Contact Information
Gabriela Bello
Brown College
gvb1@rice.edu
432 559 9073
Faculty Advisor
Lora Wildenthal
History Department
wildenth@rice.edu
713 349 4948
Short Course Description
This class follows the history of, feminist perspectives on , and the consumerism surrounding the doll
Barbie. Learn about the role model who once declared “Math is hard!” and famously broke up with Ken.
Course Description
Barbie is an international icon that has been making news and sparking controversies from the day she hit
the market. Originally created in order to give girls a more adult-like doll to play with, Barbie soon
became a fashion icon and household name. However, Barbie’s name has not always been uttered in
praise. How could it be when she herself has declared that, “Math is hard!” potentially influencing the
minds of the many young girls who love her and when her unnatural proportions have been attributed to
ruining the body image of generations of women?
Barbie is many things and has been called many more: a doll, a collector’s item, a role model, a fashion
icon, a destructive influence, and a proponent of materialism. Through all the different stages of her life,
Barbie has had a large number of careers, a long-standing (until 2004) relationship with Ken, and a large
group family and friends. Through her own hard work, she has been able to build her Dream House and
buy her pink corvette. Barbie’s story is one of success from just about any point of view. Her
marketability, and that of anything associated with her name, is remarkable. But that same marketability
has led to a variety of controversies.
Many young girls, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, say they want to be just like
Barbie. Career-wise, this could mean anything. Barbie has held positions in the arts, medicine, politics,
and even in the military. Body-wise, this is problematic. If Barbie were a human being, it has been said
her proportions would be 36-18-28, she would be 6ft tall, and she would weigh 110 lbs. The average
woman is not built this way. While it might seem absurd to imagine that a girl would believe she could
look exactly like Barbie when she grows up, many do. More science and medicine have made this more
possible through plastic surgery.
Some women have taken advantage of this. Sarah Burge is a woman who underwent $1 million dollars in
surgery in order to become the Real Life Barbie. She has become so famous for the operations, she’s
made a career of it. She appears on television shows, radio talk shows, and her life story has been made
into a film in Japan.
Barbie is also career woman, or more accurately a woman of many careers. Why then would she say that
“Math is hard!”? This event sparked a different type of controversy and put in question Barbie’s status as
a good role model for girls. The Barbie Liberation Organization began Operation New Speak in
retaliation to what had been labeled by some “terrorism against children” as well as a ploy to reinforce
stereotypical gender roles. In 1993, the BLO switched the voice boxes of some 3000 Barbies with that of
GI Joe just in time for the holiday. Some children received Barbies who said “Dead men tell no tales” or
GI Joes who said “Let’s go shopping!”
My own connection to Barbie is that of a collector’s. I do consider Barbie a fashion icon, and have my
Barbie’s at home in their boxes waiting until I can afford to buy something to display them in. In that
sense, to me Barbie is just a doll. An expensive doll, but just a doll nonetheless. Barbie is clearly not
considered “just a doll” by everyone.
What this class proposes to teach is the history of Barbie, feminist reactions to Barbie, and the
consumerism surrounding Barbie. Barbie’s history is rich and complex, at times even bizarre. Almost
everyone has some sort of connection to the doll, be it admiration, scorn, or simple indifference. This
class will look at the various reactions to Barbie and explore how a simple idea can grow to such epic,
money-making proportions. This class should be entertaining, but also informative on gender roles, body
image, and the power of marketing.
Syllabus
1) Course Introduction
A) Present syllabus
B) Quick look at Barbie’s history
I) Barbie’s Predecessor: Bild Lilli
II) Mattel
2) Bild Lilli
A) German Doll (1950 – 1964)
I) Based on comic strip character Lilli
II) Fashion Icon
III) Sassy, Ambitious, with no reservations talking about sex
IV) Doll market as gag gift to men in bars and tobacco shops
1) At first considered too scandalous for children
a) Often referred to as sex doll/toy
2) Later became popular dress-up doll for children
3) Early Years (1959 – 1965)
A) Family & Friends
B) Ken is introduced - 1961
C) Barbie Molds
I) Vintage Barbie Doll
II) Vintage Barbie Bubblecut Doll
1) Inspired by Jackie Kennedy
4)
5)
6)
7)
III) Fashion Queen Barbie
IV) Swirl Ponytail
V) Miss Barbie
VI) American Girl
VII) Color Magic
D) Reactions
Mod Era (1965 – 1970)
A) Family & Friends
B) Barbie Molds
I) Twist’N’Turn
II) Standard
III) Talking
IV) Dramatic New Living
C) Reactions
The Malibu Era (1971-1976)
A) Family & Friends
B) Barbie Molds
I) Growing Pretty hair
II) Live Action
1) Hippie
III) Living
1) Update of New Living
IV) Sunset Malibu
V) Barbie Hair Happenin’s
VI) Busy
1) Busy Talking
VII) Walk Lively
C) Reactions
Superstar, Disco, Rock Years (1980’s)
A) Family & Friends
B) Barbie Molds
I) THE Black Barbie
1) Steffie mold
2) Body Image
3) Black Ken first appears
II) Holiday Barbie
1) Beginning of Collectible Barbie
a) Vintage Barbie Repros
b) Designer Barbies
i) Bob Mackie
III) Reactions
1990 - 2011
A) Family & Friends
B) Barbie Molds
I) Fashion Model Collections
1) Silkstone – Vintage Molds
C) Collecting
I) Label Classifications
II) Super Heroes
III) Television & Film
D) Reactions
I) “Math is hard” & Operation NewSpeak
E) The break-up - 2004
I) New beau: Aussie surfer Blaine
F) Back together – 2011 (Ken’s 50th)
I) Barbie & Ken
8) Barbie as Fasion Icon
A) Fasion Designers designing for Barbie
I) Bob Mackie
II) Vera Wang
B) Body Image
I) Ethnic Dolls
1) Black Barbie
II) International Dolls
9) Barbie as Role Model
A) Changing Gender Roles?
I) Millions of careers in many different fields
II) “I can be…”
1) Ad Campaign
10) Barbie as BAD Role Model
A) Encourages Materialism?
B) “Math is hard!”
11) Marketing
A) Video Games
B) 50th anniversary
C) “I can be…” – Ad Campaign
D) Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter
E) Ken’s 50th
F) Genuine Ken
I) Search for the Great American Boyfriend
12) Collecting
A) Collector’s Magazine
B) Field Guides: Value & Identification
C) Make your own clothes for Barbie
I) Video Games
II) Sewing Patterns
D) Redo Her Make-up and Hair
I) People have made a career of this
13) Controversies
A) Slumber Party Barbie
I) Scale Reading 110 lbs + book on how to lose weight
1) “Don’t Eat”
B) Barbie Liberalization Organization
I) “Math is hard” & Operation NewSpeak
C) Banned in Saudi Arabia
I) Fulla doll
D) Barbie in wheelchair
I) Doesn’t fit into Dream House door
14) Body Image
A) What is beautiful?
I) Plastic Surgery – Sarah Burge
1) Make me look like Barbie
2) Sarah Burge
a) Woman who calls herself the Real Life Barbie
II) White and Black dolls
1) Ethnic Beauty
Grading Rubric



Attendance – 15%
Opinion Papers (2) – 40%
Design your own Barbie (Final) – 45%
individual
individual
individual
Attendance
Students are expected to attend class. Failure to do so will result in a lower grade.
Opinion Papers
Students are required to write three opinions paper based on themes or elements presented in class. Each
paper should be 1-2 pages long.
Design your own Barbie
Barbie is an international icon who has had numerous careers in the arts, education, medicine, politics,
and even the military. Students will design their own doll and write a 1-2 explanation of the idea behind
the doll.
Applicable Course Readings




Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who
Created Her. Robin Gerber. HarperBusiness. ISBN 0061341312.
Beyond Barbie® and Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming. Yasmin
B. Kafai, Carrie Heeter, Jill Denner, Jennifer Y. Sun. MIT Press. ISBN 0262113198.
The Body Burden, Living in the Shadow of Barbie. Stacey Handler. Blue Note
Publications. ISBN 1878398210.
Barbie Culture. Mary F. Rogers. Sage Publications. ISBN 0761958886



Barbie’s Queer Accessories. Erica Rand. Duke University Press. ISBN 082231620X.
Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. M.G. Lord. Walker &
Company. ISBN 0802776949.
Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel. Jerry Oppenheimer. Wiley. ISBN
0470548584.
Possible excursions
Visit to a collector’s store in Katy.
Budget
Should the excursion be possible, the budget will apply to transportation.