fact that she’s essentially been under attack for the her possible negative impact for essentially her entire existence. Barbie has literally always been an icon of feminism or female subjugation … depending on who you ask. You have people swearing that she only encourages poor body image and obsession with materiality to people praising her boundless career possibilities and… varying attempts at racial diversity. The movie even gets into that a bit. Of course, it falls on the side of “nah, she’s good… we swear!!!!” But, you know… Mattel produced the movie.
But even moving beyond the obvious, Barbie is just a fascinating cultural meme. Not only is she a near ubiquitous character on par with Mickey Mouse, she’s also fascinating because of the insane amount of marketing cross promotion. Barbie has met any number of celebrities and historical figures, she’s had sponsorships with everyone from NASA to McDonalds and she sort of… on the sly inspires the Disney princesses (as well as Bratz dolls and other imitators)… not to mention stuff like her games, cartoons, clothes and just… you know… the movie. And all of this has happened WHILE people were having the aforementioned argument about whether or not she’s aspirational or harmful.
So I want to spend some time talking through the history of Barbie and her cultural influence with a couple of experts. Give us your questions and thoughts. Did you play with them as a kid? Did you give them to your children? Do you think they’re great? Nostalgic? Dangerous? Should be banned? This is going to be a pretty open and wide ranging discussion so let us know… what are your thoughts on Barbie and what do you want us to talk about?
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.
I think the biggest change to Barbie in recent years is that it used to be “Barbie can be anyone” to now “anyone can be Barbie”. It’s not about the jobs and fashion but the representation. Plus size Barbie’s, Barbie with Down syndrome or vitiligo. I think this is a great move and Lego has been similar in its changes to the minifigure.
As a character, Barbie has maintained her original brand (stereotypical Barbie that the movie even comments on) while also expanding its market appeal through variation. Though I don’t think I could say the same for GI Joe or other predominantly male-branded toys. Are they offering the same racial or ability representation that Barbie is? Aside from the efforts of Lego, I can’t comment on that.
On the movie. We can’t forget that Tyra Banks starred in “Life Size” (2000). It’s just Barbie by a different name if you haven’t seen it.