Barbie: A childfree, feminist icon

She's everything.

I used to love playing with Barbies. I had the pink convertible, the swimming pool, the jeep, and an overflowing bin of accessories, clothes and shoes. I owned teacher Barbie, ballerina Barbie, doctor Barbie, rollerskating Barbie and an assortment of Ken and Skipper dolls. My dreams were made real through Barbie, there were no limits in what we could do. All my childhood dreams were made real via my imaginary play with Barbie.

Barbie was introduced first in 1959 after Ruth Handler saw her daughter playing with paper dolls. At that time girls were really only offered baby dolls, a straight shot to motherhood and caregivers, but her daughter wasn’t using these dolls to mimic home life, instead she was giving them adult roles—jobs. This observation created the category of ‘fashion doll’ and Barbie was born. She wasn’t another babydoll, she wasn’t presented as a mother, or even a wife, Barbie was an independent woman out in the world.