Barbies have historically been associated with the promotion of harmful gendered norms and stereotypes. Is Mattel seeking redemption?
A display of Barbie Fashionistas is shown at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair in 2015 in New York.
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Millennial parents are actively seeking out toys, books and movies to educate their children about life and teach them values that align with their own.
Do dollhouses possess the potential to inspire young girls to design and build?
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Women are underrepresented in architecture, occupying just 25% of jobs in the field. An architecture professor shares insights from her childhood on how those numbers can be turned around.
Imaginative fulfilment with Barbie as a toy need not rely on parents investing in an entire Barbie world of branded objects.
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Before a revolution can take place, the oppressed first have to recognize that they actually do not have many rights.
The Barbie movie has a lot of folks upset about the patriarchy. Here Barbie (Margot Robbie) referees a standoff between two Kens (Simu Liu and Ryan Gosling). Ken’s friend, Allan (not shown) is depicted in the film as a more suitable ally.
(Warner Bros.)
The Barbie movie has caused a media storm, even before the photo of the pink-clad Canadian PM and his son circulated on social media. Much of the conversation has zoned in on men and masculinity.
Some conservative commentators have labeled roles in the recent ‘Barbie’ movie as examples of ‘toxic feminity.’
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Graeme Austin, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The temptation to cash in on a global phenomenon might be strong. But Mattel has a history of fiercely protecting the Barbie brand with legal action.
There’s a difference between the fulfilling relationship mothers can have with their children and the patriarchal institution of motherhood.
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Barbie has had over 200 official careers. Often decked out in her signature pink, the doll has showed generations that they do not have to sacrifice their love of femininity in order to succeed.
Barbie was developed in 1959 as a doll. Since then, she has evolved through a series of physical and digital iterations.
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie, has had a unique career, moving quickly from in front of the camera to behind it - with great success.
Actor Margot Robbie blows out a candle on the cake to celebrate her birthday during the pink carpet event for the movie ‘Barbie’ in Seoul, South Korea, in July 2023.
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Once the context of cultural and territorial appropriation by China in Southeast Asia are understood, Vietnam’s ban of the Barbie movie isn’t surprising.
The DreamHouse blurs the lines between doll and human along with the boundaries between the real, monochromatic world of California and the fictional realm of the magical dollhouse.
Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society & School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University