I wouldn't normally post about something not directly related to the 1978
house, however, this was really good so I wanted all of the site followers to
know about it. This new documentary is on Hulu (hopefully you are watching The
Handmaid's Tale!) and is called, "Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie".
It is definitely a thought provoking watch, and we certainly all have our opinions about Barbie, what she stands for and what she means to children and the world. I think the dialogue is important because we still live in a world where women's rights, values and respect in the work place (especially in politics) are questioned. It seems to me that Barbie's image/purpose/message has traditionally been a two fold dichotomy. For one, (recounting the early years especially) she is the ultimate physical* ideal (tall, thin, young and blonde), on the other hand, she is also dons many career hats. Since in reality, people do not usually excel in physicality AND intellect, this presents an interesting cross roads for the perception of Barbie and consequently, dreams of being a grown up.
Do I endeavor to be absolutely
physically gorgeous/fashionable (at the risk of being shallow), or do I become
a doctor, pilot or mathematician? Is there the pressure to be both gorgeous
and successful? Is being tall, thin and blonde the only route to physical
adoration? So many issues coming all at once! So, the documentary focuses on
the new line of bodies that came out in recent years under the name, Project
Dawn. I guess that means, dawn of a new era. I think that Mattel had an
interesting challenge. In the world of the 50's it was socially acceptable to
be a content house wife who was just beautiful and nice and thats about it
(think Betty on Mad Men).
Since probably the mid 60's that view dramatically
shifted and especially now with shifting demographics, there are many, many
many different versions of beautiful (color, height, width, etc). Mattel could
either stay the course and keep her unrealistically thin and blond, or really,
really change with the times (not just playing dress up with "teacher barbie"
or "army barbie" and completely reinvent herself inside and out. Some would
say (they did), "the PC police got her hands on barbie", or "why not have a
healthy barbie who exercises rather than make a fat barbie", or "what child
wants to be given fat barbie for a gift?", or even "fat barbie needs dad bod
ken", "Let's call her Barbie's chubbie cousin, Carbie".
All are valid
questions, however, ultimately I am in the 'change with the times' camp,
children are supposed to relate to their doll and dream through the doll about
growing up. So few of us can relate to being tall, thin, blond and gorgeous. I
do wonder once all the clothes have been played with and mixed up, how on
earth will people know what size fits what in the future (when purchasing
after market). A major feature of the toy line was always that the clothes are
universal, as are the cars and accessories, so changing the size of the body
can introduce some new challenges. Regardless, the world evolves and so did
our glamour girl. Hope you enjoy the film.
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