The History of Barbie. How Barbie Helped Raise a Generation of Feminists

Barbie may appear to be an unusual vessel for a feminist message.

Barbie has been praised and chastised for her portrayal of gender over the course of her 64-year career.

Barbara Millicent Roberts, better known as Barbie, made her debut in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City as an 11-inch blond with a rosy lip. Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, designed her after watching her daughter play with paper dolls.

Barbie has worked in every profession imaginable, from doctor to model to ballerina. Mattel's many clothes and jobs contributed to the doll's appeal. Barbie has had almost 250 occupations since her debut, including landing on the moon four years before Neil Armstrong.

Barbie has been steeped in duality since her inception. She is viewed as an idealized woman designed to shape girls into the shape of the masculine gaze. Barbie's proportions, with long legs and a small waist, have frequently been criticized as unrealistic.

This might be just a doll, but it taught young women everywhere in the world that they could do anything they set their mind to! In a time where womens rights where nowhere to be seen.