TTake a look at Instagram now and it won’t be long before the realization hits you: we’re all Barbie girls living in a Barbie world. Hot pink dress. Fuchsia fixtures in someone’s living room. A nice pair of pale pink skates. As the name might suggest, Barbiecore is all about channeling all things pink, following the traditional aesthetic of the original Mattel doll, which launched in 1959.
Examples include those viral on-set images from Greta Gerwig’s future Barbie movie – starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken – collaborations between Barbie and Zara and Balmain, and a host of hot pink items currently on sale at luxury brands such as Jacquemus, Balenciaga, Loewe and Valentino. Even the latter’s recent fashion show was filled with shade.
None of this is surprising, however, with trend forecasting company WGSN predicting the rise of Barbiecore in May 2020. That’s when it announced that the color of 2022 would be “Orchid Flower”, which is – you get it guess – a very Barbie. -like, hot pink described by the company as a “saturated purple tone.”
“The reason this color is booming right now (and why we predicted it) is because it has an energetic quality,” explains Sara Maggioni, head of womenswear at WGSN. “It’s fun, it’s daring [and] it has a familiarity that is not elusive like other vibrant shades.” Think of it as a progression from millennial pink, that dark shade of pink that dominated the internet — and pretty much every Pinterest feed in existence — for the better part of 2016. “This may have adapted the consumer’s eye to this level of color.” adds Maggioni.
It is part of the current shift towards so-called dopamine dressing, ie. the desire to reflect a happier, more optimistic mood through one’s clothing after closing. In many ways, Barbiecore is one of the many fashion trends subverting the neutral palettes we sported when we were all stuck at home for months on end.
But Barbiecore isn’t just about embracing a specific shade. It’s also about a particular mood, one about autonomy and confidence, and can be channeled through what WGSN calls a “stronger aesthetic.” “Think bodycon silhouettes, miniskirts, crop tops, statement platforms, and other fun, dopamine-boosting colors and prints,” says Maggioni. “Many of these items have been inflated for a while, largely driven by the consumer’s desire to want to dress up and go out and live life again.”
Given Barbie’s 1950s heritage, the rise of Barbiecore is also about fashion’s obsession with nostalgia — something that’s become especially relevant this year thanks to the resurgence of Y2K styles we’ve seen this season. “It’s a key factor for a demographic that lived through those times and is currently seeking solace in that familiarity,” says Maggioni, “but also among a new demographic that romanticizes the past.” Even if the past is like that, they haven’t experienced it themselves.
Barbie is like a female superhero who embodies the extremes of pink, girly femininity and a grown-up glamour.
That’s why so many of the Barbiecore looks we’ve seen worn by celebrities — think Bella Hadid and Zendaya — have incorporated elements of Y2K culture, whether it’s the “girl power” attitude of the famous Bratz dolls, or movies like Legally blonde AND Ignorant. In recent weeks, it has led some fashion critics to question what the rise of Barbiecore says about feminism.
Embracing Barbiecore touches on something deeper about women’s perceptions of their bodies and their sexuality, and how they are changing. “For young women, it’s about turning the male gaze on its head,” explains Maggioni. “Many of the people who have this trend see it as a way to reclaim the ‘bimbo aesthetic’ that was once synonymous with Barbie, and to challenge what that traditionally means by showing [that] intellect and sexy clothes can go hand in hand.”
It’s also worth noting that Barbie herself has undergone a feminist—and more inclusive—makeover in recent years. Far from the white-haired, blonde, and perfectly thin but big-breasted body type that dominated earlier incarnations of Barbie, today’s dolls come in a wide range of body shapes, hair colors, and ethnicities.
Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken in “Barbie”
(Warner Bros.)
In 2019, Mattel launched a line of “gender inclusive” dolls that included dolls with physical differences—one has a prosthetic limb and the other comes with a wheelchair. Meanwhile, the brand’s newly launched “inspiring women” series has demonstrated its commitment to honoring women from all walks of life, with dolls modeled after everyone from Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou to English primatologist Dr Jane Goodall.
“Traditionally, Barbie is like a female superhero who embodies the extremes of pink, girlish femininity and a grown-up glamour,” says Rebecca Arnold, senior lecturer in the history of clothing and textiles at the Courtauld Institute of Art. “But it’s also highly adaptable, and Mattel has constantly reimagined it since it was first created in 1959 to connect with contemporary ideals and attitudes.”
Apparently, Barbiecore is a lot more than meets the eye. Yes, it’s about celebrating a joyful color that is, in many ways, hyper-feminized. But it’s also about subverting societal expectations and reclaiming stereotypes of femininity. Just like feminists can wear makeup, they can also wear hot pink. And so does anyone else.
