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Barbie turns 50!

ICONIC Ruth Handler, who created Barbie

Barbie Millicent Roberts is 50. Barbie Millicent Roberts as in Barbie doll. Someone said, “Barbie is just a doll.” No! no! she is not just a doll, she is a movement (to borrow a usage from Malayalam).

Barbie elicits extreme reactions – I know of one mother who, as a child, refused one and steadfastly refuses to let her daughter near one. On the other extreme is the mom who thinks her daughter is an avatar of Coco Chanel and can hone her designing skills dressing up a Barbie doll. That argument continues…

In the meanwhile, Barbie turns 50. In 1959 Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys, designed the doll after seeing her daughter Barbara and her friends’ interest in dressing up dolls. Fifty years down the line, Barbie has been translated into various other nationalities (around 50 on last count).

More than for little girls, Barbie is the pre-teen and teens pal. “My teenaged niece has a huge collection of Barbie(s) and both my daughters too have a Barbie each. The nine-year-old loves to dress her up and doesn’t let anyone near it but the five-year-old couldn’t care too much about it. She prefers cuddly dolls which are substantial to hold,” says Priya who spent quite an amount on her daughter’s Barbie. The bias is clear, it is definitely for the older girls and that is how the maker intended it – the first one was a “Teenage Fashion Model”. With accessories (including a boyfriend – Ken) and hairdos, it was every pre-teen or teen’s dream come true. In fact there are grown up collectors of Barbie dolls too.

The first Barbie was unlike the ones that we are used to, each Barbie reflected the era that it was manufactured in. In the 50’s Barbie reflected the glamour of stars of the period such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor etc and there were two hair colours – blonde and brunette. Those were times when history was being made, so when in 1963 the first Russian woman astronaut went into space Mattel came out with an astronaut Barbie. This was the time when there came a Barbie with ‘Titan’ (the Mills & Boon types would know that is what red heads were also known as) hair-colour like the icons of the time – Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

There was even a ‘Twist n Turn’ Barbie, who could do the twist, because that is when the Beatles happened to the United States.

If there ever was a fashion trend, Barbie has flaunted it and the same goes for fashion faux pas too. In 1980 came the African-American and Hispanic Barbie; in 1982 an India Barbie.

Down the 50 years Barbie’s facial features have undergone changes, in keeping with the ‘look’ of a particular period.

If in the 50s she had high arched eyebrows, pursed red lips and bangs, now she has a softer look, is leaner with a ‘more athletic physique’, an open smile and wide eyes. And not just that, if in the 50s Barbie looked downwards (demurely) or sideways, sometime in the 70s, she started looking ahead.

Therefore in that she is a cultural icon of sorts, in fact some people have gone as far as to call Barbie the symbol of the American subconscious.

The anniversary Barbie

Coming to the present – this has been one happening decade for Barbie. She has been a Presidential candidate (Caucasian and African-American), zoo doctor, gymnastics coach, besides several other things.

The big draw, when it comes to owning a Barbie, is the accessorising part.

Be it jewellery (earrings, bracelets, clips), doll’s house complete with accessories for a home, handbags, shoes, wigs…the list is endless and of course, these do strain the wallet more than a wee bit.

“The year my daughter wanted a Barbie with accessories I spent a packet getting the whole deal for her…it cost me a major chunk of my bonus that year,” says Priya. There is no end to the accessorising that a little girl can indulge in with a Barbie doll.

Barbie has been at the receiving end of flak too. There are several accusations against Barbie, ranging from having drawn inspiration from a German sex doll to reinforcing negative body image for young girls.

If one were to look at it realistically, if Barbie were a real woman, her measurements would be 39-18-33. That, we’ll leave to the spoilsports! Meanwhile, let the party begin.

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