Barbie’s Back!
The world is currently looking through bubblegum-colored lenses, all thanks to the new Barbie movie.
Based on the iconic doll that made her debut in 1959, Barbie has always been more than just a doll; she’s been a friend and a role model. In 1965, a remarkable 13 years before women were admitted to the astronaut corps at NASA, Mattel introduced an astronaut Barbie. Moreover, in 2022, two Barbie dolls were taken to the International Space Station as part of an effort to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM and other male-dominated fields. In 1973, Barbie broke new ground by becoming a surgeon, a time when women made up less than 10 percent of doctors. She also served in the military, joining the U.S. Army in 1989, and three years later, she achieved the rank of sergeant in the Marine Corps.
But how did this popular doll come to be? Well, Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel with her husband Elliot Handler and Harold Matson in 1945, had the idea for Barbie when she observed her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls and expressing the kind of woman she aspired to become. Ruth envisioned a doll that could embody these soaring aspirations, and thus, Barbie was born—named lovingly after her daughter (Barbie’s full name being Barbara Millicent Roberts).
Against all odds, Barbie became a worldwide sensation, selling a staggering 300,000 dolls in the inaugural year alone. Eventually, this enchanting figure demanded an entire universe of her own. So, in 1961, she welcomed a boyfriend named Ken—whose name, rather oddly, paid homage to the Handlers’ son. The years that followed brought new companions into Barbie’s world: the steadfast friend Midge in 1963 and the youthful sister Skipper in 1964.
Of course, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Barbie. Since the 1970s, she has faced criticism for materialism (accumulating cars, houses, and clothes) and unrealistic body proportions. In fact, research has shown that if she were a real person, her neck wouldn’t be able to support her head, and her tiny ankles and feet would render walking impossible. In 1994, Finnish researchers revealed that if Barbie were real, she wouldn’t have enough body fat to menstruate. Responding to these concerns, Mattel changed Barbie’s body. By the turn of the 21st century, the doll featured smaller breasts, a wider waist, and slimmer hips. In 2016, the company released three additional sizes of Barbie: petite, tall, and curvy.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Barbie empire continues to reign, with over 86 million dolls finding homes in 2021. That’s a jaw-dropping average of 164 dolls being sold every single minute.
To this day, Barbie remains a pop culture staple, inspiring everyone from artist Andy Warhol and fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld and Diane von Furstenberg to, most recently, film director Greta Gerwig.
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