Barbie?
Poor Barbie decried as an anti-feminist icon. Her physical dimensions mean that if she were a real woman she would fall over due to having mahoosive boobs and teeny feet and her neck would not be strong enough to hold up her head. She is allegedly modelled on a German porn doll called Lillie and was also the first mass-produced adult doll (previous to that dolls had been babies aimed at honing little girls’ childcare skills). She has been outlawed in many Middle Eastern countries for being too immodest. Despite having had 150 careers and multiple ethnicities she is still referred to as a “dumb blonde”. The great irony for Barbie is that whatever she achieves we just keep on talking about how she looks.
As a child I loved my Barbie Dolls with great passion, they embodied endless possibility. As far as I was concerned Barbie could do anything and do it with style. She was an independent woman and she had it all: a happy family, loyal friends, a career as an astronaut, a wardrobe to die for, a great convertible and a beach-house in Malibu! For me she was the ultimate feminist; strong, independent, glamorous, clever and unbelievably resilient because whether I cut her hair off or accidentally left her in the garden overnight she just kept on smiling!
When I began this project I planned to represent the seven scenarios in photographs using real people; myself and friends as the characters. I quickly realised that having people in the pictures made them too personal. The scenarios weren’t specific to the people represented they were universal to mothers who chose to work and study. I needed a character that could represent the collective female protagonist so I used Barbie to represent everywoman. While creating the photographs it occurred to me that Barbie is always smiling. However she feels inside she smiles. Isn’t that what we do at work? At home with our children? Finally I was also drawn to the opportunity to engage in a light-hearted project. The chance to juxtapose feminist research with an anti-feminist icon brought humour to a project which could have become quite depressing and dark and you have to admit Barbie always brings the glitz!
As a child I loved my Barbie Dolls with great passion, they embodied endless possibility. As far as I was concerned Barbie could do anything and do it with style. She was an independent woman and she had it all: a happy family, loyal friends, a career as an astronaut, a wardrobe to die for, a great convertible and a beach-house in Malibu! For me she was the ultimate feminist; strong, independent, glamorous, clever and unbelievably resilient because whether I cut her hair off or accidentally left her in the garden overnight she just kept on smiling!
When I began this project I planned to represent the seven scenarios in photographs using real people; myself and friends as the characters. I quickly realised that having people in the pictures made them too personal. The scenarios weren’t specific to the people represented they were universal to mothers who chose to work and study. I needed a character that could represent the collective female protagonist so I used Barbie to represent everywoman. While creating the photographs it occurred to me that Barbie is always smiling. However she feels inside she smiles. Isn’t that what we do at work? At home with our children? Finally I was also drawn to the opportunity to engage in a light-hearted project. The chance to juxtapose feminist research with an anti-feminist icon brought humour to a project which could have become quite depressing and dark and you have to admit Barbie always brings the glitz!
