Despite Her Problems, Barbie is Still Important for Women

Catherine Callahan
Art of the Argument
4 min readOct 9, 2023

Barbie has been an icon for decades, and with the Barbie movie generating 1.3 billion at the box office, her prominence is arguably as extensive as ever. Mattel markets Barbie as an ideal of female power, with its slogan “you can be anything” encouraging young girls to see themselves as everything through their dolls. However, with the recent production of the Barbie movie, the relevance of Barbie the doll and her impact in American culture has again stirred debate. The question continues to linger — does Barbie have any positive impact on young girls and women?

As a blond eyed blue haired girl myself, I grew up loving my Barbie doll. I loved braiding her long hair, I loved the endless clothes and accessories that I could only dream of, and most of all I loved the idea of being her. However, like many other women, as I grew older that admiration was replaced with a deep hatred for the doll. Ironically, that hatred began around the time I started to hate the color pink.

Instead of Barbie representing everything I could be, I started to view her as everything I wasn’t. As I’ve gotten older, my relationship with the doll has just become more complicated, my wardrobe has become more monotone, and I’ve found myself questioning if my love of the doll growing up actually inspired me to be anything but prettier. Being someone who would consider themselves a feminist, I couldn’t understand how Barbie could be anything but harmful to women. That is why I was surprised when I walked out of the Barbie movie feeling empowered despite being decked head to toe in pink.

Both consciously and subconsciously, I have found myself trying to find success as a woman by rejecting my femininity. When I prepare for a college interview, I exclusively stick to neutrals and keep the accessories simple. These decisions are not coming from my own fashion aesthetic, instead I find that I am mimicking the women around me. I watch my mother get ready to stand in front of a board of mostly men to present the yearly budget, and she’s buttoning up her suit. I see business-casual outfit ideas from female influencers on TikTok, and they’re dressed in beige and black blazers from H&M. Navy and dark green are very appropriate for the office, but I never see any of them in pink.

Vogue Sample of Female Business Attire

These powerful women around me simply reflect the expectation that success as a woman comes from embracing traditional masculinity. The University of Maryland’s dress code guidelines for women state “Women can wear casual pants or skirts. Neither should be tight. Fabrics should be crisp; colors should generally be solid; navy, black, gray, brown and khaki are always safe bets.” While not every workplace has formally published guidelines such as this, the conclusion is obvious, femininity is not professional. These professional women who surround me, those who would likely also consider themselves feminists, are dressing for respect, and women have learned that respect does not come through femininity.

A research paper published by the University of Nebraska at Omaha entitled, “Gender Role Identity and Attitudes Toward Feminism,” states that “research has shown that feminists are frequently construed as unfeminine” (Toler). Similarly to the feminists I have seen around me, in many popular movies, books, and even on social media, female empowerment is often shown through women rejecting their femininity. For example, Mulan from the movie, Mulan actively rejects her femininity by removing her makeup and cutting her long hair. It is from this rejection of her femininity that she gains power through being successful in the Chinese army. Mulan is undeniably an example of feminism, but simultaneously, she shows that her success, her feminism, only comes from rejecting her femininity.

The problem is not women being more traditionally masculine, the problem is feminism exclusively being about rejecting femininity instead of learning to find power in it. “Gender Role Identity and Attitudes Toward Feminism” further argues that “gender is not innate; rather gender is something we do” (Toler). By finding power exclusively through being masculine, we unintentionally diminish the power of women. We may see women in power every day, in our government, jobs, school, but we do not see femininity in power.

Issa Rae as the President in “Barbie”

Barbie is a complete contrast to the more masculine feminism we see in popular culture — she is completely girly. She lives in a pink house, is obsessed with her outfits, and according to Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse, one of her worst nightmares is having a bad hair day. Everything is pink, everything is girly, and yet despite this, Barbie is successful. The Barbie movie wasn’t jarring because it was showing women in power, it was jarring because it was showing femininity in power.

Without the representation of femininity in power, we unintentionally continue to diminish women. Barbie, despite her many flaws, is a unique representation of success while retaining her femininity. If embracing traditional masculinity is seen as the only way for women to gain power in a patriarchal society, then feminism has become a rejection of femininity instead of a voice for it.

Works Cited

“Dress Code Guidelines for Women.” University of Maryland, networth.rhsmith.umd.edu/welcome/career-services/dress-code-guidelines-women. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Net-A-Porter. Working Outfit for Women. Vogue, 28 July 2023, www.vogue.com/article/office-clothes-for-women. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Toller, Paige W.; Suter, Elizabeth A.; and Trautman, Todd C., “Gender Role Identity and Attitudes Toward Feminism” (2004). Communication Faculty Publications. 74. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/commfacpub/74. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Warner Bros. Issa Rae, front, plays the president of Barbieland in the movie “Barbie.” The Vindicator, www.vindy.com/life/ticket/2023/07/barbie-is-colorful-funny-and-smart/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

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