Barbie is 64 years old and she wears beautiful. Appearing for the first time at the New York Toy Fair on March 9, 1959, it was to experience a stunning success that would not be denied. The increase in sales following the success of Greta Gerwig’s film released in France on July 19 is recent proof of this.
Over the years, the famous doll has been able to adapt to societal changes. Changes in appearance presented by Mattel, its designer, as a sincere desire for inclusiveness and which are above all akin to a successful commercial operation.
To better understand this recipe for success, Julia Zinke and Nicola Graef, directors of the documentary Barbie Perfect Woman?, broadcast this Friday evening August 25 on Arte, interviewed influencers, fans, collectors, journalists, feminists…
It all starts with a brilliant intuition. That of businesswoman Ruth Handler on vacation in Switzerland in 1956. As she walks through the streets of Lucerne, she suddenly stops in front of a shop window. Lilli, wasp-waisted on a pair of endless legs, winks at him. He is a recurring humorous character in the pages of the daily Bild, transformed into a doll during a commercial operation.
The one she calls Barbie – short for Barbara, first name of her daughter – will be a doll of a new kind, far from the clumsy babies who prepare little girls to become mothers. She will be the model that will allow young girls to become adults. The famous figurine can now live his life or rather his lives.
Because Barbie knows and can do everything. From a housewife, she quickly became a pediatrician, surgeon, footballer, presidential candidate, firefighter. She is a researcher – modeled on the British ethologist Jane Goodall –, an astronaut – inspired by the Italian engineer Samantha Christoforetti –, an aviator – like the American pioneer Amelia Earhart… For these creations, Mattel is inspired by successful women everywhere. in the world.
Barbie has been black since 1980 and has been wearing a headscarf since 2018. She is now in a wheelchair, like Kristina Vogel, a former paraplegic cycling champion following an accident. The famous doll uses hearing aids, suffers from skin problems or has Down’s syndrome, like model Ellie Goldstein…
Nourished by a skillful marketing department, the world of Barbie is constantly expanding. Today, almost 200 different models coexist. Sold in 350,000 pieces the first year, in 1959, it has passed, in 2022, more than 59 million copies in twelve countries – France, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Germany, England , Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
However, one thing does not change: his physique. Mattel has indeed created a model with different proportions inspired by Ashley Graham, curvy woman and fashion icon. But this Barbie, if she has more thighs, still does not have a belly or opulent breasts and remains designed on an unattainable ideal, with “XXXS” measurements and an imperishable youth.
Barbie, the perfect woman?, documentary by Julia Zinke and Nicola Graef (Germany, 2023), 53 minutes, on Arte, Friday August 25 at 10:40 p.m., and on arte.fr until October 14, 2023.
