Think Pink With the Barbiecore Trend
Barbie is a cultural icon, reappropriating tropes of girliness to become a multifaceted symbol of womanhood.
She really is everything! A supermodel, an astronaut, a teacher, U.S. President, and more, Barbie has done it all. With a closet full of seven decades’ worth of fashion trends, how do we begin to define Barbie’s aesthetic? The upcoming release of Greta Gerwig’s much anticipated film, Barbie, has fueled a renewed appreciation for the beloved doll, showcasing her many talents– and outfits– and putting her at the forefront of discussions on femininity and fashion.
The color pink aside, Gen Z’s latest creation, Barbiecore, has distilled some of her most iconic elements down to a specific package. Barbiecore is femininity for femininity’s sake. It’s pink, it’s powerful, and it takes the often demonized stereotypes of girliness– think ditziness and superficiality– and frames them in a strong, positive light. Barbiecore comes alongside the online ascendance of the “intellectual bimbo”; Valentino’s obsession with electric pink; and the resurgence of the micro mini skirt.
And while today’s Barbiecore is a girly paradox, Barbie herself has undergone countless iterations since her debut in 1959. Sporting a strapless black-and-white striped swimsuit and a highly coiffed topknot ponytail, Barbara Millicent Roberts hit toy stores and quickly became an icon of American pop culture. Today, she ecompasses much more than the “teenage fashion model” of her origins. The Barbie of 2023 has transformed into an emblem of strong womanhood and individuality. In 2023, a Barbie girl is hyper-femme and independent. She loves makeup, fashion, and political theory. She’s everything. And well… he’s just Ken.
