While perusing the internet, I re-discovered talk about Architect Barbie by Alexandra Lange for Dwell. As part of Mattel’s Barbie I Can Be series, Architect Barbie was added to the company’s list of other arguably atypical professions for women (computer engineer, martial artist, marine biologist, race car driver, etc) in 2011 after partnering with AIA San Francisco. Equipped with a model dream house, hard hat and drawing tube, Mattel boasts that Architect Barbie will empower girls to play out different roles and “try on” fabulous careers. But, this doll was about more than giving young children a new outlet for their imaginations during play time; for, Architect Barbie would serve as a social experiment to generate long term feminine interest in a field where 17% of professionals are women.
More about Architect Barbie after the break.
Of course, as soon as she was introduced, controversy struck. Some found the entire notion of the doll to be condescending, her drawing tube dated, and the shoes and outfit ridiculous. While we could argue about the surface level issues of Architect Barbie, like updating her outfit to all black (although, will we ever be successful at attempting to incorporate the tastes of all female designers into a single outfit?), or replacing that drawing tube with a laptop, we would be loosing sight of the larger issues and the real reason for the doll.
