Biography:
Born in 1959 as Barbara Millicent Roberts
Barbie’s official birthday is March 9th, 1959.
She’s 11,5 inches tall, has had over 80 careers and owned more than 40 pets including a lion & a zebra. In 1971 Barbie first underwent surgery, with her eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than glancing demurely sideways. In 2000 she was redesigned to have a bigger waist.
Robert over at BrandKeys recaps Barbie’s evolution as representation of a changing world:
“Barbie’s history, however, has reflected the evolving role of women. For example:
When Barbie debuted women made up 38% of the workforce. Now they make up 60%.
Mattel introduced an Astronaut Barbie in 1965, but it wasn’t until 1983 that Sally Ride became the first US woman in space.
In 1973, Nurse Barbie went to med school. The percentage of female doctors back then? 10%. Now it’s 35%.
In 1989 Barbie served in four military branches, wearing uniforms approved by the Pentagon. The number of female veterans today numbers 1.8 million at an average age of 47.
In 1992 Teen Talk Barbie whined, “Math class is tough,” prompting anger from parents and an apology from Mattel. Still, the number of math doctorates granted to women at that time was 23%. Today it’s only slightly higher, at 29%.
In 2004 Barbie and long-time boy-toy, Ken, broke up after 43 years and then reunited in 2006, which is a real storybook ending since today only 6% of divorced couples get back together.
However, unlike real women, Barbie hasn’t changed physically (the picture above is a simulation of what she would have looked like had she aged in real life) and it’s been noted that her measurements -- at 36-18-38 -- if rendered in the flesh, would make it impossible for her to stand.”
Ah, Barbie…will our love-hate relationship with this cultural icon ever end?
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