Barbie of Arc, looking smashing in tin-foil armor with a flowing pink bow in her hair, was sadly unprepared to take on the British. As the placard explains, France would still be ruled by England if this blond had replaced the uneducated peasant.

Rev up your pink convertible and break out the peroxide. Barbie, the doll you either love or hate, is now nearly half a century old.

On March 9, the blond bombshell turned 48 (the first Barbie dolls were manufactured on that day in 1959 and sold at the American International Toy Fair). In celebration / contemplation of this monumental event, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union held an exhibition from 11 to 4 p.m. examining the significant role Barbie plays in popular culture, and the way her shape affects the body images of modern women.

ReImagining Barbie

The highlight of the exhibition was an artistic display entitled ReImagining Barbie. Featuring Barbie dolls engaged in rather awkward situations, the presentation calls the blondes ability to handle real-life problems into question.

These Barbees dont stand up well when put into the shoes of everyday women, as evidenced by Breast Cancer Barbee and Battered Bride Barbee.

Barbie of Arc, looking smashing in tin-foil armor with a flowing pink bow in her hair, was sadly unprepared to take on the British. As the placard explains, France would still be ruled by England if this blond had replaced the uneducated peasant.

As the artist, Jean Woodmansee, points out, because Barbie remains a significant part of culture, it is important to address the issues the doll represents. Finding the dolls soulless and unrealistic, she prefers American Girl and Alexander dolls, which she feels have personality and are more realistically proportioned.

Its so much more empowering to have a doll that looks like you, she explained. Woodmansee is currently planning her next creation, Chernobyl Barbee.

Empowerment

In addition, exhibition visitors were treated to an opportunity to make their own reimagined Barbee. Using a pile of stripped dolls, guests were encouraged to partake in brightly-colored paints, glitter and other craft materials in order to fix Barbie.

Many women took advantage of the occasion, realizing their personal vision of Barbie “ chopping her hair into a punk rock do, molding clay around her hips to give her a bigger bottom, and gluing jewels to her torso.

In 1997, Mattel reimaged Barbie themselves, giving her a wider waist. Even so, according to many scholars and a large painting titled Banishing All Ridiculous Body Image Expectations, by S.J. Slusar, a human-sized Barbie would stand at 7-feet-2-inches tall with a rather giraffe-like neck and an overwhelming 38 to 48 inch bust size.

This thought-provoking event was part of the Mirror, Mirror on the Wall program. Other art considering similar questions on the topic of female beauty will be displayed as part of this exhibition in the Union until April 5.

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