The beloved fashion doll companion of little girls, Barbie, turned 50 last week. Over the decades, she has been both celebrated as a role model that encourages little girls to pursue any career or hobby they desire, and lampooned for unrealistic figure and encouraging girls to rely on their appearance rather than intelligence or personality. 50 years is a long time in the spotlight. Public opinions have prompted changes in her figure over the years to be more realistic, and sales have been decreasing by about 12% each year for the past five years.
Love her or hate her, Barbie has a lot to celebrate on her 50th birthday. Over one billion Barbie dolls have been sold in 150 countries. Barbie has tried her hand (or at least an outfit and accessories) at 108 careers, ranging from McDonald’s cashier to American President. After a two-year split, she reunited with her boyfriend of 43 years, Ken, and has over 70 doll-worthy friends from across the worlds.
And celebrate, she did. Mattel created a star-studded birthday bash at a completely pink, real-life version of her dream house in a 3,500 square foot Malibu mansion. This May, parts of the house will be incorporated into a Barbie Suite at The Palms in Las Vegas, available for bachelorette parties and other extremely pink celebrations. And, just like any milestone birthday, there were plenty of gifts; Volkswagen presented a full-sized Barbie pink Beetle to the birthday girl.
Of course, someone had to rain on her fabulous parade. West Virginia Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge recently introduced a bill to ban Barbies because they influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development. Of course, Barbie has already been banned in the country of Saudi Arabia for her scant clothing and promoting Western appearances.
But don’t let them fool you Barbie, they’re just jealous because you have everything a girl could ever want. Here’s to another 50 fantastic years, Miss Barbra Millicent Roberts.
