Barbie doll! #powerwomen
The rather unconventional choice by Forbes of alloting the 100th position, to the Barbie doll, in its 2023 annual list of 100 most powerful women, is indicative of the sociological definition of power by Max Weber: "Power as the chance that an individual in a social relationship can achieve his or her own will even against the resistance of others". We only need to substitute " individual" with a fictional, inanimate doll! The rest rings true for Barbie who today moves on from a symbol of empowerment to avatar status.
Barbie was created by Ruth Handler for her daughter, manufactured by Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959.
The first Barbie doll wore a black-and-white zebra striped swimsuit and the signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or brunette. The doll was marketed as a "Teen-age Fashion Model", with her clothes created by Mattel's fashion designer Charlotte Johnson.
Ruth Handler & Barbie
Calculating Barbie's age from her manufacturing debut, the first Barbie doll is now over 64 years old. However, Mattel has reportedly said that Barbie is frozen in time as a 19-year-old girl.
By creating a doll with adult features, Mattel enabled girls to become anything they wanted to.
One of the most amazing Barbie quotes is
"There's a star that's right inside you, so come on and let it out".
However one of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic.
Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. The brand has expanded into a multimedia franchise since 1984, including video games, computer-animated films, television/web series and a live-action film.
"Barbie " is a 2023 fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig and the release of the "Barbie" film in August 2023 triggered a fashion trend known as "Barbiecore" and a film-related cultural phenomenon named Barbenheimer. "Barbie” has grossed over $1.4 billion globally, the highest-ever global haul for a live-action movie from a female director, according to Comscore.
Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" opened on the same day.
But, as the "Barbie" craze spread across the globe, some countries either banned or moved to prohibit the release of the billion-dollar film.
Kuwait and Oman prohibited the film entirely, while Algeria removed it from theaters after it premiered and Lebanon agreed to screen it after an initial ban.
The film is a super duper hit with Barbie becoming a symbol of woman empowerment. Ruth Handler created the doll to show her daughter she could aspire to a life and career that extended beyond taking care of babies. Barbie has held down 250 different jobs, including entrepreneur, U.S. presidential candidate, architect and astronaut.
Barbie leans heavily into femininity—the assault of pink has been relentless, and yet people seem to have not tired of it.
Of all the roles the doll has taken on over her 64 years of existence, Barbie is now being seen as a comforting and reassuring item, even for adults.
In addition to her longstanding cultural impact, Barbie dominates the social media platform with over 5 million followers on TikTok and Instagram together, and a substantial 12 million subscribers on YouTube. Today, the doll is as much a global brand as Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola and Barbie sales have witnessed a systemic increase leading to a dominant industry. Barbie promotes a message of confidence, resilience, and perseverance which are especially important values to instill in young girls.
If Barbie could or should speak, perhaps these would be her words: that pink is not just a color, rather it's a state of mind... that of a fierce femininity. So when in doubt just add a pop of pink to your day and dream Big and dream Pink!
#barbie #Forbes #forbespowerwomen
