Photo:Ethan James Green
Ethan James Green
Barbieis a feminist — at least according toMargot Robbie. The actress embodying the doll in this summer’sBarbiemovie opened up duringVogue’slatest episode of the web seriesLife in Looksabout how the iconic doll can “put on a suit and she’s a lawyer” or “put on a space helmet, and she’s an astronaut” in a time when “women couldn’t even have their own bank accounts.”
Robbie said that when the doll launched in the late 1950s, it was unprecedented that Barbie “owned her own house” and “owned her own car,” especially when her “cute boyfriend” Ken, whom she described as nothing but an accessory to the blonde bombshell, “doesn’t have a house. Or a car. Or a job. Or any power” as she toldVoguein herSummer 2023 cover story.
This inverse of the real world, which in Robbie’s upcomingBarbiefilm is “authentically artificial” and “really fake,” helped little girls imagine themselves having “their own house, their own car,” and “their own career,” Robbie added of the doll’s influence.
The actress believes Barbie inspired girls who held the doll, and “had some sort of impact” on what they believed was possible for their futures, despite any controversy surrounding the “first woman doll,” as Robbie called her.
Part of this controversy is the sexualization of Barbie, though Robbie believes the character she plays in the film is anything but sexual.
As she toldVogue,“She’s a doll. She’s a plastic doll. She doesn’t have organs. If she doesn’t have organs, she doesn’t have reproductive organs. If she doesn’t have reproductive organs, would she even feel sexual desire? No, I don’t think she could.”
She continued, “She is sexualized. But she should never be sexy. People can project sex onto her. Yes, she can wear a short skirt, but because it’s fun and pink. Not because she wanted you to see her butt.”
The answer doesn’t satisfy Barbie, though, who asks, “To do what?” leading Ken to say, “I’m actually not sure.”
Because Barbie doesn’t dress to be seen or sexualized, she “dresses with intention,” Jacqueline Durran, the film’s costume designer, toldVogue.
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“Barbie doesn’t dress for the day. She dresses for the task,” she added,like in her black-and-white striped swimsuit,shown in the trailer, neon roller skates, pink presidential fashion, a Western-inspired look or a gingham sun hat to block out the “artificial” sun.
Whatever the outfit, whatever the reason, though, one thing is for sure: Barbie’s impact on fashion is undeniable. (Shout outBarbiecore.)
Vogue’sSummer 2023 issue will be available on newsstands nationwide on June 6. TheBarbiemovie hits theaters July 21.
source: people.com
