America: A History Podcast
How is Barbie Still Relevant?
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Episode notes
In 1959, toy entrepreneur Ruth Handel changed her life forever. Her new product, a doll named after her Daughter Barbara, would become one of the biggest toy franchises in history. Despite the criticisms and its problems, a recent Oscar-winning movie adaptation has won over a whole new generation of fans that guarantees this toy is going nowhere. So in this episode, I want to know… how is Barbie still relevant?
Special Guests:
- Jon Mitchell, an Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of East Anglia. He is interested in late 20th Century US culture, with a particular interest in the representation of gender and sexuality.
- Vaughn Joy, a PhD candidate at UCL researching mid-century Hollywood, politics, and their cross-section through a case study on Christmas films. Welcome back to the podcast Vaughn..
Highlights from this episode:
(02:03) Did you ever own a Barbie doll?
(04:10) Right place, right time
(10:14) Entirely unrealistic proportions
(13:40) Are we just seeing really good advertising?
(18:58) People will always find a reason to criticise a woman's body, and Barbie is no different
(22:45) Ken discovers patriarchy
(27:36) The Barbie brand has been building to this
(32:11) Barbenheimer and the Oscars
(37:36) New perspectives on Barbie
(40:28) We superimpose our expectations of women on toys
Additional Resources:
WEBSITE: Official Barbie store from Mattel
WIKIPEDIA: List of all Barbie films
ARTICLE: How the “Barbie” Movie Explains the Psychology of Patriarchy by Wendy Jones
ESSAY: Butch Barbie by Clara Bradbury-Rance
And if you like this episode, you’ll also love:
Are the Oscars Still Relevant?
Why Does Everyone Love Disney?
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