Barbiecore: Unpacking the Fashion Trend Inspired by Barbie

In the words of Margot Robbie’s recent iteration of Barbie, “Either you’re brainwashed, or you’re weird” (Barbie). Barbie was initially marketed as a fashion model upon her 1959 debut. Sixty years later, it's fitting that her brand now reigns supreme in the capitalist world, especially within the realm of fashion.

As the movie suggests, the Mattel brand has become somewhat outdated in our contemporary socio-political landscape. The image of Barbie as a perfect, plastic figure was increasingly seen as unattainable, shallow, and exclusive. Presented with a new marketing opportunity, Mattel recruited the beloved, down-to-earth indie director by the name of Greta Gerwig to create something that was self-aware, whimsical, humorous, but most importantly real. Ironically, positioning Barbie as another victim of the patriarchy made her all the more marketable. This factor in her characterization allows the Barbie movie to present her wardrobe as self-empowered and unapologetically feminine.

Pink: a visual that is essentially synonymous with Barbie. And the hue has always had its place in pop culture and media. Its greatest moments in film have been worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Grease’s (1978) Pink Ladies, Legally Blonde’s (2001) Elle Woods, Mean Girls (2004), and the list goes on, and on, and on. Not to mention, hot pink has made its mark not only on the red carpet at the Met Gala (in 2019 by Kacey Musgraves and Lady Gaga, and in 2022 by SZA, Sebastian Stan, and Jenna Ortega), but also on the runway. Valentino’s “Pink PP” Autumn/Winter 2022 collection at Paris Fashion week featured hot pink specifically, and its creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli spoke about his personal fascination with the color: “I always want pink in my collections. It’s a colour I feel you can subvert better, because it already has a lot of meaning.”

So, of course, Barbie is trendy. But the massive inflow of pink in everyone’s wardrobe, and the melodic echo of Ryan Gosling’s ballad “I’m Just Ken” on repeat inside of everyone’s heads, speaks to a larger concept. Beyond its capitalist motivations, Barbie aims to deliver a commentary on the sense of community inherent in womanhood. The Barbies and their Ken counterparts exhibit a shared solidarity that is both charming and enviable. Their array of coordinating outfits, simultaneously individualized and complementary, fosters a camaraderie that was echoed in the group outfits donned by moviegoers It lets us know that womanhood, and manhood, are not mutually exclusive experiences that we face alone. Every person wearing pink, according to Barbie, is a part of a whole. Because in pink, we’re all the ideal; we have perfect bodies, and extraordinary accomplishments of our own, just like Barbie. Essentially, Barbie creates a world in which everyone feels like they can be “Kenough.”

Sources

Gonzalez, T. (2023, July 25). Why Is it So Deeply Satisfying to Dress Like Barbie? Harper’s Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a44629777/barbie-movie-barbiecore-trend-costume-designer-interview/

Madsen, A.C. (2022, March 7). 5 Things To Know About Valentino’s Hot Pink AW22 Show. https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/gallery/valentino-aw22-5-things-to-know#:~:text=And%20while%20he%20never%20wears,men%2C%20then%20it%20became%20girlish%E2%80%A6

Marquez, L. (2023, July 14). How the Barbie movie is affecting fashion in 2023. NYC Tastemakers. https://nyctastemakers.com/how-the-barbie-movie-is-affecting-fashion-in-2023/

Kain, E. (2023, August 5). The ‘Barbie’ Movie Isn’t Feminist Propaganda, It’s A Two-Hour Mattel Commercial. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/08/05/the-barbie-movie-isnt-feminist-propaganda-its-a-two-hour-mattel-commercial/?sh=7eafe06a3de1

Tashjian, R. (2023, July 21). We all dress like Barbie now. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/07/21/barbie-movie-fashion-designers-trends/

Written by Kaitlyn Talsky
Copyedited by Naia Meyers Graphic By Evelyn Krakovski