Iconic doll joins “cultural conversation” via Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover
There’s something strange about the latest cover model of Sports Illustrated. In a bold black and white striped swimsuit, she’s mastered a confident yet casual pose. Her long blonde hair is sleek and exceptionally shiny, and her pale skin is impossibly smooth. Her big blue eyes stare boldly from the cover, but her gaze is blank. The caption reads: “The doll that started it all.”
That’s right – Barbie is the latest cover girl.
Barbie is featured on a promotional cover wrap for the 50th anniversary edition of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit edition, which hit stands on Feb 18. The cover will appears on 1,000 copies, and is accompanied by a four-page advertising feature in the magazine.
“As a legend herself, and under criticism about her body and how she looks, posing in ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’ gives Barbie and her fellow legends an opportunity to own who they are, celebrate what they have done, and be unapologetic,” a Mattel spokesperson said.
Critics (predictably) have weighed in on the implications of using plastic plaything Barbie as a cover girl in lieu of a real model.
The choice seems blatantly provocative – it’s clearly meant to ignite a discussion on representations of women in media and engage viewers in debates about the idealized representations of femininity that many women contend with – and that mainstream media arguably perpetuates.
The magazine industry is notorious for creating unrealistic expectations that are detrimental to young girls and women. The cover could be read as a parody – serving to highlight the artificiality of the “ideal woman” by revealing the narrow view of what is considered conventionally “attractive.”
Additionally, many critics voiced concerns that the cover choice is inappropriate. Barbie is a children’s toy, while Sports Illustrated is an adult magazine whose cover stars for the swimsuit edition are often chosen for their blatant sex appeal, and are depicted posing provocatively in very little clothing. Featuring a children’s toy in what is typically a sexualized context is definitely controversial and likely to incite criticism.
However, the “controversy” does seem a bit contrived – there is even an official Barbie twitter account, featuring tweets about the cover with the tagline #unapologetic. I got the impression that the whole stunt was a viral marketing ploy, devised to bring Barbie (the brand) back into cultural consciousness.
That we’re still engaging in debates over representations of women in society and the commodification and objectification of women’s bodies proves that it’s still a hot topic, but we don’t need a plastic doll to remind us of that.
“Barbie” responded to the backlash in an op-ed published online: “Today, truly anything is possible for a girl. Let us place no limitations on her dreams, and that includes being girly if she likes. It’s easy to say the culprit is the color pink or the existence of makeup… neither prevents girls from excelling in their own fashion. Let her grow up not judged by how she dresses, even if it’s in heels; not dismissed for how she looks, even if she’s pretty. Pink isn’t the problem,” Barbie ‘writes.’
Barbie also defends previous models that have graced the cover of the magazine, pointing out that while their physical beauty is spotlighted in the magazine, models such as Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks have also accomplished great things in their careers.
I guess it’s significant that Barbie has been granted a voice in the debate, and that somehow she is expressing her views in her own words through writing (although I’m not sure how her plastic hands could properly grip a pen). Her own contribution to feminist discourse is a bit simplistic – but it is a contribution nonetheless.
“It’s time to stop boxing in potential,” says Barbie. “The reality of today is that girls can go anywhere and be anything. They should celebrate who they are and never have to apologize for it.”
I guess it’s okay to be smart, ambitious and unapologetically feminine – as long as you can sell a glossy magazine cover while you’re chasing your dreams.