Cover Story: Barbie, you’re a doll

2009/11/23

SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN

Barbie celebrates her 50th birthday this year. SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN examines this cultural icon who draws admiration and criticism in equal measures. BARBARA Millicent Roberts must be the youngest looking 50-year-old in the world because she looks not a day over 20.

The leggy blonde, more popularly known as Barbie (whose full name appeared in Random House’s novels in the 1960s) celebrated her golden jubilee in March this year — and the world turned pink for her big day.

Celebrations were in full force to mark the cultural icon’s milestone: she was photographed by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld in Paris, presented with a Fiat car at the Barcelona Motor Show and held her 50th birthday bash in her dream house in Malibu in March.

This little doll is everywhere — from Toys R Us to cosmetics brand Stila, where a collection has been dedicated to her. Silver jewellery brand Thomas Sabo rolled out new charms to mark Barbie’s birthday.

Just how did a 29cm doll become larger than life? Barbie doll was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel Toys.

Barbie was a “teenage fashion model” based on a German doll called Bild Lilli, from a comic strip in a German newspaper.

Bild Lilli is described by a Wikipedia entry as “a working girl who knew what she wanted and was not above using men to get it”.

At a time when girls were playing with infant dolls, the production of Barbie, all grown-up, beautiful and stylish, was forward and successful, having sold 350,000 in its first year.

But as women broke away from the stereotype and started achieving more academically and financially, Barbie, or rather, her figure and character, became objects of criticism.

One of the most common is that the doll promotes an unrealistic body image for young women, which may lead to anoxeria.

According to the 2004 book Forever Barbie by M.G. Lord, if scaled into real life proportions, she would be 1.75cm with a 46cm waist and that, according to a research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, means she would lack the requisite body fat required for menstruation. In 1997, the doll’s body mould was redesigned and given a wider waist.

The book, which reviewers say is neither pro- nor anti-Barbie, is an account of one of the non-human cultural icons of our times.

The author interviews feminist thinkers as well as a woman who has undergone more than 50 cosmetic surgeries to look like a Barbie doll.

One cannot blame society for thinking that, despite Barbie’s many careers — astronaut, doctor, Nascar driver, gymnast — she may just be nothing more than a blonde airhead.

After all, Lord traced a 1965 Slumber Barbie Party’s How to Lose Weight book in which she advised, “Don’t eat.” And in 1992, Teen Talk Barbies were released and the dolls started saying things like “Math class is tough!” Following a spate of criticism, the New York Times reported that Mattel announced a few months later that Teen Talk Barbie will no longer say the phrase.

Parents take different stands when it comes to whether the doll is a bad influence on their children. As Lord wrote, “For every mother that embraces Barbie ... there is another who tries to banish her from the house.” Albert Tan, a father of one, said he initially did not allow his daughter to play with Barbie dolls for fear that she will want to look like her, hence growing up with an unattainable physical model.

“But I am more relaxed now. I realise that the doll isn’t at fault. What is important is the message conveyed by parents to their children. It’s unfair to set a self-esteem benchmark on a doll,” he said.

Halimah Ali, 65, bought her daughter Barbie dolls when she was growing up.

“In the 1980s, Barbie dolls were all the rage for young girls. My daughter and her friends would all have them. At one point I think she had 10 Barbie and Ken dolls, and 50 dresses “Sometimes, I even helped sew clothes for the dolls and my late husband, who was into carpentry, made Barbie-size beds. Barbie wasn’t a bad influence on my daughter. If anything, it helped her socialise better with her peers, “I remember her organising Barbie parties and Barbie fashion shows with her friends.

She proved to be a bright student and was top of her class, a feat she maintained until university. She also doesn’t have body image issues. Barbie was just her childhood plaything,” Author Benjamin Radford echoed that sentiment in an article in Playthings.com.

“The case against Barbie,” he wrote, “is based on unproven assumptions and theories, not hard evidence.

“Anorexia and bulimia are tragic diseases.

Some young women do diet to excess, and others do have body image issues and low self-esteem. But these issues have little, if anything, to do with Barbie and other fashion dolls.” As part of Barbie’s birthday celebration in Malaysia, four fashion designers were asked to design clothes for the doll and a matching human-size version. Melinda Looi made “a glamorous gown with crystallised Swarovski elements” which she described as “very Barbie”.

I asked her what she thinks of Barbie turning 50 and she laughed, “My god, she is old,” before adding, “but no, Barbie is forever young,” Her family, she said, could not afford expensive toys so when she was young Looi played Barbie at her friend’s house, playing dress up and changing hairdos. “It was a lot of fun and I think it is every girl’s wish to have Barbie dolls. I don’t see it as a bad influence despite what critics say. I think it encourages girls to be creative and to carry themselves well,” Eric Choong, who made a bustier gown with full skirt using red satin, tulle and handmade rosette, said: “I think red is stunning for her 50th year. It’s vibrant, bright and beautiful.” Choong has his own Barbie story. As a child, he made a paper doll using Barbie’s measurements and started honing his design skills while making clothes for the doll.

“That’s how I started.” Choong believes that Barbie is a fashion icon. “I had a customer who brought a Barbie doll in a wedding dress and asked me to replicate the dress for hers, which I did.

I think the doll inspires creativity through clothes, hairdos and make-up and, surely, that’s not a bad thing,” he added.

Personally, I was hoping that Mattel would make a 50-year-old Barbie to mark the occasion. Still beautiful and stylish, this Barbie would have aged gracefully with maybe a few strands of grey hair and a face well-lived.

But Looi said such a move would not be viable. Barbie should stay just as she is, an icon. “It’s like Mickey Mouse. You cannot make an older version. You will lose the appeal. If Mattel wants to make a mature doll, for example, it should be called by another name,” But whatever the arguments for and against Barbie, there are staunch supporters out there. There are more than 100,000 Barbie doll collectors worldwide with a special website barbiecollector.com for fans.

A visit showed collectible Barbie dolls designed by famed shoemaker Christian Louboutin, Barbie as Heidi Klum and even Edward and Bella dolls from the Twilight saga.

I suppose at the end of the day, Barbie is just a doll which, at worst, may bring out low self-esteem among girls and, at best, enrich their imagination, creativity and social skills. But I think if girls are brought up with attention and love, books to read and quality time with parents, then low self-esteem and unhealthy body image seem too huge a problem to blame on such a tiny doll.

50th-year highlights

■ The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas features the
Barbie Suite with pieces from the real-life Malibu Dream
House where Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday.
Like the Dream House, the hotel suite was designed by
gifts and home accessories designer Jonathan Adler with
artwork, plenty of pink and all kinds of unique Barbie

accents.
■ In Australia, a special Barbie exhibition ran in
Melbourne’s Federation Square in June to honour the
world’s most iconic fashion doll.
■ Canadian designer David Dixon designed a limited
edition Barbie collection which incorporates pink, black
and ivory with accents from the original zebra print
Barbie swimsuit.
■ At the Barcelona Motor Show, Fiat and Mattel
co-presented a Fiat 500 “Shock Car” in classic Barbie
pink. Also on display was a doll-sized version of the new
Fiat 500 convertible in white with pink accents.
■ In Paris, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix and Diane
von Furstenberg designed outfits for Barbie. They are
among the 50 designers whose Barbie couture creations
were on display in April at Galleries Lafayette.
■ At the 60th International Toy Fair in Nuremberg,

Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was given a
special honour: a unique model especially designed for the
German chancellor.

Pictures from archive, by Khairunisah Lokman

Mattel said she is “an incredible role model” and the
doll is “to honour and recognise her impact and influence
on women all over the world to whom she has been a
tremendous inspiration”. — From barbiestyle.barbie.com

The Barbie Suite in Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.