The Evolution of Women's Roles, Chronicled in the Life of a Doll (March 30th, 2004)

[KARL LEE]

The Evolution of Women's Roles, Chronicled in the Life of a Doll

By CAROL E. LEE

Published: March 30, 2004

It seems wrong, in a way, for Women's History Month to end without an exegesis on Barbie. True, she is no Susan B. Anthony. Sure, she leads a life that only a molded plastic figurine guided by limitless imagination could lead. But Barbie, Mattel's best-selling doll, has been a presence in the childhoods of most American women, and by now her history is a little bit of our history.

Over the years we've been encouraged to marvel at Barbie's dexterity. She has navigated an exceptional career path and maintained a picture-perfect 43-year relationship, with ne'er a hair out of place. Last month, however, the fantasy unraveled. Mattel announced two days before Valentine's Day that America's favorite plastic couple had split up.

Those of us who wondered, "Who will get the Dream House?" were a bit perplexed to learn that it's not an issue. There would be no lawyers' fees over the divvying up of assets, no quibbling over who keeps the Beach Cruiser, because Barbie and Ken were never married. That was a bit of a shock, and it provoked a complicated reaction. What do you call a single woman who's gone steady for more than four decades? Sexually liberated? Lacking in imagination? Commitment phobic?

Barbie made her debut in 1959 as a fashion model. Ken entered the scene two years later. The happily unmarried couple began their radical lifestyle together at a time when the working husband and his stay-at-home wife reflected mainstream cultural values on programs like "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Barbie made up for her radicalism with acceptable feminine occupations, like candy-striper volunteer and ballerina — although, always contradictory, she did sport a spacesuit four years before NASA put a person on the moon.

The 1970's were a confusing time for Barbie. Her popularity decreased for the first time. The nation was experimenting and seeking adventure. Women were going to college and entering the work force in droves. Barbie quickly gathered herself and followed suit. Never one to settle for mediocrity, she became a surgeon and an Olympic downhill skier.

By the time the 80's rolled around, Ken's main squeeze had gotten her groove back. She would not be caught unawares again. She covered all possible fast tracks. Barbie the hard-nosed business executive and Barbie the Unicef ambassador rivaled pop icons like Madonna and Cyndi Lauper as Barbie the rock star, and she sweated it out like Jane Fonda as an aerobics instructor. Luckily for the slew of exotic and domestic pets she'd acquired over the years, she also became a veterinarian.

If there ever was a decade that tested Barbie's will, it was the 1990's. Women had broken through so many doors it seemed there weren't many unopened ones left. Leave it to Barbie to pick the less-trod path. In 1992 she entered the presidential race, wearing a glittery red, white and blue ball gown, of course. That same year, however, Teen Talk Barbie was heard complaining that "math class is tough." She had obviously not been paying attention to her more accomplished versions. Barbie couldn't have become a paleontologist and an engineer without knowing how to solve a quadratic equation.

Barbie's little arched feet also ran in predominantly male circles as a police officer, a firefighter, a pilot and a Marine sergeant. Working women with laptops and cellphones, and female pediatricians and dentists, were no longer novelties by the time Barbie got there, but she was ahead of her time as a Nascar driver. She gained street cred as a rap artist, and demonstrated her athletic agility as an Ice Capades star, scuba diver, W.N.B.A. player and Women's World Cup soccer player.

In 1998, Barbie went through one of her most drastic changes. Her breasts shrank, and her torso put on a little weight. Ken didn't love her any less — he stuck by her side for another six years. And while Barbie's family grew by leaps and bounds, the kids — Skipper, Tutti, Stacie, Todd, Kelly and Krissy — were introduced as her siblings, not illegitimate children. So there will be no need for a new outfit for the custody battle.

Now that Barbie has morphed into the latest trendy persona — single woman — who knows what she'll tackle next. But anyone scribbling away on a "Barbie and the City" pilot may want to think twice. Her future sounds more like Baywatch Barbie. Word is that she's surfing the California waves and has her eye on an Australian boogie-boarder named Blaine.