Militant feminists condemn her while 10-year olds celebrate her, B A R B I E, the supremely salacious blond doll, has been the object of heated controversy as much as fashion ever since her birth, 5 decades ago this month. The protests against the titillating piece of plastic are numerous. She represents the primacy of appearance over intellect; she stereotypes antiquated gender roles; she embodies an impossibly hot silhouette; and she has made platinum hair and fake boobs contagious from LA to NYC to Ningbo, China.
Blond Spawns
Yet could it be that Barbie, contrary to being an outdated relic from a bygone era, is in fact a paragon of virtue for our tumultuous times? For a start, she may benefit from having a strong and durable name in a downturn. And despite diminishing global sales and downward profits at Mattel (her manufacturer), Barbie topped the 2008 survey by the National Retail Federation of the most popular girls’ toys, relegating even the Nintendo Wii to 5th place.
Punky
And the FT reports that she has just seen off her hipper rivals, the Bratz. After a contentious legal battle, a judge recently ordered their maker, MGA, to transfer all trademark rights to Mattel. Barbie is once again the undisputed queen of the toy store. In previous downturns toy sales performed relatively well, as parents cut back elsewhere.
As the recession intensifies, Barbie’s conservative values are also back in vogue. Amid concern about rampant individualism and excessive greed, she evokes a simpler, gentler era. And since staying in is the new going out, little girls will have more time for old-fashioned play. 
Gentler?
Barbie also embodies career flexibility, a valuable quality in turbulent times. Having launched her career as a fashion model in a one-piece bathing suit, she transitioned into other industries as fast as they were born. She was a stewardess in the 1960s as mass aviation took off, an aerobics instructor with leg-warmers in the 1980s, and even a black presidential candidate four years before Barack Obama. Perhaps it’s time for a new Barbie, this time fashioned as a distressed hedge-fund investor or environmental activist - or both!?
Versatile
Anyway, Barbie is hot and occupies a unique place in our imagination no matter what. Happy birthday, doll!
-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)
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Tags: Aubrey O'Day, Barbie, Cody Ross, David LaChapelle, Economics, Fashion, Financial Times, Icons, Mattel, National Retail Federation, Pamella Anderson, Radical feminists, Sex Appeal, Society, Toys
03/18/2009 at 5:54 pm
You are the Doll and always have been