Barbiecore: a fashion trend with timeless fascination and boundless inspiration

Barbiecore has been one of the biggest fashion trends since last year. The bright pink color dominates the TikTok and Instagram platforms, with fashion-loving users from all over the world wearing loud, shrill and hyper-feminine outfits. The movie from the summer of 2023 has certainly boosted the Barbie hype. The viral images of Margot Robbie in Barbie's outfits have hardly left any fashionista unimpressed. 

The fascination with the toy doll continues beyond the movie. The Design Museum in London has just announced a major exhibition of the most iconic Mattel models. This is not particularly surprising, as Barbie is more than just a fast-moving trend. Since her market launch in 1959, she has delighted and inspired millions of people by embodying an invitation to a fantasy world.  

The dress-up doll not only inspires little girls to dream, she also makes the hearts of grown-up women beat faster. Barbie can be anything. Doctor today, president tomorrow. There are no limits for her. The classic toy has thus become a symbol of our longing for individualism.

Barbie on the big screen: the message of self-realization and style awareness 

At the same time, a rebranding of the bimbo is currently taking place thanks to her. With her hyperfeminine aesthetic, Barbara Millicent Roberts (Barbie's real name) proves that there is more to her than superficiality. And why is it even a social problem to wear a cute outfit and still be successful in your job?  

Barbie doesn't have to choose. She can look good and have a career. This is very reminiscent of the fate of Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie "Simply Blonde". She is studying law at an elite American university, but is not taken seriously by her fellow students because she is equally interested in her styling and her studies.  

The movie turns these structures around and lets Barbie's boyfriend Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, experience what it feels like to be just a nice accessory. A beautiful face and a dream body, that's what counts. Why would he want to fulfill himself in his job if he can look good next to Barbie?

Between ideal and reality

Barbie's motto "You can be anything" represents a vision of self-determination and independence. Dressed in her favorite color pink, she radiates joie de vivre and positivity. As a toy, young girls can project their dreams and ideas onto the fashion doll. When these girls grow up, they become Barbie themselves. Or not, because hardly any of them can achieve the same level of perfection as their role model.  

Barbie corresponds to a highly criticized ideal that hardly any real woman can achieve - and not just visually. There is no such thing as a failing Barbie. Where is the Barbie who has just separated from her husband and is now trying to raise their child alongside her 40-hour job? 

"It's all a question of perspective" is probably how the ever-optimistic toy doll would reply. Every low is followed by a high and Barbie doesn't reflect real life, but a dream world. Only the high phases of life are depicted in this world, which is supposed to show us real people what is possible.  

Perhaps it is simply good to accept this invitation to escapism from time to time when the real world becomes too negative for us. Barbie's world is certainly idealized, but it gives us hope of a place where we can be anything.  

And we should never forget that icons always symbolize something bigger. They are simplified so that they are quickly recognizable and as many people as possible can identify with them. Despite their reduction to a few features, which takes away their humanity, they have considerable influence.  

An icon has the ability to transcend temporal and geographical boundaries. Their influence is not limited to a specific era or region, but remains relevant and inspiring across generations and cultures. It is therefore inevitable that they often appear controversial and polarizing, as they evoke different opinions and interpretations.

The last masterpiece by Andy Warhol

Pop art legend Andy Warhol focused on thematizing and glorifying everyday objects and popular culture. He portrayed numerous celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor (who also inspired Barbie) and gave them an iconic status that transcended their individual personalities. Incidentally, Barbie was the last icon painted by Andy Warhol before his death. Today, his Barbie portrait is considered a timeless work of art and is world-famous.

If you want to find out more about Barbie as an icon, you should quickly get your hands on the brand new Barbie illustrated book, the first official one in German, and bring Barbiecore from the closet to the coffee table!

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A journey through the world of the iconic toy classic 

Just in time for the 65th birthday of the style icon, the only official Barbie illustrated book is being published in German. Extremely colorful and entertaining, the book perfectly reflects Barbie's brightly colored world, which has inspired generations of people around the world for more than six decades. 

Barbie is much more than just a childhood toy and pink collector's item. The doll has become a symbol of dreams, diversity and emancipation, and thus a cultural icon. This fascinating coffee table book in eye-catching Barbie pink takes a comprehensive look at Barbie's history, her influence on pop culture and her role in fashion.  

The illustrated book not only captures the lifestyle surrounding the Barbie doll, but also represents a perfect balancing act between nostalgia and contemporary history. Developed in 1959 by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, the toy doll embodies retro, while the Barbie movie shows a new interpretation of the now very human and authentic dress-up doll.  

Barbie as a much-cited inspiration  

One thing is clear: the Barbie hype is far from over! The viral tiktok and fashion trend Barbiecore has had a significant influence on the design world since last year. Designers have been inspired by the fashion doll and have ensured that pink has become the standard color in our closets. Now the bright color can also adorn our coffee table.  

Brightly colored chapters immerse us in the world of Barbie. First, her development is presented in an exciting chronicle. The most important models - from the teen-age fashion model Barbie in a black and white striped 50s swimsuit from 1959, to the superstar Barbie in a pink evening gown and feather boa from 1977, to the fashionista Curvy Barbie, who was launched on the market in 2016 in line with Mattel's more diverse orientation.  

We then explore what is behind Barbara Millicent Roberts (Barbie's real name). Why is she more than just a doll and what makes her so iconic? Why is she seen as a vision of self-determination and independence for young girls? 

One with the contemporary style icon 

The large-format photographs and illustrations take you on a nostalgic journey into the world of fashion. The more than 300 different professions and Barbie's numerous outfits show beauty ideals and trends of the respective decades; after all, the toy doll can be seen as a mirror of social and pop-cultural phenomena. 

The whole thing is rounded off with a look behind the creative scenes, interesting quotes from well-known design voices and interesting background information. For example, there are over 1 billion pairs of shoes in the bright pink closet. And did you know that Kenneth Sean Carson, better known as Ken, has a younger brother called Tommy? Find out more in the illustrated book "Barbie - The Icon".