At 64 years old, Barbie is still more relevant than ever. She is about to release her film, which is estimated to be one of the most successful titles of the summer and which has also been one of the most talked about for months. Barbie is so ingrained in the culture that it’s not uncommon to use her name as a synonym for doll, even perfection. Barbie has not been without controversy for her portrayal of beauty and for the stereotypes she has perpetrated over the years. With everything and the “details” of her, Barbie is still valid and relevant. These are three reasons for this.
It’s aspirational
Barbie changes the doll concept with her arrival. Before Barbie dolls were babies. This implied, therefore, that the girls became “moms”. Barbie puts the spin on it by becoming a female figure they could aspire to become. Yes, that figure represented stereotypical and impossible values of beauty and yes, she also promoted, in principle, a life centered on the social and fun. Even with this, Barbie represented since her arrival the possibility of being beyond the role of mother. Over the years, she also showed that Barbie is versatile and can be an athlete, a physicist, a teacher or an astronaut.
is relevant
The main vicissitudes with which it has faced have been precisely those that question, on the one hand, the physiognomy that it promotes, and, on the other, the superficiality that it represents. That is to say, a model of a woman that was rather assimilated to that of the trophy woman or wife. However, Mattel has reinvented Barbie time and time again. Who and what she is and what she does Barbie has changed over the years. Barbie has transcended beauty, fashion and social standards. She has had so many roles and professions that she has over 250 careers (as listed on her site). She has been from the most traditional as a model or mother to the military, video game developer or surgeon. Even Mattel has already included different physiognomies and genotypes, as well as figures with a prosthetic leg or who are in wheelchairs.
It’s universal
With everything and the criticism that has been made of Barbie, the doll represents possibility. Any girl and, in fact, any boy or girl, if you prefer, sees in her, beyond her specific characteristics (if you think of the classic doll) a canvas to embody to be. Yes, for many perhaps it was in principle to replicate the model, but beyond that is to be, to be and to recognize oneself. Barbie represents female empowerment for whoever she feels and expresses as a woman. Barbie represents change, evolution and possibility.
2023 brings Barbie “to life” in the live action film of the same name. The film hasn’t yet been seen and hasn’t been reviewed yet, but the trailers show just how many faces Barbie has and reaffirm that in today’s world she’s still relevant.