{"id":5666,"date":"2023-07-19T05:05:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T05:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/millennials-reflect-on-the-impact-influence-and-inclusivity-of-barbie\/"},"modified":"2023-07-19T05:05:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T05:05:35","slug":"millennials-reflect-on-the-impact-influence-and-inclusivity-of-barbie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=5666","title":{"rendered":"Millennials Reflect On The Impact, Influence And Inclusivity of Barbie"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With the live-action \u201cBarbie\u201d movie approaching its release date, Barbie seems to be on the tip of everyone\u2019s tongue. For many millennials, Barbie dolls were an iconic staple of their childhood. But the Barbie nostalgia may not translate for the younger generations that have now become Barbie\u2019s target audience. A 2019 article from the Washington Post<\/em> stated that \u201cBarbie has also lost some of her cultural relevance due to generational politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best-selling Barbie, the Totally Hair Barbie, was released in 1992. Barbie\u2019s prime demographic, at that time, were millennials. For many in this generation, Barbie\u2019s prototypic whiteness, blondness, and ultra-thin body shape wasn\u2019t initially a deterrent. As time has gone on though, many have argued that Barbie promotes unrealistic and unattainable standards of beauty. One 2016 study even found that Barbie doll exposure could have deleterious effects on the body satisfaction of girls aged 6-8 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved playing Barbies as a kid,\u201d shared attorney Ta\u2019lor Murray, who reflected on her experiences as a Black millennial growing up with Barbie. \u201cI loved all the different outfits and accessories. Me and my sister would play for hours with them. I never had too many Black Barbies just because they were not really prevalent when I was growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Filipino-American and Zillennial, Gelainna Valera, who is a registered nurse, shared that she enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls in her youth. \u201cI [had] a Barbie that [looked] similar to me but it was more of an Eastern Asian Barbie…I think her name was Kira. It wasn\u2019t until the early 2000s that I was actually able to collect more Asian\/Pacific Islander Barbies with darker skin tones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved Barbie growing up as a boy who wasn\u2019t sure of his sexuality,\u201d shared Carlos Martinez, who is a communications manager at a consumer-packaged-goods company. Martinez emphasized the role that Barbie played in shaping his identity as a Mexican-American coming of age. \u201cI loved dressing Barbie, making her furniture, making new rooms for her. Growing up in the 90s, Barbies were very much a \u2018girl toy.\u2019 A boy playing with a Barbie…would be deemed as \u2018gay.\u2019 It\u2019s a tough position to be in as a child. Barbie was a part of the fabric of the girls in my family, not the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martinez also noted, \u201cBarbies were mostly, if not all white. No Hispanic Barbies or Kens. Ken was white, Barbie was white.\u201d Despite what an important fixture Barbie was for many millennials, it wasn\u2019t until 2016 that Barbie\u2019s parent company, Mattel, introduced Barbie dolls of varying body types, skin tones, eye colors and hairstyles. \u201cI surely didn\u2019t see myself in Barbie or Ken,\u201d revealed Martinez. \u201cI struggled understanding Barbie or Ken\u2019s proportions as well\u2014like what did they do to get those bodies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister and I played with my cousin\u2019s Barbies every chance [we] could,\u201d shared Iris G. Santiago. Santiago, who is Puerto Rican and works as a manager at a telemedicine company, shared the vivid memories she had with Barbie and the feeling of inclusion she felt when she saw a Barbie that looked like her. \u201c[The Teresa Barbie] was my favorite because she looked more like me. I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying that now, but I do<\/em> remember thinking that…she was brown and had brown hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many millennials may have turned to American Girl dolls because of the lack of diversity seen among Barbie dolls. When assessing both brands, one research article noted \u201csometimes called \u2018the Anti-Barbie\u2019 for moving beyond tired stereotypes by looking \u2018normal\u2019 and \u2018real\u2019, American Girl is distinct from Barbie even though they are owned by the same company and both are critical to the early development of children.\u201d Despite the success and popularity of American Girl dolls, their price point, which is reported to have been $82 in the 1990s, may have been a major barrier. Reflecting on American Girl dolls, Valera shared \u201cthey always had more variety but were so expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the United States becomes more diverse, consumer desires will trend toward that direction. For brands that want to remain relevant, inclusive design will be an integral ingredient for sustainability and success. Unlike millennials, Generation Alpha and subsequent generations will have a wider selection of dolls to choose from with a plethora of hairstyles, skin tones, and body types. The impact and influence of the Barbie brand is hard to deny. But Barbie\u2019s staying power relies heavily on the brand\u2019s ability to continue to adapt with the times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n