[If You Look Closely] The Original Form of 'Barbie' Is a German Tobacco Shop Obscene Doll (Part 1)

Director Greta Gerwig Advocates Self-Deprecating Philosophy in 'Barbie'
'Barbie,' an Inherently Contradictory Doll
Timelessly Perfect Appearance, While Ken Is...

Director Greta Gerwig's Barbie is a film that espouses a self-deprecating philosophy at the intersection of dolls and the real world. Various elements that arouse curiosity and interest are overturned by clear lessons and messages. Even this appears ironically outdated and complicated by issues of diversity. This is because the oppressive system essentially remains unchanged, only the master of the doll world changes. Barbie was inherently a doll of betrayal. From the moment she first appeared at the 1959 New York Toy Fair, she suffered from skeptical views. She was criticized as a conceptual symbol of the fetishization of commodification, a fixed definition of gender, and an indicator of the absolute supremacy of heterosexuality. Tall and slender Barbie has an excessively large bust, hips shaped unlike anything seen in reality, and feet optimized for high heels. The moment girls began to idealize her, a dilemma arose.

'If you know' is a tip for enjoying the movie by delivering useful information in a somewhat disorganized manner.

* Barbie was created in the late 1950s by the couple Ruth and Elliot Handler. She was named after their daughter Barbara. The prototype was the obscene doll 'Lilli,' sold in German tobacco shops for men. The Handlers encountered it while shopping and recalled the moment Barbara played with paper dolls of adult women. They immediately agreed to create a product for young girls. They wanted girls to imagine themselves as mature young women, not future mothers caring for babies. After some modifications, Barbie was introduced in 1959.

* Lilli was a doll inspired by a character in a cartoon published in the German newspaper Bild Zeitung. She had a ponytail hairstyle (long hair tied with a ribbon at the top back of the head, with the ends hanging like a foal's tail) and wore various outfits including high heels. In the cartoon, she was almost naked and took money from men. The doll manufacturer designed her to be placed on the dashboards of adult men's cars or given as gifts to girlfriends instead of flowers or chocolates.

* Ruth hired designer Jack Ryan in the process of recreating the pornographic satirical cartoon character as a beloved American girl. Ryan was a Playboy who had married several women, including Hollywood actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. He was also known for designing the Hawk and Sparrow missiles during the Cold War. At a time when the fear of destruction from nuclear war was dominant, Barbie emerged as a symbol of prosperity. She symbolized and guaranteed American freedom and democracy.

* Before releasing Barbie to the American market, the Handlers minimized her sexy image. However, they secretly hoped some of it would be conveyed to catch the eyes of the new generation of American children.

* The fundamental reason Barbie enjoyed long-lasting popularity lies in her 'adult' characteristics. She was effectively the first 'teenager' doll released in an era when the term 'teenager' was coined. Her missile-like breasts were fantastic and erotic, playing a central role in appealing Barbie as an ideal body. Of course, the overt sexuality tarnished the doll's image. Art historian Carol Ockman described in Barbie Meets Bouguereau: Making the Ideal Body in the Late Twentieth Century: "(If the Handlers) had followed buyers' opinions at the 1959 New York Toy Fair, Barbie, originally a pin-up girl with missile-like breasts, would not have risen to stardom. Sears, Mattel's biggest customer, firmly refused to buy Barbie and criticized her as overly sensual. What made success possible was the consumers who saw Barbie on toy store shelves. Unlike the prototype Lilli, Barbie expressed sexuality without sex. What frightened buyers was reality?the reality that adults have sex. However, when designing an adult doll whose sexuality clearly appears as part of the body, it is impossible to avoid the issue of sex."

* The 1950s was the first era in history when children had money to spend. Quick-moving manufacturers advertised products through television and radio. Unlike previous generations, these young people were more often consumers than producers. When confident singles like Barbie appeared, they were no longer satisfied with old-fashioned baby dolls or stubby adult dolls.

* A prominent feature of 1950s popular culture was that regardless of the type of woman, they ultimately wanted the same things. Even progressive-looking heroines envied sexy rivals and tried to enlarge their breasts. The glamorous actresses of the silver screen generally did not seek social or sexual equality.

* Historian and cultural critic Stephanie Coontz evaluated Mattel as "not radical innovators standing against parents' views." "Mattel tried to persuade not only daughters but also mothers of Barbie's appeal. The fact that Barbie's personality fundamentally aligned with 1950s gender role norms and sexual morality is evident from mothers comfortably buying Barbie. Stories of mothers who changed their minds and bought dolls that were not too 'adult' after hearing their daughters talk about how cool Barbie's clothes were led advertising consultant Ernest Dichter to develop a strategy focusing on 'children learning the importance of appropriate clothing while playing with this doll.' This was hugely successful. To strike a 'little lady-like pose,' a certain degree of sexiness was necessary, and most mothers happily conceded."

* The toy industry initially hesitated to accept Barbie's sexy image. However, as Barbie attracted buyers' attention and Mattel's recruitment strategy caused numbers to explode, attitudes changed. The most effective promotion was advertising aired on the TV program Mickey Mouse Club.

* Barbie is sold in 140 countries. According to the Smithsonian Institution, if Barbies sold over 30 years since launch were lined up (with small feet touching above the head), the length would circle the Earth four times. Barbie sells about two dolls per second worldwide. American girls (ages 3 to 10) own an average of ten Barbies.

* Ken appeared in 1961. Like Barbie, the Handlers named him after their child.

* Unfortunately, Ken was castrated. To borrow the phrase of American writer and poet Gertrude Stein, "There is no there there."

* Ken patiently stands loyally by Barbie's side. They are a couple, but it is unclear if they will marry. However, he has worn a wedding suit.

* Ruth was a serious woman who liked controversy. She was born to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland in 1916. As a first-generation American, she believed in the American Dream. Ruth had a long career as an entrepreneur even before the feminist era. She was often the only woman attending important business meetings.

* Since its founding, Mattel gave women unprecedented opportunities and responsibilities. Ruth claims to have adopted this policy before racial discrimination was widely recognized. Steven C. Dubin, one of the authors of The Barbie Chronicles, described her as "a figure split between Frank Sinatra and tycoon Leona Helmsley."

* In 1974, Ruth was embroiled in lawsuits over mail fraud and conspiracy, and for falsely reporting Mattel's income to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As a result, she received heavy fines, probation, and community service sentences.

* After leaving Mattel, Ruth developed 'Nearly Me,' a breast prosthesis with a natural appearance and feel. She was a breast cancer patient and wrote in her autobiography: "When I think of Barbie, I thought it was important for young girls to play with dolls that have breasts for their self-esteem. Now I realize it is even more important to restore self-esteem to women who have lost their breasts."

* Barbie's greatest strength is adaptability. However, there are clear limits. The Smithsonian once covered an article about Mattel's Barbie exposure meter, which has a blue line drawn from the chest to the hips on headless dolls. New outfits are designed to meet this standard, and if the blue line is visible, they are rejected. Despite criticism that her appearance is immodest, Barbie is effectively forever subject to skirt length inspections.

* A significant number of men who collect Barbie are gay. For a while, telling people that collecting Barbie was a hobby was considered a second coming out. Most revealed they were gay first and then said they liked Barbie.

* The relationship between the gay community and Mattel is not easy to summarize. For example, in 1994, Mattel did not allow the gay-oriented magazine Genre to use Ken in an illustration for an article about first dates. The editorial team erased Ken's image, leaving only his outline.

* By the late 1960s, Barbie had a Black friend. From the 1980s, Barbie herself came in various skin tones.

* Sindana Toys, a Black-owned company established in Los Angeles after the 1965 Watts riots, received discreet support and management know-how from Mattel.

* Several artists have explored the dark side of modern gender role division through Barbie. Director Todd Haynes, known for films like Carol (2016) and I’m Not There (2008), is a representative example. In 1987's Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, he depicted singer Karen Carpenter, who died from anorexia, through Barbie. Co-writers Haynes and Cynthia Schneider skillfully delved into the sunny suburban town of Downey, California. Through the doll's eyes, they revealed the nauseating and dysfunctional family life. This film was not publicly released due to pressure from the Carpenter family and A&M Records.

* People generally either praise or hate Barbie. There is almost no middle ground. Especially in 1995, Islamic fundamentalists in Kuwait sentenced Barbie to death, expelling Western women who wore nail polish and short skirts.

* Barbie's breasts have been a subject of interest and controversy since the planning stage. When a Japanese doll maker kept adding nipples to samples, Mattel removed them and sent them back. Designer Ryan personally scraped off the nipples with a nail file to make them smooth.

* Ken's body was released in 1961 and underwent two fundamental changes. In contrast, Barbie has not undergone major changes since her first appearance at the 1959 New York Toy Fair. Each time, she was evaluated as timelessly perfect.

* Art historian Carol Ockman lectured on "The Ideal Body: Modern Nudes and Their Dilemmas" at Williams College in 1996. She assigned students to read not only literature on Barbie but also Kenneth Clark's classic The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form. She wanted them to think about how Barbie's body is ideal?that is, existing beyond time yet realistic. She examined Barbie and Ken's nudes without prejudice and compared them with nude images in past paintings and sculptures. Through this, she deeply considered the meanings embedded in traditional human body depictions and explained the paradox of Barbie's body being both timeless and synchronous.

References: The Barbie Chronicles (2003) by Yona Zeldis McDonough, Steven C. Dubin, Ann Dusil, Dennis Duhamel, translated by Kim Sook, published by Saeum; My Childhood Barbie (2007) by Steven C. Dubin, translated by Kim Sook, published by Maurice, etc.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.