A review by graypeape
Barbie Forever: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy (Official 60th Anniversary Collection) by Robin Gerber

5.0

Okay, so what you're not going to get in this book is negative stuff about Barbie- her supposed bad effects on girls' body image, her math woes, an unfortunate cookie cross-promotion- but you will get lots of interesting history and trivia about not just Barbie herself, but the times she's lived in. Learning about what Ruth Handler went through to get her doll made gave me new respect for her- just because her husband co-founded Mattel didn't mean she had an easy time making her dream a reality! Barbie's controversial figure came about because the tiny waist and hips made the clothes look better; the waists of the skirts and pants and the fasteners were bulkier than what equivalently sized human clothes had, so Barbie's waist and hips shrank to make the clothed doll look more proportionate. And oh my, the clothes! So much attention was put into every detail of the outfits, so that each was a complete play experience, with accessories to spark the imagination. For me, and I'm sure for many other girls too, the clothes were the best part- I didn't do pretend play with Barbie so much, it was mainly dressing her up, combining outfits to make new combinations, talking my mom into crocheting clothes for me, making clothes of my own. I also loved constructing homes for her, not just using doll furniture but also making furnishings out of household objects (half empty tissue boxes make groovy lounge chairs with built in side tables ha!). Barbie provided countless hours of creative fun for me, and helped me to look at objects in a different way, to see what they could become. She never gave me body issues- I recognized that she wasn't proportionate, and subconsciously realized she was a mannequin to put clothes on, and I didn't want that kind of body. To me, she was just fun to play with, and this book captures that. The pictures will delight Barbie fans, and the stories from collectors will give you the warm fuzzies. A perfect gift for any Barbie fan or collector.

#BarbieForever #NetGalley