Today is March 9th, also known as National Barbie Day.
The words “Barbie” and “doll” are often used interchangeably, with one representative of, or in conjunction with the other. This reflects just how ingrained Mattel’s Barbie is in popular culture since the launch of the first doll in 1959.
Iconic moments in pop culture
Barbie has been cemented in popular culture for some time. A key moment of this in the UK was when, despite its controversy, the band Aqua released ‘Barbie Girl’ (1997).
The song is written from the perspective of Barbie living her life, and although well-loved, it overlooks the deeper themes and critiques surrounding Barbie.
It is difficult to move past surface level. After all, the main appeal of a Barbie doll is her lush blond hair, pouty pink lips, wide blue eyes and slim figure.
But ironically, this aesthetic is exactly what lures academics into exploring the lore of Barbie and dissecting every aspect of her being.
How Barbie remains relevant today
Mattel has proved that they can adapt to the modern day, with their multiple reinventions of the product through time. They have championed inclusivity through reinventing Barbie to represent less traditional feminine ideals, as many claim her to be.
As a character, Barbie transcends the boundaries of fashion and she has had over 200 careers, many in non-traditional roles for women.
Barbie has enjoyed roles as a game developer, food truck operator, surgeon, astrophysicist, and in the military.
In 2019, Mattel continued to strive to be progressive and catered for the disabled community as they introduced a doll who uses a wheelchair and a doll with a prosthetic leg.
Resurgence of Barbiemania in 2023
The story of Barbie as a company and as a doll lends itself to the idea that cementing a brand into pop culture expands not just towards being trendy, but to creating something of lasting value.
Perhaps Mattel recognise their social responsibility as harbingers of trends, and consequently, influencers of culture.
In the second half of 2023, Greta Gerwig’s film Barbie, inspired by the doll, will be released in theatres.
While little is known about the film, it proves that Barbie continues to be seen as relevant. Hopefully, the film explores more complex themes about the doll and her impact.
In comparison to other toy franchises, specifically, dolls, Barbie has exhibited longevity. This could be due to Barbie’s ability to adapt and respond to the needs of consumers.
Brands such as Zara, Pretty Little Thing, River Island, New Look, Boohoo and BoohooMAN continue to launch Barbie clothing collections. This suggests that consumers will still proudly wear the Barbie logo and associate with the brand and doll.
It seems that even in 2023, Barbie as a brand and cultural phenomenon is here to stay.
Words by Marinel Dizon
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you coulddonate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.
Barbie may be a doll, but in 2023 she became much more. On the strength of Greta Gerwig's Warner Bros. movie, Barbie expanded beyond a symbol of female empowerment to become an avatar for the necessity of fighting to recapture power that's been taken away.
It's not just the organic nostalgia and universality around “Barbie” that contributed to its rocketing success — it was a savvy marketing campaign. From the get-go, it was clear it would be the summer of pink as several brands collaborated with “Barbie” and ads flooded social media.
2021 marked the highest gross sales value since 2013, with Barbie brand gross sales hitting $1.7 billion worldwide. According to our Statista Market Insights, dolls and stuffed toys generated an estimated $55.7 billion worldwide in 2023.
In a world where body shaming and insecurities run rampant, the Barbie movie offers insights into overcoming such challenges. The movie depicts various characters who have to navigate their own insecurities and how they come up stronger in the end.
Sales for the doll were sluggish at first, but Mattel advertised Barbie on a popular TV show, The Mickey Mouse Club. The doll became a hit! Barbie is largely credited as being one of the first fashion dolls, and she transformed the doll industry.
Visually, the epitome of the Barbiecore fashion trend is none other than the color pink. Whether a soft, dusty-rose tint or a vibrant fuchsia hue, variations of the color paint in feminine silhouettes, matching sets, accessories galore, bedazzled embellishments and playful, flirty patterns.
It stands for channeling confidence and positivity into the world, thereby empowering yourself and others. Barbie is no longer just a childhood toy, she is spearheading one of the biggest fashion trends of 2023. At King & Allen, we have the same ideology.
Barbie's marketing strategy is unique in that the movie is being marketed directly to women and has partnered with a large number of other brands. Barbie's presence in the imagination of Americans of all ages makes her primed for projections of ideas about feminism, but also for brand partnerships.
Barbie still holds an important place in our psyche even after years since its release. Barbie is one of the strongest women of our generation and she's not even real. She is teaching women that we can be anything we want despite what we look like.
Why are people so hyped about Barbie 2023? Because the movie has good references to the Barbie doll line and its lore and history. There are also many people who grew up playing with Barbie dolls or watching the Barbie movies, so they are all familar with the Barbie brand and have nostalgia for it.
From her inception, Barbie was criticized for her unrealistic body proportions and sexualized origins. In 1963, a doll featuring a diet-book accessory that simply said "don't eat" led to significant backlash. Mattel began softening her features in the '60s to give her a more innocent look.
While not emaciated-looking like the original Barbie, she's still quite thin, likely a US size 4 or 6. The “tall” Barbie has longer legs and is as thin (if not thinner) than the original. The “petite” version of Barbie is shorter, but still thin, with an hourglass shape.
There is a wide spectrum of experiences connected to Barbies, regardless of whether you liked them or didn't play with them as a youngster. Barbie movie is so popular mostly because of its capacity to uplift and encourage viewers with uplifting themes of friendship, self-assurance, and going for one's aspirations.
“I felt that the movie was a journey to self-discovery,” she explains. “Every character was along that journey in finding out who they really are and discovering that, at the end of the day, anyone can be anything and there's no one to stop you.”
"Barbie" may be a hit with critics, but it may not be entirely suited for children, depending on their age and maturity level. Greta Gerwig's new movie, in theaters now, is based on the famous doll and its idiosyncratic history.
The movie does have adult themes, mild language and some suggestive references, but many parents have still felt comfortable taking their children and tweens to see it. The “Barbie” movie can be a great jumping off point for starting or continuing thoughtful discussions about diversity, inclusion and self-image.
And here the film employs a surprising twist of making Barbie face decisions that make her relatable to all of us: decisions where she has to choose between something extremely familiar and something unknown. What is even more surprising is that Barbie faces such dilemmas not once, not twice, but three times.
Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
