On Barbie

In the Barbie toy marketplace, and as someone who has observed its dynamics over the past decade, watched videos and built a mint collection of the ones I was interested in, to complement the ones I still have spanning back to my childhood, I’ve found it interesting and paradoxical that among some white collectors, the most prized Barbies, including for their beauty, are actually the black ones, which are far rarer and have largely been bought up and removed from the public domain. This is a very mystifying market in which the white vintage version of a doll can go for $50 or less while the same black one might be priced at nearly a thousand dollars. In that context, it astonishes me, too, to see an ongoing stream of numerous accessories that can also fetch quite a price as well, whether random clothing items, shoes, combs, or “jewelry,” and all manner of ephemera, which most girls from their time, including all of my Barbie playmates from childhood, would immediately be able to connect to the Barbie doll they originally came from, whether they had ever actually owned that doll or not. You see that hat, and know it came from Western Barbie. Those pink boots, and know it was Fashion Jeans. 

The Barbie accessory visual arena is extremely expansive and recognizable down to a hairpin for those most familiar with it, to the point of even being able to name the year it was manufactured! JUST ONE plastic fake rhinestone Barbie “diamond” ring (half the size of a rice grain) is on average worth $25 nowadays, so even Barbie bling is nothing to sneer at. The littlest accessory has high market values, so throwing any of it away can bring regrets like those of folks who let go of GI Joe. Even if she donated other types of toys, my grandmother loved and kept all of our dolls, viewed them as being far more personal and sentimental, and so would never have gotten rid of or given away any belonging to me, my mother, aunt or cousins. The girls I played with in childhood Liletta and Tiffany had mostly black Barbie dolls, and so did I, cherish memories of those times, and are also the product of family and social networks in which girls played with dolls and had playdates revolving around them, as well as activities like Girl Scouts. As I’ve said in the past, Barbie is a thematic anchor in my art studio because sewing, knitting and crocheting clothing for my dolls and furnishings for my doll houses was a vital pathway to art, as well as for conceptualizing and actualizing many dreams in general. 

In a culture in which colonialism, imperialism and slavery were the basis, the outcome and consequence will definitely be one in which people of African descent engage in a multiplicity of forms of cultural expression, and love and learn from a variety of cultural resources, just in being and becoming more fully human in a world premised on their oppression and dehumanization. They really don’t need to be bullied about their hairstyle choices and cultural tastes when and if they don’t conform to any and all perceived “black” cultural aesthetics and expectations. In the past, most black people, living in a white-centered and -dominated culture, had to cultivate strategies for finding themselves in and learning from a range of types of music and cultural productions. A world in which black representation and accessibility have thankfully expanded has never foreclosed their ability to do that. I LOVE and have learned some of my most cherished life lessons from films from Grease to Coal Miner’s Daughter, which I first saw in childhood, love The Carpenters, was also a Bon Jovi fan, and still watch The Lawrence Welk Show weekly for its staging and artistry. Joel Osteen’s sermons have ended every Sunday evening for me for the past 20 years, and have been valuable and inspiring for me as well as many black people I know, especially here in the South.

 

Years ago, given that Mattel reached the manufacturing milestone of producing enough Barbies that could reach to the moon, concerns I’d have are mainly environmental if any owing to the proliferation of plastics on the planet. Many women watch and support male-centered events like the Super Bowl on an annual basis, while NEVER having the reciprocal support in relationships with their husbands and significant others in moments when they are excited about seeing the Oscars or various chic flicks, which can be a signpost of serious selfishness and narcissism. It’s even worse when this still patriarchal and misogynistic culture enables potshots at things that women are enjoying and celebrating. I especially couldn’t care less about what some men have to say about the Barbie fest or what they think, and the cultural critiques ring hollow, too, especially after taking a break from celebrating Marvel’s newest black action films and figures marketed to black boys within a franchise that has also long ignored and excluded black people. I actually find most men who would celebrate and advocate for mutilating or harming Barbie dolls to be as questionable as types potentially capable of forms of animal cruelty and worse. What happens out in the world is one thing, but as for me, the man for me will definitely be the type not only who shares my values, but who supports and encourages what makes me happy, rather than putting down those interests.

 

It’s about time this film finally came out given generations of girls spanning over 60 years who have played with Barbie, and it has been interesting and inspiring to see highlights from posts of those of all ages who are attending the screenings. I’ve also learned a lot from reading the various articles, including various political issues and cultural responses, which are also interesting as someone who has more casually written about and researched this topic myself. I’m inspired that the public is discovering lessons I learned a few years ago about how much it can help and heal to reconnect to things we once loved as children. At the height of the pandemic, I found that the process of restoring Barbie dolls though hair rerooting was actually one of the best ways to grapple with and reflect on forms of brokenness, as well as lessons on good stewardwardship of one’s dreams and blessings in life. In my domain as an artist and scholar, I’ve been blessed to have the original Superstar Christie, whose going rate on the market since back then has moved to over $1,400, and many others. My dolls are my blessing and my business.🙏🏾❤️