We know Barbie for her golden mane, her dreamhouse, her hunky Ken and, well, let’s face it -- her unrealistic body proportions. Yet, we grew up heckling our parents to hit the Toys-R-Us because Barbie needed a new car, a new horse, or a new Malibu Beach Bungalow. While she was just a glossy plastic figurine to all the boys in our lives (what did they know? they had cooties anyway), she was our role model and we spent hours visiting her in our imaginary worlds.
We dressed her for dates, for careers, for the beach and for the mall. Mattel had a Barbie line for everyone it seems. “Barbie for President 2014” or “Miss Universe Barbie.” Barbie could literally be anyone.
And while we believed Barbie could be anyone, we were never told that we, the girls struggling to comb Barbie’s blonde locks with that cheap-o brush or pulling her new jeans up her glossy tan legs, could also achieve such great things in our lives.
Earlier this month, Barbie posted a new ad on their YouTube channel, “Imagine the Possibilities,” ultimately re-framing how we view her, and how we view ourselves. The ad shows young girls in the classroom, the office and the business world. Young girls are portrayed as college professors, veterinarians, tour guides, soccer coaches and business women. These girls have grown-up careers and are instructing adults in real life in the two minute video. They're not just little girls who play with Barbies. They're young women who will work their way to success.
The new ad shows girls in a positive light, unlike some of Mattel's previous works. Back in the '90s, Barbie had released "The Teen Talk Barbie," and while it was exciting that our favorite doll could actually speak words to us, one of the dolls was programmed to say "Math class is tough." And while math class can be tough for both boys and girls, it raised a negative image for the Barbie doll - hinting that girls aren't good at math and are just supposed to be all glossy and pretty like Barbie.
This new ad is different. It serves as a reminder that while Barbie can be anyone, we too can grow up to be whatever we want, while also showing us how far our favorite bendy blonde doll has come. Barbie has gone from a beauty queen, known for her aesthetically pleasing features, to a well-rounded hardworking woman. While we may have grown up wishing we were Malibu Barbie back in the day, this new ad shows a more professional side, and I'd much rather be College Professor Barbie or Businesswoman Barbie today.
Instead of buying Barbie a new playhouse accessory, she deserves a new briefcase accessory and a pat on the back. Hats off to Mattel for this.
