The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (review)

Cover art of the sultry original with the arched brows, puckered crimson lips, blonde bombshell hair, and come-hither glance perfectly sets the tone for this study of the pop-culture icon: this is not about playtime or even collectibility, but about the firestorm of debate over Barbie's impact on girls' emotional development that has raged unabated since her debut in 1959. Stone calmly covers Barbie's creation by Ruth Handler, the formation of Mattel, and the doll's unpromising launch among sexpot-resistant buyers at a national toy fair. From there on, though, the gloves come off, and Stone allows the voices of women and teens, scholars and collectors, lovers and haters to thrash out whether Barbie has single-handedly set an unattainable standard of female beauty, joined forces with manipulative media to trash adolescent self-esteem, acted as the progressive model for girls to envision gender barrier-crashing careers, or reigned as—duh—just a really cool doll with really pretty clothes. Although the glossy color leaves inserted in the center of the book will attract younger browsers as well as wanderers down Memory Lane, most of the black-and-white photographs that appear within the text are there to support or refute the arguments made by Barbie's supporters and bashers. Stone orchestrates proffered testimonials and opinions with an evenhandedness that precludes decisive resolution, but anyone who's ever had a Barbie encounter of any kind—even the mutilating or sex-play variety described with relative tact herein—is unlikely to be swayed from her (or his) judgment anyhow. Notes, index, and an extensive bibliography may lure report writers into unconsidered territory, and teen book clubs might want to nominate this as a fiery nonfiction selection.