NINA BANKS
campus editor
nina.banks@my.tccd.edu
She’s the “it girl.” She’s worked in 200 different careers, has the perfect boyfriend, and she’s never had a bad hair day — because it’s molded to her head. Who is she? Well, it’s “Barbie” of course.
Barbara Millicent Roberts, mononymously known as Barbie, has been an icon to children and adults alike across the globe. Since her conception in 1959, Barbie has popularized dolls and become a pop culture staple.
Even if you’re partial to a “Monster High” or “Bratz” doll, you cannot deny the iconic nature of Barbie. She has her own trademarked shade of pink for god sake.
Barbie is the definition of an “it girl.” Although the term typically refers to non-plastic human people, I would argue that an “it girl” doesn’t have to be a human girl. But I digress.
Like the “it girls” of current and past generations, Barbie has had her fair share of highs and lows. And the lows were admittedly, quite low. Dolls with scales set to 110 pounds or a Barbie’s collaboration doll with Oreo being a Black woman.
She has been subject to debates on whether she is a productive role model for children due to her exaggerated body or the initial lack of representation of various races and ethnicities.
However in the year 2023, Barbie has made large strides towards diversity and inclusion — all while sporting a pair of pink pumps. Dolls of all sizes, colors and abilities line the shelves of stores.
To the GenZ kids, I am sure Barbie has been there some way or another. Perhaps you owned some dolls and ate a glittery stiletto or learned in depth choreography to a Babrie movie. I can proudly and confidently say, I have done both.
And don’t even get me started on the BCU, or the Barbie Cinematic Universe. My explanations have fallen on the deaf ears of my poor mother, but I promise the lore is as — if not more — compelling than Marvel movies. I could make a strong case for why her films should be alongside the works of Kubrick and Tarantino.
She has been a mermaid, a fairy, a fairy mermaid, the list is endless for what Barbie has accomplished. What parent wouldn’t want a role model to encourage their kid to create a lengthy resume?
She may have had her fair share of controversy, but I believe Barbie has done the work to repair the harmful ideas she perpetuated and created a legacy in showing children they can be anything they want.
I may hate girlboss culture. But the usage of SheEO, a portmanteau of she and CEO, for Barbie feels more than appropriate.
Now with the Barbie movie trailer out and a lovely new meme format, I am excited to watch alongside lifetime Barbie enjoyers and amateur Barbie ethusiasts. Everyone has a little Barbie girl in them.
