Barbie's creators never lost sight of the fact that the doll had anatomically impossible body measurements, yet som thought they were supposed to look like her. What is it about Barbie that you think separates her from other dolls and has this effect?

Throughout this novel, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the development and creation of Barbie. For example, you learned the real reasons why her waist is so tiny, her feet are so small, her neck is so long, etc. Barbie’s creators never lost sight of the fact that she was just a plastic figurine with anatomically impossible body measurements. And yet some people thought they were supposed to look like her. What is it about Barbie that you think separates her from other dolls and toys and has this effect on people, both positive and negative?

I think that too many people lose track of the fact that Barbie is a doll - not a human being. Those humans who try to imitate her in looks or body image are clearly not aware of their own self-worth. I also think what separates her is her longevity and the desire for her lifestyle whatever that might be today!

3 Likes

I had no idea that Barbie was such an optical illusion to make the clothes look right on her. Instead, my friends and I made fun of her appearance while wanting to play with all the beautiful clothes, We felt she was a doll, not necessary a model of what to physically look like. Maybe that was because none of us were blonde, blue eyed people, so we could never have looked like our Barbie dolls. (We had the traditional Barbies, I wonder which doll our parents would buy for us now?)

Barbie is different than other dolls because she has been instrumental in changing with the times and becoming more diverse in appearance. Thank goodness!

Also, the “famous people” Barbie collections were so smart. It brought in collectors and fans of that person. It was such a clever way to get an endorsement and raise the price/profit of selling a Barbie.

3 Likes

I thought the “behind-the-scenes” information about how Barbie was created, what kind of plastic, how her hair was made, etc. was fascinating. I’m most of us who played with Barbies never thought about any of those details. I was too young at the time to think about how her figure was an impossibility. And now, to the detriment of young women, we have social media, filters, AI etc to make them feel less than perfect unless they look like what’s on the screen.

1 Like

I never thought Barbie had an impossible body. I thought she was beautiful and had beautiful clothes when I played with her. Mattel’s marketing worked. Barbie has changed through the years to make her more realistic.

1 Like