The Politics of Reclaiming Barbie and the Barbiecore Aesthetic
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- In this video essay I discuss the history of the Barbie doll and the Mattel corporation, their controversies and their progress. I also discuss Barbie’s history as a feminist icon and how radical Barbiecore is and why it matters.
Lastly, I talk about some of my predictions about Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Disclaimer
0:15 Content Note
0:33 Intro
2:20 Part 1: Barbie’s History and Boobs
10:13 Part 2: The ‘Other’-ed Barbies
18:40 Part 3: Barbie, Whiteness and Femininity
28:15 Conclusion
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Links:
ANNA MAY WONG BECOMES THE FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN DOLL IN BARBIE’S INSPIRING WOMEN SERIES
thepopinsider.com/news/first-...
Barbie logo history
logo.com/blog/barbie-logo
Oriental Barbie Doll
barbie.fandom.com/wiki/Orient...
1980 Barbie Dolls
www.fashion-doll-guide.com/19...
‘A little act of revolution’: How Mattel came to make the first Black Barbie
www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...
Launching a Toy Company
artsandculture.google.com/sto...
Why the new Barbie movie is the feminist epic we deserve
www.standard.co.uk/insider/ba...
Francie (Barbie)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francie...)
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Music:
all music is from the RUclips Audio Library
Dancing Star - Aakash Gandhi
• Aakash Gandhi - Dancin...
Summer Breeze - Nate Blaze
• Summer Breeze 
Развлечения
I wish that Barbie could bring back the pink and glitter, but still diverse. Every time a company “diversifies” their brand, they make everything basic and bland and they get rid of the glamour and sparkle. Just look at Victoria Secret.
Yeah, it almost feels disrespectful, kinda insinuating that diversity is something that's bland and mininal. I wanna see a glittery sparkly latina barbie! It sucks to feel like they think that since diversity is this "adult and serious" thing, it had to be bland and basic. like No!!! I want sparkly barbies that are also diverse!!
It’s on purpose.
@@OmGoshItsWaffles it’s done on purpose. So that if enough pushback happens they could say ‘this is why diversity doesn’t work’ and go back to the status quo
@@OmGoshItsWafflesdiversity shld be and is fun idk y some brands dont go full camp, even tho im loving the new dolls' bodies and looks i just hope the outfits get better, its still pink and fun but its more millenial which is a shame
I feel like the movie is bringing that back with all the barbies of color being dressed in fun and glamerous fashions meanwhile the brand is also bringing more fantasy and fashion elements back
the criticism about Mattel being a giant corporation is valid, but I doubt Gerwing’s adaptation will explore it as Mattel seem to be quite involved with the movie
Yeah i think its more barbie the character and less barbie the brand
So Don't support Mattel or Warner Bros then. See I fix that for you. And it really don't matter what your saying. Barbie is gonna make a billion dollars at the global box office.
I mean...Mattel seems to be the main villain of the film?
@@platina1502no, Mattel is using an already established toy villain in Will Ferrell. Anyone who thinks they won’t at least NOD to him being the Dad from Lego Movie is kidding themselves. He’s very much playing the same character. Especially when you think about how much money the legos in that basement would cost. He’d have to be a high level executive or have a wife that doesn’t care if they starve some weeks.
They are on the record saying that they overwhelmed the execs with notes that Mattel wasn’t able to cut out anything successfully from the movie.
Never understood why people felt insecure about Barbie’s body nor Disney princesses. I mean, I was insecure but not because of Barbie, because I was comparing myself with actual girls and women. Also, it’s time we stop vilified pink and hyperfemininity. Movies are so use to make the villainess a hyperfeminine woman when we talk about kids/teen movies, proving how they view femininity as something negative.
That’s why I love Barbie and Elle Woods, they are not vilified for their love for pink. They are kind, respectful and both of them have goals. You can love pink and be persevered, be who you want to be.
I’ve got to say, as a very masculine woman (I literally get mistaken for a teenage boy quite often) I do appreciate that you reminded people that masculine women are far more often ridiculed than celebrated and that very feminine women not being taken seriously doesn’t mean that masculine women are taken seriously. I see too many video essays that equate female masculinity with “NLOG behavior” and it’s nice to have that explicitly shut down for once.
Also I played with a lot of Barbies as a kid in the 2000s and some extent the late 90s (1995 baby here so I was quite young in the late 90s) so I’m very hype for this movie.
Yes people only love tomboys when they’re little girls (ex the like for Arya from got) but hate them when they grow up and keep those same traits/aren’t f*ckable. (Ex. Captain Marvel hate). I think the hate TLOUS 2 got exemplifies this.
@@PrincessLionessBecause men are into little girls often 😢
so true, i was also happy to see that as a masc woman. a lot of feminine women who speak on nlog fail to acknowledge that form of (internalized) misogyny comes from the deep hurt of being alienated from other girls/women, oftentimes *by* other girls/women. this happens most often with gnc girls, but it also correlates with queerness, neurodivergency, non-whiteness, & mental illness/trauma, many of which overlap.
@@myrmexi_mien This! As a queer neurodivergent person, I was "nlog", because most other girls ostracized me and straight up told me that I was different from them. I had no power over them in this situation, but to tell myself that it was ok to not be like them.
@@myrmexi_mien Honestly yeah that’s so real. I’m an autistic butch lesbian and my school years were absolute hell.
Barbie is a femenist in the sense that she works, is independent, she owns property, she can be astronaut and even lawyee, fire fighter, and all. She drives her own car. She shows girls that they can do so much! And being a feminist is that: advocating for the rights of women. Women can be financially independent, and that’s great!
Doesn’t it also glorify the stereotypes that teach women that they’re less than they are too? Genuinely asking, cause I have very mixed feelings about this.
It seems very song of the bird that’s come to love it’s cage to me, since I see Barbie’s as insulting to women
@@OwnYourBaldSpotCan be true... As much as she inspires to girls to be anything, but the everything is troublesome as for majority of the girls they began to think that girls should be thin and pretty as Barbie aside from being anything, at least that's what I gathered from the western demographic...
But less than they are though... I don't get how playing with dolls makes girls think less than they are... That or it's due to the fact I adored and played Barbie as an actress than anything else... I mean, I play Barbie as if I am the writer, director and stylist and she is my actress playing out my stories... Rather making me feel less than Barbie I feel more free and relaxed as I feel as if my possibilities are endless, the things I can make her do are endless. She can be Rapunzel, one minute, mermaid the next, a doctor by the hour, a magical girl with wings 2 hours after, a leader of her own team half an hour after that... It's exhilarating...The things I wish I can make happen in real life, I can make Barbie play it out... I can spend hours making her do my stories...
Rather I only notice how she looks (in correspondence of how I look) when I delved into Feminist discussions and what the western ideals of beauty are (At least I was 16 by that point)... It never bothered me until I learned about it, but I am more bothered of what I see on Western stages, fashion magazines and athletes than Barbie... Those girls look better than me, more perfect than I am; Barbie is just Barbie... Someone I can make play with my stories, not relating to my world... What I see on screen though... Girls who seem freer, bolder and louder, with perfect bodies and nimbler limbs able to do parkours and stunts, do parties on a weekend AND STILL PASS EXAMS... Admittedly, I feel less than they are...
Really? Do you even know the pain this doll has caused to both men and women. So many men especially back then wanted a woman that looked like her. Many women got wind of this and started getting plastic surgery in droves. Barbie sets a unrealistic beauty standards that has gone on for decades. It’s really hurt what is genuine.
Barbie is not a feminist this is absolutely inane. She is there for entertainment purposes. She is a doll, why are people trying to find some deep meaning behind a fricking piece of plastic. This Barbiecor, Barbie movement. It’s pretty sad. Like how can anybody stand behind this that’s a feminist. Wow
feminism = when u make money??? do u even understand feminism at all dude lmao what
It was the most mysandric film ever made I think. Genuinely evil in its hatred of men 😅
I really liked the idea of barbie being able to be anything she wanted when I was growing up. I’ve always felt barbie was a well rounded character especially after they let her make youtube vlogs. I always found it weird people used Barbie as an insult and to imply a particularly feminine woman was shallow and unintelligent. Barbie as a character is none of those things but the stereotypes associated with hyperfemininity and girl/womanhood automatically became associated with Barbie.
Be anything you want...as long as you are skinny and pretty. Guess that doesn't apply to me, though. Or most girls and women that don't fit the beauty mold.
@@bryna7that literally makes no sense. Since when does skinny have anything to do with chasing a career in something that interests you? Y’all need therapy because this self hate ain’t it.
@@bryna7 More like: 'Be anything you want...as long you have connections and money.'
I always loved Barbie and the color pink and fashion. Even though I am an African/black American woman. I am happy you discussed Barbie. I am excited about the movie. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate it.
My issue is that just that they are diverse now, but no fashion forwardness like at all. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to older Barbies (even from the life and the dream house) and the fashion was AMAZING. The fact that they can’t give bigger bodies, disabled, dolls any cool and amazing outfits is crazy. Someone in the comments mentioned how Victoria secret did this too. Like why can’t bigger bodies ever have pretty things like it’s hard work to do 😒
I remember I went to the store and saw a girl got excited about one of the diversified Barbie when it came out. She was dark skin. The doll looked like her. She shown it to her mom, but her mom said, "That's an ugly Barbie, wouldn't you want this Barbie?" The Barbie was the white blond Barbie. I tried not to make a scene, but i felt bad for the girl.
I bought a Barbie for my daughter. I didn't show it to my gf, and I mentioned I bought one. My gf grew out of Barbie. She grew up with the choice of either Black and White, so she thought it was one of them. I shown her the Barbie, and my gf's lit up. The Barbie was close to our daughter's skin and hair color. She was surprised Barbie made dolls like that.
Awww
Barbies were black in the old days. 😂 Just you liberals never noticed Christie, because people back then did not look through skin colour, but based on the style of the doll. Amd so what if the Barbie is ugly? It doesn't mean she's racist. I have black and white Barbies. Asian dolls are not so pretty to me, although the new one special edition is calling me to buy her
@@franfinesimback then? Are you delusional? Race relations were awful back then
@@wrestlinganime4life288 if you cannot accept that there were diverse dolls, you won't surely see them now.
Stop lying. Poc barbies are not selling out and on sale. I’m a poc and I liked Barbie cuz she was a pretty doll. I never saw myself in her, and it’s not anyone’s fault that parents or little girls are so deluded to compare themslevws to fkn plastic
Barbie is a reflection of us, we're not a reflection of Barbie.
I'm an older millennial, so I grew up internalizing that hate towards dolls and girly stuff. My sister, mom, and my girlfriends all lived our lives making sure we were not "like other girls". But of course, I had Barbies, and barbie's bed, her beautiful shower, etc, and I felt so ashamed of liking this stuff. Now that I'm a full-grown woman and a writer I see the huge value of playing with dolls as a means to exercise your creativity and imagination, I used to make stories with my Barbie dolls and the only Ken that I had... I wish I could still make up so many stories with so simple characters such as my Ken 😅who, by the way, was surfer or something, so he only wore shorts. It was very inconvenient, I could never include him in important events of the plot.
Ken attending a church wedding in his beach shorts😂😂
@@isthatachicken Yeah!!! that sums it up 😂
That's funny! I never played with barbies as a boy but I did have a lot of toys and agree about it encouraging creativity! I loved making stories up
I can’t agree more! I’m Gen X, and I see that embarrassment, rejection of girlyness, and “not like other girls” as being close to self hate. So many people just don’t see this. You don’t have to like Barbie or pink, but there’s nothing wrong with you if you do. As for me, you will pry the Laura Ashley tea set, the tiaras, the ball gowns, and the ponies out of my cold, dead hands.
Omg my Ken was a ballet dancer so he showed up to everything wearing a white unitard with silver sparkles.
I feel like if we could've had the diversity of modern Barbie, and the fashions of 2000s Barbie, we could have a perfect doll line.
so real
that’s basically bratz
@@ecstasy3692bratz don’t have more than one body type though
I think they already did that with barbie extras not only 2000's fashion but every fashion you can think of
I was a Barbie designer from 2007-2012 and my co-worker Stacey McBride created a Black Barbie line called So In Style that was released in 2009.
One of the characters was canonically Black and Korean, one character was Jamaican American, another character was African and another was Afro American, and the last character introduced was Puerto Rican.
So In Style as a line lasted from 2009-2014, with the last doll of the main character (Grace) being released as part of the Barbie Fashionistas line in 2015.
The line lasted five years (with only 1 commercial in the first year) because of its authenticity. We were Black designers speaking to the Black experience.
Now they assign all the Black dolls to non-Black designers because they have no Black people on the design team.
As soon as that Miko doll at 14:36 showed up, I recognized her outfit IMMEDIATELY. I had that exact doll as a little girl (although I recently came out as non-binary) in the early 1990's. My grandma is Japanese, and I remember her giving me this doll and saying her name was "Keiko", for some reason. Even though it appears as though Miko was marketed as Hawaiian, I think my grandma wanted me to think of her as Japanese so I could better identify with the doll.
That's so sweet ❤
I agree! Though this shows that they should also have put out more dolls to represent more people. I'm glad things are better on that front now
Your grandma saw something closer than she ever had and wasn’t gonna let the doll’s name stop her! Absolutely precious, and sweet of her to do for you.
I'm a borderline Gen X/Boomer. I enjoyed playing with Barbies with my sister and friends. Even though we had Kens, they rarely made an appearance. Their clothing was just a source of fun - we made our own - but it wasn't to impress men, they weren't going places to meet men or be with men. It was a woman's world...well, women and horses.😂
Im a big barbie collector and found you through your american girl video. I love barbie and im so glad that this video exists now. I never saw her as anti feminist. She was just fun!
Same, i saw her as very feminist, she does her own thing, her films are very female focused and she uplifts other women and she isnt ken's sidekick or yearning for him constantly which is very "revolutionary" since most male female romances the man is indirectly the main character and it was nice to see an alternative as someone who wasnt very into traditional roles i dont like how people esp adult society portrayed her a bimbo her herself is very feminist, and her as a brand is quite "progressive compared to the rest of her vintage counterparts from the past barbie is not perfect because shes a brand whos of her time but also very progressive. Relatively. Compared to the rest. I love the new dolls' bodies and faces and the general designs except the outfits. Her brand isnt perfect cuz its very of its time, and has some problematic aspects because its a brand. Barbie herself is an icon but the barbie brand deserve to have criticism.
I collect Barbies too. Particularly the brunettes and redheads and some specialty dolls. I don't watch Barbie films so far. I don't like when the company announces she broke up with Ken or something like that. All of that is up to the kid (or adult) owner. My Barbies were mostly married to my brother's Johnny West dolls, and Francie was married to their sole Ken doll (Mod Hair Ken). Maddie Mod (whom I called Maddie Mode) was married to one of the GI Joes. Not that marriage is the be-all, but I don't think it's up to the company. We used to do stories too, like a circus where the performers were being murdered or whatever. (I'm sure Mattel would love that!)
My Barbies and Francies had different names too, and their last name was usually Atwood, for reasons unknown.
When I was a kid, Barbie didn't make me want to be sexy for men. I just had fun playing with a pretty doll I could dress up and play with. I didn't want to look like Barbie. I wanted a Barbie dream house and car, and hell, I wanted to be a fairy like one of my Barnies, but I knew it was fun and make believe. The way people get mad and panicked over a small plastic toy is ludicrous and every time I hear their concerns about Barbies "being sexualized" or "making girls want to look a certain way," I always say, "That's b.s. Children don't think like that. Young girls just want to have a fun toy they can play make believe with so they can pretend to be a princess, rock star, mermaid, etc. Also Barbies are not sexualized. Just because a woman or female character has busts and hips doesn't mean they are sexualized. It's a woman's body and women's bodies are not inherently sexual. Besides I remember being a little girl and I can promise you, children never think about a person's or toy's body. They only know fat and skinny, not much else about them. Adults forget that kids don't obsess over bodies and have sexual thoughts like adults do. They mostly notice and pay attention to faces. The fact that there are people who are "offended" by the toy or see it as being "sexualized," not only shows that they see a woman's body as a sexual object, but it also shows that people have way to much time on their hands and just want something to be outraged about.
Also in all the Barbie movies, she was kind and compassionate, yet authoritative and tough. She was fair and intelligent. Barbie showed me that women can be beautiful and feminine, but still be strong and intelligent. People seem to forget that beautiful women are human beings with hearts, minds, passions, and aspirations. The notion that a beautiful woman can't be a good role model is absurd.
I think a lot of the adults who write worried think pieces about girls playing with dolls…weirdly enough don’t quite understand how a lot of girls actually play with dolls.
I remember seeing an old article about how adults were concerned that playing with bratz dolls was going to confine their kids to ‘making them go the club and act provocative’ …. 🧍🏻♀️ like there’s a reason the joke about how girls play with dolls exists; kids have extensive and personalised lores and interrelationships between their dolls. kids are literally some of the most imaginative people on the planet, they’re not confined to ‘making pretty barbie do only pretty girly things’
well said 👏👏👏
I agree so much! When I was a kid, my only problem with Barbies was that most of them were either blonde and white or brunette and black, and there wasn't white Barbie with dark hair like me (maybe there was but it wasn't sold in my country). My favourite became Asian (like Chinese or Japanese) looking Barbies, because they were the most similar to me. But I never cared about the clothes, not in a negative way. I loved Barbie fashion, I loved the pink and glitter - and I still love those older outfits. But I hate how Barbie looks now. I am all for diversity, but current Barbie doesn't represent what she should. Make her body, skin and hair diverse but make her still wear hot pink and glitter. Don't take away her wearing high heels and fitting clothes! Because now we are going backwards and Barbie is not for kids now but for the mothers who have problems with themselves. Barbie is a doll, a toy, she's not supposed to be realistic! Life is already boring enough, I don't want dolls to be like that too. Besides, this problem is only with Barbie, not Monster Highs or Rainbows etc.
I will say while I agree mostly to this it’s a bit more complicated than that. Barbie and other dolls are a reflection of our beauty standards and are more a tool creating to insecurity not the root cause of it. Like Eugenia Cooney for example her mother would always try to make her feel like she needed to “look like a doll” so she was used as a tool and example by someone who is manipulative to convince their child what they should look like.
I feel like ignoring what Barbie is (a reflection of societal beauty standards at the time) and the harm that Barbie has done for people is bad. You can uplift Barbie and not tear her down but shouldn’t ignore any of the harm that has been caused by it. Also that the harm is not just Barbie being a Barbie doll but why she was created and how she is being used in media and by other adults and how that’s more so a reflection on just our society in general.
Agreeee
Your conclusion just reminded me of
"Careful the things you say. Children will listen.
Careful the things you do. Children will see and learn.
Children may not obey, but children will listen. Children will look to you for which way to turn, to learn what to be.
Guide them then step away, children will glisten. Tamper with what is true, and children may turn, if just to be free.
Careful before you say 'listen to me.'
Children will listen."
My Barbie phase as a kid was pretty short but I'm still super excited for the movie. I think the doll was a good way to explore different types of style/femininity that I couldn't really express myself.
I think we all had that phase where we hated “girly” and feminine things. I had that phase when I was 12 and thought hating the color pink and “girly” stuff made me mature. I’m so happy I grew out of that phase. Growing up is realizing pink isn’t a bad color, it’s actually my favorite again! I have pink plushies, a pink switch lite and a pink bag
It’s branded as the “pick me” phase apparently 😅
@@Kiran37369 You're misunderstanding what "pick-me's" are. It's not the color pink that is the bad thing but moreso societal pressure to perform femininity for male approval when you don't want to. What started as earnest acceptance of who you are and not conforming into the pressure to be hyperfeminine turned into this whole thing in the early 2010's with the "NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS" phenomenon.
It's called a "pick me" because you think not wearing anything pick or feminine makes you "more than/smarter/better" than the hyperfeminity and more deserving of male attention. I say this as a goth with black eyeshadow. Two sides of the spectrum, both tearing down each other.
@@giselletorres4156 I’m not saying I agree with bringing other women down. I never said I agree with it. I just said what it’s branded as like it or not.
I'm a 29 year old doll collector mostly American Girl and Alexander dolls, then Barbie, and I remember being more or less pushed away from wearing sequins, bling accented clothing once I got to a certain age same with being teased about being a collector. Because of how I was raised, I'm a left leaning feminist, there's nothing wrong with being an attractive complex woman who continues to enjoy dolls and have a real world job.
I had a phase where I loathed Barbie because dolls were "too girly" (unfortunately I was that type of girl). When the Fashionista dolls with different body types came out, I didn't hesitate to get 3. I plan on rebuilding my doll collection and plan on searching in the family storage unit for my Bratz dolls (I had Genie Magick because it was the closest I could get to a Bollywood styled doll). I have some Barbies, Bratz, Diva Dolls, and Monster High dolls. Adulthood made me realize teen me was really dumb.
You should do a video on Bratz dolls next. It’s disturbing how much people say about them when they’re good influences in my opinion. They show that young girls can have fun and show and just be teenagers and the Bratz have always been about expressing yourself and being you.
There are studies done on the negative impact of bratz dolls. Look it up if you aren't already super biased.
@@bryna7 thats complete BS just like barbies criticism
yeah they all had ambitions and hobbies/interests outside fo fashion and beauty but all came together for their shared love of fashion.
they taught diversity, individuality, self expression and even in the animated series each of them had flaws and conflicts.
they were pretty and loved fashion but were top students who were all intelligent and confident
@@bryna7 It’s a load a shit. The criticisms are just as dumb as what people say about Barbie
@@TheCbazzathey were very progressive, esp for the 2000s where anti feminist and racism was rampant in adult and teen media, they taught kids that it wasnt bad to be who they were and are, not to say theyre perfect but they are definitely great
You forgot to mention the situation where Mattel systematically sabotaged the dolls for Jem And The Holograms by releasing Barbie And The Rockers early to make it look like Jem was a copy. It’s a sketchy piece of Barbie’s history that constantly gets overlooked. The story behind the feud will give you a pit in your stomach, it probably won’t change your perspective on Barbie much… but Mattel on the other hand? It’s just another shady corporation doing shady business practices.
I think "sexiness" of barbie is entirely subjective and honestly a projection of adults (particularly men, but women too). When little girls play with barbie they arent seeing it that way at all. Children (unless explicitly taught early on) don't have the context to understand what being "sexy" even means or why that would necessarily be a bad thing
100%
I really hate how everything woman/girl related needs to be "feminist" or "revolutionary" and what I mean is as people who are producing media or products you need to be socially cognizant but I think when it comes to it you just should make something that is not regressive, thats all. because I really hate how feminism and other social justice movements are being commodified and activism became performative.
while i'm not a fan of the aesthetic, i do like that the barbiecore/hyper feminine renaissance we're going through nowadays has a lot of people participating from diverse backgrounds and body types. i'm happy that the young kids and teens who will grow up enamored by it will see themselves represented even if they aren't white or thin!
This was such a good video! I have so many thoughts about Barbie and dolls in general. You did a wonderful job highlighting the flaws of Barbie and Mattel while not undermining just how impactful she’s been. As a white girl who grew up with maybe four Barbie’s of color, I’m so glad there’s been more diversity. At the same time, you made such a good point about how Barbie stands for white womanhood. As much I love Barbie, she has a lot of baggage when it comes to diversity (both disability wise and racially) I’ve loved seeing Barbie grow to represent more kids, but sometimes kids need a doll line like Bratz or monster high. Barbie is a legacy, and smaller lines without its history are able to break more rules without endangering a perceived debt to its legacy
I could talk about Barbie for hours. And I would love more Barbie and doll videos from this channel.
I think of of Barbie’s darkest legacies is that it created or at least encourage the precedent that, in order for a doll line to succeed, the feature character must be white, blonde, and blue eyed. It created a norm in the industry that is still felt today with brands like Polly pocket. It supports this weird idea that the blond white girl is the main character, and the dolls of color are secondary characters. And to children growing up with ten blonde, white Barbie’s and one black Barbie, it effects the child’s perspective on race-and especially of the black Barbie used the same mold as white Barbie. I still remember the first black Barbie I got that had black features and I was a lil weirded out because I had been conditioned to view whiteness and white beauty standards as the standard (and if you live in a majority white neighborhood? It’s one of the only interactions with the idea of race and that white isn’t the standard). I can’t imagine how that might’ve been damaging for a child of color, especially to a child of color growing up in a majority white neighborhood.
Agreed, im a poc and i agree w the criticisms and the praise
Barbie was made from the creators daughter. It’s not a poc diversity doll line. Idk why y’all think it is. I enjoyed Barbie cuz she’s fkn Barbie. 🤦♀️
@@BerryBlue123then why can’t black ppl make their own dolls? What’s stopping them? Barbie is supposed to be creater a daughter. It’s not their fault some ppls parents are dum and can’t even control their dum children
Yes self-hate has been extremely damaging for black people across the world. It's all about that eurocentric beauty standard. The need to conform to it has done great damage.
saying it's across the world is quite a stretch, yeah this part of asia may not see black people as being attactive, hell I like my girls with less melain, but I am also sure that there's a huge support for them in the opposite direction.
@@davidsplooge14 not a stretch at all and I have history to back me up on that one.
@questionmark808 hey where did I say I spoke for all black people😆
I'll never understand why certain people feel the need to talk about their "preferences" and pretend it's not anti-black. There's a lot of anti-black sentiment when it comes to beauty and this is true even amongst black people.
Yes, some individual black people (usually lighter skinned) like Beyoncé, or Rihanna are considered attractive to a wide base, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
To be honest, Lilli was barely sexual anyway. Yes she was meant to be attractive and promiscuous, but she was not a “slut” or a call girl or anything of the sort. She used her looks to get ahead in life, yes but she wasn’t what people thought. She had a career (as a secretary), friends and a very full life. She was a feminist icon in her own right. Eventually she did get married and settle down though.
She was very much meant to be attractive to men but she was still an independent, intelligent woman
16:16 "Kind of like our eyes!" I SNICKERED
This video was really cleanly made and very informative!
I’ve never been particularly hyperfeminine and I’m not white so I have had trouble I guess “connecting” to Barbie. I did enjoy taking off their clothes though.
Also a lot of the criticism is a bit ridiculous I agree, there’s nothing wrong with your kid playing with dolls.
my “barbie IS a good role model” speech presentations in college wouldve got such a better grade now
I remember that Simpsons episode when Lisa made that doll Miss Lionheart. And the Malibu Stacy dolls where somebody took out the audio tape and replaced it with a Spider-Man audio. Anybody need a web crawler.
I love that episode
I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. That song was weird but catchy.
I was born in 1995 so I grew up with the best era imo of Barbie…up until I wanna say I was 13, I loved Barbie very much, she was my escape from a painful experience I had as a child. Now that I see Barbie stuff everywhere (I wish it had the 90s logo and not the current one or the 70s one) it makes the inner child in me extremely happy. They say that once you reach your thirties, you go back to enjoying things that you did when you were a kid. That makes so much sense, as I find myself buying Barbie, Hello Kitty and Britney Spears stuff. I also am into the “bimbocore” look, as that was popular when I was growing up. To me, it is a feminist statement. Being an ultra feminine woman is often laughed at in our culture, people find it so embrassing. But it is a feminist statement to me.
Sorry for the rant 🩷💕🤍
This analysis was so throughout! Thank you so much for touching on all these topics related to Barbie.
I have always loved Barbie, since being a little girl it was so inspiring to have a doll that could look so cool and be whoever she wanted to be. For a young girl this message is so important because the world has always kept women to the side and in Barbie's message, we, as her, could be the main character our story and achieve great things, while being feminine and confident.
Can't wait to see the movie! ❤❤❤
I never had beef with Barbie. The pseudo intellectualism when it comes to her femininity is in bad faith. I'm glad Mattel kept innovating and adding to diversify her line and that doesn't go unnoticed.
Im also excited to see the movie. It reminds me of Life Size the movie with Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan. Its giving a fish out of water story and im here for it 💯
i’ve been waiting for this one… turn it up!!
I always had a weird relationship with barbie because my mum was always disappointed that we never played with them as kids because we loved stuffed animals and plastic animals as opposed to dolls. Again not like other girls its just my twin and I felt more comfortable with those toys than barbies.
my favorite topic!!! what a treat!!! thank you so much, loving the vid so far!!! ❤❤❤
thank you for giving my girl barbara the nuance she deserves. way too much is pinned and projected onto her, and i’m excited to see how greta works with that.
Could you do a video on boy's toys and the depiction of female characters in those franchises?
I noticed a distinct lack of gear on He-man and G. I. Joe female characters.
They'd push for photogenic depictions, but the female concepts weren't always as edgy or exciting design wise.
I think action figures for young boys could have been an interesting avenue for more feminist ideals alongside the cast of male figures.
Another slam dunk of a video! Thank you for sharing your hard work and thoughts with us ❤
Late to the party, finally watched the Barbie movie. I can confidently say that I'm at a point in my life, where every film and show I watch either gives me an existential crisis or makes me depressed. I'm not even 30.
As a nonbinary black person (amab) but loved barbie as a kid, though barbie is intrinsically white and pushes women and fems into stereotypical ideals of feminity, Barbie is also smart, professional, interesting, and funny. As a kid, i understood that. Though, for my personal experience, it is important yo note that my family members only bought their children the black barbies because we needed to inderstand that we were beautiful, and could be whoever we wanted. And as such, i love barbie. Even still, barbie has had a negative impact on young black women and fems because of her whiteness
I'm a Gen X Barbie collector, and I try to think back to what my perceptions were of Barbie as a kid. For reference, I am white/European-American and grew up in Texas in the 70s and 80s. Barbie's friend group during my childhood consisted of Barbie, Ken, Skipper, Christie and P.J., so it was clear that Barbie's world included non-white friends from the very beginning for me. I had no knowledge back then that Barbie started out as just a white doll who didn't have a friend or even a boyfriend. It was only as I became a collector that I became aware of Barbie's history. When I was little, it was just the most natural thing in the world that Barbie's world wasn't just white people. And so my group of dolls always included black dolls and whatever other non-white dolls were available. I went to diverse schools and had friends of various backgrounds, so Barbie's friend group was just a natural extension of my own experience, and I really didn't give it much thought at the time, it was just how things were. I didn't become aware of the politics of all of this until much later, I was just a kid enjoying my toys at the time.
I have always loved 1980 Black Barbie and 1980 Hispanic Barbie, and I kind of take issue with the characterization that these dolls don't have ethnic features, because very few of the dolls of the period have clear ethnic markers in the sculpt itself. Barbie's face sculpts were always a bit stylized and cartoonish, and the Steffie face sculpt was no exception. If you look at the sculpt itself, it really is kind of a generic 'doll' face that doesn't necessarily read as any particular ethnicity, certainly not as expressly 'white' or even as a realistic human face. I have always associated strong angularity of the jaw and chin, defined brow ridges, smaller eyes, thinner lips, and narrow, aquiline or "Roman" noses with emphatically European ethnicity. The Steffie face does not have any of those traits, so it never read as a 'white' sculpt to me. I always felt the Steffie face looked more naturalistic for non-white characters because of the fuller lips and upturned nose, which aren't typical European ethnic markers to my eye. And really, all of the Barbie noses from this period don't exist in nature at all, they're decidedly doll-like noses, as many doll noses were/are for much of the modern period. Bratz doll noses take this to the extreme, it is literally just a bump!
Here's a little background on the Steffie face. Created in 1972, the Steffie sculpt was used for Malibu P.J., Walk Lively Steffie, Busy Steffie, Talking Busy Steffie, and Walk Lively Miss America, all just in the first year the sculpt was produced. Mattel obviously knew immediately it would be a hit with the buying public. From 1973 through 1979 the sculpt was used for 1973 Quick Curl Kelley, 1974 Yellowstone Kelley, 1975 Gold Medal Gymnast P.J., 1976 Hawaiian Barbie, 1973 Quick Curl Miss America, 1975 Quick Curl Cara, 1976 Deluxe Quick Curl Cara, 1976 Deluxe Quick Curl P.J., 1976 Free Moving P.J., 1976 Free Moving Cara, 1976 Ballerina Cara, 1978 Fashion Photo P.J., 1979 Sun Lovin' Malibu Christie, 1979 Sun Lovin' Malibu P.J., and many others. It was a very popular face sculpt during the 70s, one of Mattel's most popular sculpts of all time. Notably, all of the Cara and Christie dolls listed are black dolls, and the Hawaiian Barbie doll is meant to represent a Pacific Islander look. The sculpt was not established as being expressly one ethnic type from early in its history. Quick Curl Cara was the first non-white Steffie doll, and she came out in 1975, five years before Black Barbie and Hispanic Barbie. And the same year as Black Barbie and Hispanic Barbie, the International series included Parisian Barbie, a white doll that used the Steffie face sculpt. It was just the go-to face sculpt for any doll that Mattel wanted to be seen as especially beautiful, and all three of these 1980 dolls are *gorgeous.*
Tangentially, I think the Steffie face is the reason Barbie got a new face in 1977. If you look at the Barbie friend groups of 1972 through 1976, the Steffie-faced dolls are clearly the prettiest ones, whether it's P.J., Cara, or Kelley. Barbie-with either her 1967 Twist 'N Turn Barbie sculpt or her 1968 Stacey sculpt-was obviously being overshadowed by her Steffie-faced friends. I speculate that the 1977 SuperStar Barbie/Christie face was developed in response, and I often wonder if it wasn't originally created to be a variant of the Steffie face, but with a big smile instead of a sultry pout. The two sculpts are very similar, except for the mouth. It's almost like a Mattel executive took the Stacey and Steffie faces to Joyce Clark and told her to "Make another Steffie, but give it a smile like Stacey". The resulting SuperStar face is equally ambiguous with regard to ethnic landmarks, and has also served as a 'tabula rasa' for various dolls over the years.
In closing it's worth mentioning that the Steffie face has been in continuous use since its inception, with a few brief fallow periods. It is probably the most popular sculpt among collectors, and a cherished favorite for a lot of Gen X kids like I was. It is also worth mentioning that the 1983 Spanish Barbie and 1987 California Dream Christie face sculpts were each developed to bring more authentic ethnic representation to the Barbie lineup during the 80s. And in the 1990s, the Teresa doll was given a new sculpt, to differentiate her as a character with her own appearance apart from Barbie, for presumably for better Hispanic representation. So at least to me, it's clear that regardless of the profit-driven nature of the toy industry, there has been at least a push toward representation and inclusion for a long time, and that should always be remembered even if things like "Colored Francie" and "Oriental Barbie" didn't age well looking back.
And it shouldn't be surprising that Mattel was ahead of the curve, one thing that's always been clear to me is that Ruth and Elliot Handler's experience as Jewish Americans sensitized them to discrimination and made them aware of their responsibility to be inclusive of other groups. It's perhaps ironic, then, that one of the few groups who haven't been included in Barbie's world are the Jewish people. In all the years that the Dolls of the World were being produced, there was never a Barbie from Israel. The Middle East as a whole has been largely underrepresented in that line, come to think of it. I guess they were trying to avoid controversy, like that was ever an option.😆
Great video as always!!
Frankly, despite learning such things... I still can't relate... It wasn't Barbie who made me feel disfranchised, rather how culture shows me how much we have to bend and hide just to be equal to men... I mean why do I have to pretend and act straight ladylike or boyish? Why can't I be both??? Why can't I go Climb platforms and ladders in a cute skirt and dresses? Why can't I run and jump in fashionable attires? Why do I have to curb all the time??? Why do I always have to fear being told that its shameful to show skin and be active with my skin showing??? Boys play topless, jump on their shorts... Its f***ing annoying... Power for me is to be allowed who I am while standing equal or above the men and those that tell me I am not normal!!!
Frankly Barbie showed me I can... She can do ballet and still kick ass (Three muskateers)... She can be beautiful and disfranchised (Fairytopia: She was considered weaksh*t and abnormal for being born wingless) and smart enough to save her motherland eitherway... Hell, upholding and copying her reselience was one of the reason I withstood my elementary years bullying... I was ostracized by almost the whole batch for being different and I sticked to it like how Barbie stuck to her guns... I made it out with friends and better social relationships...
She became a positive influence to me, that's why to all those polarized over Barbie... Let me tell you that Barbie's influence isn't negative all the time... Sometimes it depends on the culture and the recipient of the influence...
I love your thoughtful commentary.
My favorite Barbie is one that I found at a geek-themed game and collectible toy store. It’s a UNICEF Barbie and it’s as old as me (I was born in 1989).
I think the design of it is…interesting. Barbie is wearing a white and blue dress (with a red sash with some kind of metal), similar to one of her Holiday-of-the-Year outfits. On the box, shes surrounded by children of the world, holding flags and on the back, there’s a blurb about how a portion of the doll goes to UNICEF, what they do, and generally showing kids why buying the doll is good.
I just think that the idea of Mattel making a doll where she’s basically being the White Savior to poorer kids around the world just seemed like a weird dichotomy for a doll (similar to the commercials of White Celebrities going to a remote village, asking for donations to help) and I love that it exists and that I have one, seeing just how questionable the concept is…
Thank you for this video!
so excited to dive into this video
As a child I used to hate Barbie for multiple reasons, for one side the other girls at school didn't like me because I didn't like playing with dolls in general (This was during kinder garden, like, now I found it funny that since then I was bullied, but WTF was wrong with those kids???), she was very white and I'm not, and also the over the top feminity of Barbie was very unconfortable, like "Why am I supposed to act or look like that?". But then I realized "Hey, I'm not a girl, not always at least", and since I know I'm gender fluid in a more masculine area I kinda grow closer to Barbie, sure that hyper feminity is NOT for me, but she is such a fascinating figure that I just cannot hate her anymore, god, now I even own Barbies in my mid 20s, I think there is something for everyone in Barbie, not only as the doll but the whole figure she represnts.
(English is not my first language, you know the bit)
I’ve always loved Barbie. She was fabulous, smart, capable, pretty and sexy. She was and is still such a good role model for little girls. You can embrace your femininity and be an astronaut ! You can wear pink and sparkles and be president.
I don’t think Barbie ever FORCED girls to look like her. Yes she’s pretty but it’s that glamorous side of her that made her so desirable. All dolls are pretty/cute one way or another. Mattel’s wasn’t for girls to have to look like her. Even the movies showcased her as this kind, selfless, brave character in every universe she was portrayed in. It was rarely about her beauty.
All of Barbie’s friends are pretty as well.
There’s no denying that Barbie was very white centric and of course a lot of it has to do with her history and the time period of her creation. They definitely could’ve diversified their doll line sooner. But now that we have multi racial dolls, I think we’re in a good place.
Greta Gerwing’s movie is also showcasing plenty of different Barbie dolls (and Ken!) including a black president Barbie. While keeping them all fashionable and fun. I’m excited.
I remember my step-grandma having the original Barbie from the late 1960s.
“Theresa(Barbies hispanic friend)”
m-mom?
I saw the movie today (July 29). It was great! But, to be fair, I’m 52. Malibu Barbie was “my” Barbie.
Im nb transmasc and ive always loved dolls and barbie. Growing up my little sister and i had the barbie camper. And what did we play?
Lost in the jungle where they only had potatoes (pine nuts lmao) to eat and it was only a matter of time before they needed to eat each other to survive. And my gi joe helecopter would then swoop in and recue the survivors from their terrible fate. Yeah sometimes wed play a good old game of princesses but more often it was exploring scenarios from tv or movies or from life. Barbie really is more than just a pretty doll for girls. And for a while in highschool (while i was struggling with my non feminine appearance and sexuality ) i unfortunately internalized the message that feminine women were vapid, selfish and lesser than. Im glad i no longer think that way and have been able to unpack all of that.
Dude the ads I got during this video were for the Barbie movie, im winning rn
What were they thinking making the Asian Barbie the “nail salon” Barbie please bffr
I am a Barbie collector. I actually just downsized my collection ,selling over 100 dolls from my grandmother (may she rest in peace). I kept my dolls of the world that were diverse, like Esikmo, Hawaiii, and Jamacia because I want my future children to see diverse faces, but I don't want them to be frustrated by the different body sizes making the clothes not fit. I've nannied and babysat and kids really dislike this about the new line, I mean diversity is important but toys that are easy to use are also best for preschool age kiddos. Thanks for posting this video Cheyenne, you taught me some interesting things
I think they should sell more clothes for the dolls or make more dolls who are of this body type so kids can change clothing of the dolls while also having older kids feel seen and comforted abt their bodies
Okay but Monster High is Mattel. They own other brands it's just that Barbie put them on the map. What needs to happen is to back to the glamor with the diverse dolls. Imagine is they put their vintage costumes back on market but for the marketing it's one of the curvy body barbie dolls wearing the Solo in the Spotlight dress and it fits well. Or a black barbie in the day to night barbie. Or even a barbie wearing some of ken's old clothes. Just go back to glamor
as a masc sapphic Weird Girl™ who grew up playing with bratz & still has girly interests, i'm more inclined personally to the second/third wave Hatercore, if u will, of femininity, but i really still sympathize with the inferiority compared to men that engaging in feminine interests subjects you to.
it's of course a sensitive topic to discuss-- in the gnc vs feminine gworls battle arguments get careless and hurtful so quickly, the topic honestly triggers my fight or flight response lol.
i'm just saying this to preface though how well your thoughts were laid out! i had no idea of some of the historical context behind barbie dolls and regardless of my wariness of reclaiming femininity, there's some points from your pov i never would've considered otherwise. again, difficult subjects to approach, but i think you did a great job. keep up the great work!!!!!!! 👍👍✨
(p.s. as a polynesian i was Flabbergasted to hear we had a [still, quite whitewashed] doll at some point from barbie. i'd never heard of her before! the only other indigenous doll i knew of in the mainstream was chelsea from the og myscene, and i don't think she was even actually native american, i just thought she was lmfao.)
So excited to watch this
17:49 pink vampire JoJoposing
I loved Barbie growing up. I moved around a lot because of my family and my dolls were the main friends I got to keep as I traveled from state to state. Barbie was able to wear the clothes I wanted to wear (I was always plus size), but thankfully she never made me feel guilty. Instead I was inspired to make outfits for her which helped me learn how to sew. I'm in my 30s now and while I never stopped collecting dolls (my poison was Ball and Jointed dolls) I got back into Barbie to rekindle the creativity she brings. I can easily go to a thrift store and pick up 3 Barbie for 5 bucks and customize them from there. I love the new lines but I agree with a lot of folk that Barbie needs to up their fashion game. They should being back My Scene and Generation Girl for a modern day, that aesthetic was fantastic and on the new bodies and skintones it would give Rainbow High a run for it's money.
@CheyenneLin This is excellent content & very informative.
Please bear with me on this question.
Do people get drawn to dolls that are opposite of their race?
Some white kids like black dolls. Some black (when not having internalized racism) like white or other non-black dolls.
Based off observation, I think it depends on the doll. It could be profession, type of hair style, or even the clothes.
But is is always fascinating to see how a child just wants a doll they like whether it matches their skin color or not.
I like Lego. So it’s really interesting to listen in to history of another toy with great elements, passionate fans, and historically problematic racial elements
Totally miss seeing you in your videos
got a barbie movie ad right in the middle of this video haha
Wait, where i live Chelsea was called Shelley, or do i misremember something?
Love your videos
Lordy Sometimes we ladies are meaner to each other than men are to us. Loved this analysis
Such a good video. I think it'd be great if Barbie stuck with the bright pink and just released many different dolls dressed well in pink/in different styles but in pink. I really want to buy this barbie from the "Looks" series, she's number 16. She has a beautiful face and body and very fluffy curly hair. But I find her clothes really really underwhelming. I expect more from Barbie honestly.
As a trans man who has always been very femme Barbie means sooooo much to me- When I first came out I completely rejected any form of femininity to compensate. But once I started HRT and felt comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my life I was able to rejoice in femininity and revisiting Barbie and the movies that I adored so much as a child has been the gateway to me embracing femininity once again
I 100% feel this! ❤
This is a really great perspective - thanks for sharing! Although (as a cis het woman) I don’t have a comparable experience in many ways…. I certainly went through a rejection and then re-embracing of Barbie. I think it’s brilliant that Gerwig is tapping into the complex perspective adults who loved/hated Barbie have. I didn’t realize until embarrassingly recently how much internalized misogyny I carried around - not wanting to seem like a ‘girly’ girl, etc.
This might sound weird but when I was a little girl I was quite drawn to dolls with different ethnicities. I thought they looked beautiful and the white ones were boring.
There is a vampire Barbie, but she is quite expensive. Part of the Haunted Beauty line that includes a ghost and a zombie Barbie.
This is a very good video as woman who loves pink and addores feminity i do understand how that concept has been used to place girls in boxes and Bully them and i hate that too. Its a very complicated issue and men have used that to turn girls against one another
Wait wait "Bild Lilli" as in Bild the newspaper?? THAT newspaper??
Yes! THAT newspaper. Bild Zeitung, a German conservative tabloid newspaper.
As a trans guy l don't get to mention much that I loved Barbie as a kid
My mom was one of those anti doll people!!! I was raised “gender neutral” as far as toys go. You’d think she’d celebrate me being non binary now but nope! 😂
Bahaha and it didn’t stop me from falling in love with fashion too 😝💗
this was all perfectly said, i can’t wait to see how the movie turned out
I didn’t know that Teresa was Hispanic, to be honest. I just liked that she had brown hair at the time like me.
Guess it was destiny that I was ultimately meant to learn about Día de los Muertos while my parents, who are white and Asian, thought it weird of Mexicans to celebrate a holiday that treated the dead like living beings, which I find completely ironic of them to say since Chinese have a history of respecting and honoring the dead and my mom, who grew up in China during Mao’s Revolution and after, already knew about that.
I’m only at part 2, so if this is discussed apologies. But I’m curious what the reasoning is for all of the doll’s to be called Barbie/Ken (in the movie) when it’s canon that depending upon hair/skin tone they are different names. While I know for a long time AA Barbie was also just named Barbie, is it more problematic to call attention to that by having them all be Barbie, or more problematic to sort the characters into names based upon their looks?
Great video
I think you are correct in stating that Barbie is something for everyone. She is a cypher But the Matel company reacts to the times It doesn't change the times
Barbie should absolutely be called white barbie if they're going to call the other barbies black, hispanic, "oriental" etc. Smh. Great video Cheyenne. I don't plan on watching the movie, and I don't feel any affinity towards it, but your video taught me a lot.
great video 🩷
Originally Todd was the twin brother to Tutti in the 60s and 70s
In Barbie Dreamhouse Adventure and the spin-off movies that takes place in that universe Ken and Barbie are the best of friends who are next-door neighbors after she moved from Willows Hollow Wisconsin. They occasion have feelings for one another but just have a hard time expressing it... You forgot to mention Barbie now popular friends from the Dolls to the hit Netflix Animated TV series Nikki Watkins(African-American), Teresa Latina), Renee Chow( Chinese-American) and Daisy Costopolis(Greek)..... Barbie personality change over years specially in the incarnation of the new Dreamhouse Adventure Universe. She is the type of woman that can do anything and have well-known career. Barbie look/help out for a lot of people especially her family and friends.
this started out good and then near the end its all over the place
Im a new subscriber. This video is incredible. I also just came from the nerd right wing pipeline video, these videos are broken down so well and extremely validating bc I have thought the same thing about these topics. I want to watch all of your videos! It's so amazing to hear someone so educated speak on these topics.
just want to note that there were other dolls that looked similar to cissy such as little miss revlon!
The movie's not out? Time is so weird
Kelly Key não contava com essa
Whatever happens, Barbie is a Cultural icon
I'm watching this video after your review of the Barbie movie, and I am struck by the way that you strike right at the core of what works best about Gerwig's take on the character: Barbie absolutely represents, on some level, the ability for women to be unapologetically feminine and still successful.
It made me stop to think why then, the movie doesn't quite nail the transgressive perspective, and I think that I've figured it out: we never actually see Barbie confront the real villains of patriarchy. Instead all we see her confront is the barely sinister, anywhere else a ten, himbo incel Ken and his half-witted misunderstanding of patriarchy.
I think that if they hadn't swung so hard for their themes, I wouldn't be so disappointed in the lackluster payoff.
I really did like the movie, it's just that the theme didn't match the conflict, and the stakes were all over the place as a result.
Good video