Barbie - Still Young and Fabulous at 60

Blond and coquettish, with an unmistakable face and silhouette even after decades of evolution - only one doll has become synonym with ‘pretty girl’ across the globe.

Both hated and loved, lauded an reviled, Barbie has seldom left anyone indifferent since its introduction into the toys market 60 years ago this month.

Created by Mattel’s co-founder Ruth Handler, she noticed that her daughter, Barbara, had limited options of toys to play with, all of which constricted her into the prototypical roles of mother and housewife.

Aware that social sensibilities were changing, Ruth came up with the concept of a grown-up looking doll, glamorous and independent, cosmopolitan and globetrotter, modelled after the German doll “Bild Lilli” from 1955, which was itself based on a cartoon appearing on the magazine ‘Bild’.
                           
In truth, although most dolls at the time replicated baby and toddler shapes, paper dolls - meant to showcase a variety of fashions - had already been around for decades.

Grace Kelly Paper Dolls, 1950's

Barbie’s real achievement was to transport the glamour of these paper dolls into 3D form.

When Barbie was introduced during the American International Toy Fair on March 9th, 1959, she was seen as a revolution. And the moment was ripe for her.

Although the stereotypical roles of wife and mother still dominated women’s images in the media, and blonde beauties such as Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe were still the rule, changes such a as the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution and the women’s rights movement were just around the corner.

Barbie & Ken, 1960's

In this context, the promise of a pretty, glamorous and carefree girl of means, unattached and independent proved irresistible.

And yet, Barbie’s voluptuous shape became the immediate target of criticism from the very beginning. Many saw in the statuesque toy a potential danger to children’s minds, one which encouraged distorted visions of the body and incited exacerbated sexuality.

Despite the criticism, Barbie became quickly the bestselling doll of all times, spurring countless replicas and imitations, with varying degrees of success.

But the creators at Mattel decided that Barbie should not be alone. Soon a troupe of girlfriends came to make her company, and in 1961 her boyfriend Ken made his first appearance. Later came her younger sister, Skipper, a dog, a cat, a horse and a baby sister - even twins!

The growing family, of course, required a house, a car, a pool, an endless array of playing sets and countless dresses, shoes and accessories.

The Barbie universe expanded to include everything that a girl could dream of.

But despite her worldwide success, Barbie has also had its share of detractors.

From the very beginning, the curvy doll has been blamed for imposing unrealistic beauty standards to little girls, perpetuating insecurities and gender stereotypes. And yet this criticism may be unfounded.

If this is true about Barbie, it is also true about comic superheroes and dolls targeted to young boys, such as ‘G.I. Joe’. Both offer the same: a model of adulthood for children to project themselves, reflecting their own hopes, dreams and expectations for the future.

Toys are not meant to represent reality but provide free way to our imagination and fantasy. Thus, a feminine pretty doll will appeal to a girl who desires such characteristics for herself.

The problem, therefore, does not lie with the toy itself but with the values and expectations fed to the child by her parents, caretakers and the society in which she lives.

Merely playing with a Barbie doll will not make a girl vain and insecure, unless the conditions may be influenced upon her by the surrounding environment.

I received my first Barbie doll when I was a pre-teen, right after my older sister got hers. Soon, I had a collection of them - Malibu Barbie, Cowgirl Barbie, Rapunzel Barbie, Hispanic Barbie, Italian Barbie, the Barbie horse, the Barbie dog, etc. - and when my sister grew tired of hers, I gladly inherited them.

However, I never felt myself coerced to look like them or be like them in any way. My Barbies were dolls, and I was a real person, and such unrealistic expectations were not around in my environment.

Eventually I outgrew them, but I always remained fond of my Barbie dolls, the long hours of entertainment they gave me and the fantastical stories I used to create with them.

Some of my own Barbies

Over the years, Mattel has remained wisely sensitive to the market’s criticism, competition, the social changes and the sway of the times.

In fact, part of the secret of Barbie’s permanence over time is her constant re-invention and adaptability to satisfy the society’s changing paradigms.

In response to the nascent racial awareness movement of the 1970's and the need for diversity in the toys’ market, Mattel released the first Barbie models representing non-white ethnicities, most notably releasing a line called “Dolls of the World”, which remains to this day and is updated every couple of years, featuring Barbie dolls in traditional costume, many presenting distinctively different facial features.

Italian Barbie (1979)

 Eskimo Barbie (1981)

 Chilean Barbie (2018)

 Mexican Barbie (2019)

This effort to connect with its customers in an expanding global market proved lucrative, and currently non-blonde Barbies represent over 50% of their total sales worldwide.

Also, in an effort to counter the criticism from feminist groups claiming that Barbie perpetuated misogynic prejudices, and also as a way to show that Barbie wasn’t merely a ‘pretty face’, Mattel released Barbies performing a diverse array of occupations intended to show her smarts and spirit of enterprise: Barbie doctor, Barbie scientist, Barbie astronaut, Barbie presidential candidate, and many more.

In addition to these, Mattel has satisfied their adult Barbie fans by releasing ‘Special Collection’ editions, honouring famous films, celebrities and personalities, such as Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo and Liz Taylor, and sometimes even dressed by famous fashion designers such as Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld and Bob Mackie, with designs created specifically for her shape.

“Gone with the wind” Collector Edition Barbie

 “Twilight” Collector Edition Barbies

Lately, Barbie has gone to greater lengths to show she’s not shallow.

In 2018, Mattel presented Barbies in wheelchairs and with a prosthetic leg, aimed to include children with disabilities. More recently they presented three new Barbie models in different shapes: petite (short and slim), tall, and full-shaped, hoping that children will feel identified and represented by these models, showing them there’s beauty in every shape, color and size.

In another daring move, Mattel also presented a Barbie model wearing a burka.

While these measures have found approval with politically-correct customers, the success of these versions is yet to be seen. After all, it’s the child who choses the toy she plays with - the one which best echoes her dreams and expectations.

Whatever you may think of it, Barbie is an icon, and a great example of adaptability to the needs of the market, and of resilience in a changing world, succeeding in tackling the ruthless competition of the fickle toy market while remaining true to its original spirit.

At 60, Barbie is not only a survivor of war-time, recession, social changes, financial upheavals, changing technologies and the jump to the digital age, but she’s done it with a smile, keeping her unwavering optimism, youthfulness and dynamic spirit.

Despite the times we may face, Barbie remains modern, positive, progressive and embracing her feminine side, embodying our dreams of freedom, independence, harmony and endless happiness.

An amazing accomplishment that certainly deserves a celebration.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, FranceInfo, Wikipedia.