What do Barbie’s feet (and shoes) teach us on the changes of society and women?

What really tell us Barbie’s feet? From a doll that He has worn stiletto heels since his birth, in 1959perhaps we did not expect great changes in the footbone. And instead, a study Published in the scientific journal Plos One Surgeting surprising data.

We finally know how the Barbie of Margot Robbie is dressed
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Analyzing over 2,700 specimens of Barbie and his friends from Barbieland until June 2024, five researchers – Cylie Williams, Kristin Graham, Ian Griffiths, Suzanne Wakefield and Helen Banwell – have found that today, About 60% of the Barbies have a flat footbed, when instead in the sixties it was 100% to have arched feetas suspended, to fit the inevitable very high décolleté.

Behind the change, the authors explain, there is much more than a simple aesthetic question: there is a social, cultural and symbolic evolution that accompanies the physical one. Barbie, as a reflection of the society in which he lives (and sells), has changed not only the height of his shoes, but also the variety of his professions and the representation of diversity in its plastic universe. And he did it consistently: The more Barbie has emancipated professionally, the more he lowered the heels.

For the study, entitled Flat Out Fabulousthe researchers examined the corner of the foot (if flat or arched) of every Barbie, the profession represented, the degree of inclusiveness and the decade of production.

The results speak clearly. The presence of “dishes” feet has increased hand in hand with Barbie’s entry into increasingly concrete, technical, demanding work areas. A foot that rests well on the ground, after all, facilitates stability, movement, comfort.

In the 1960s Barbie could wear the shirt as a nurse, but his feet remained arched, modeled for heel shoes. Any profession carried out, her posture did not change: she was that of a woman always ready to parade, even when she impersonated roles such as the teacher, the flight attendant or, in fact, the nurse. His elegance was a constant, a distinctive sign that was part of the ideal of femininity of the time. The most famous plastic doll in the world seemed to be able to do everything, as long as it did it remaining beautiful, composed, impeccable. The arched foot became a symbol of a certain cultural rigidity: women could aspire to anything, but remaining in balance on shoes unsuitable for running and decisive step.

In addition to being a very strong correlation between flat footbed and work occupation, The ethnic and physical variety of the Barbie has also grown in the same years in which both crafts have increased that the frequency of flat feet. The more Barbie has become similar to reality (multicultural, dynamic, active) the more it has abandoned the postural rigidity imposed by high heels.

The study also was born as a response to a viral phenomenon: in the film Barbie of 2023, the protagonist played by Margot Robbie lives a real existential crisis when he discovers they have his feet resting on the ground. An ironic scene, of course, but also powerful, so much so as to give rise to the #barbiefeetchallenge, where thousands of users tried to replicate the iconic high heel position by removing their shoes. However, a social game that has rekindled the debate on the use of heels and their relationship with health.

Barbie Film

Barbie: today the most famous doll in the world would dress exactly that way
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Barbie becomes an interesting case, because, over time, it seems to have made increasingly rational choices in terms of shoes, adapting them to the type of activity carried out. Wear heels only when needed, for reasons related to apparently or fashion, but opts for low shoes when he works, moves, acts. So It is not the heel itself that is the problem, but its indiscriminate use and the narrative around it. As Barbie teaches us, «You can be anything». Even when you prefer to be comfortable.

Source: Vanity Fair

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