Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll [Paperback]

M. G. Lord (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995

In this intelligently written, provocative, and entertaining book, a first-generation Barbie owner traces the doll's history, from her sordid beginnings (she was a model for a sleazy German doll sold as a gag gift for men) to her current incarnation. "Literary and witty."--Susan Faludi (Backlash) Media publicity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This history of a controversial and inanimate American icon offers a wide range of opinion and anecdote on the role Barbie has played in defining gender in American life.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

If you think Barbie is just a child's plaything, you'll think again after reading this fascinating, funny, and far-reaching biography of the pointy-breasted, slim-waisted, high-arched gal who changed the way we think about dolls and ourselves. Lord, who writes for Newsday, approaches the story like an investigative reporter. She unearths Barbie's low origins as Lili, a slutty doll sold to German men as a gag gift, and goes on to cover the Barbie story on numerous fronts: creative, commercial, and sociological. She interviews Barbie's designers, critics, collectors, even a woman who has undergone more than 50 cosmetic surgeries so she can look like a Barbie doll. Feminist thinkers including Camille Paglia, Betty Friedan, and Susan Faludi also weigh in with opinions. No doubt about it: Barbie is a gal who engenders intense feelings. As Lord puts it, "For every mother that embraces Barbie . . . there is another mother who tries to banish Barbie from the house." Cheerleaders, career women, bulimics, and mythmakers can all hang their hats--with justification--on Barbie's well-coiffed head. Lord, for example, makes a convincing case that Barbie is a pagan symbol, a queen surrounding herself with such drones as the penis-less Ken. We can buy that easily enough, but when Lord describes Barbie as "an incarnation of the One Goddess with a thousand names . . . an archetype of something ancient, matriarchal, and profound," she might be going just a wee bit over the top. For less high-minded readers, who just like Barbie as a doll, Lord lists almost every Barbie ever marketed, from Day-to-Night Barbie to Barbie Loves McDonalds to Gymnast Barbie, who's flexible body was capable of all sorts of workouts. The photographs are terrific, too, especially, the close-up of the original Barbie with her sly eyes and arched brows. Forever Barbie is better than most biographies of real people. What a doll! Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books (P) (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380720493
• ISBN-13: 978-0380720491
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,493,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I love it! Too bad its out of print, December 24, 2001

By 

Ltalisman "[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll (Paperback)

This is not a "pro-Barbie" book, or an "anti-Barbie" book. It is an exploration of all aspects of Barbie the author finds significant. Topics include:

The history of Barbie's creation, her marketing and engineering by Mattel.

The differences between male and female executives in handling of the Barbie line.

Ruth Handler, Barbie's creator, and other prominent women in Barbie's life such as Charlotte Johnson, who designed her clothes in the early years, Judy Shackelford, Mattel's first female vice president, and Jill Barad, the marketing director & later Mattel COO, who pioneered the "We Girls Can Do Anything" advertising campaign in 1984.

A history of Barbie and ethnic identity (unfortunately someone had clipped pages out of this chapter in the library copy I read, so I can't say too much about it.)

Explorations of symbolic, sexual, & psychological meanings of the doll.

I found this book fascinating. A very enjoyable read. While it explores both the positive and negative views women have had of Barbie, I especially enjoyed the positive, including Barbie's history as a single independent career woman, the powerful career women involved in her creation, manufacture, & marketing over the years, and the somewhat fanciful but enjoyable discussion of her as a mythical archetype of the feminine.

I like when this book ventures into realms of the bizarre, like the exploration of Barbie's image in the context of fetishism and pornography. I suppose some people might be disturbed or offended by this, however.

I was frustrated by the lack of a list of illustrations, since photographs appear throughout the text, & are often mentioned later in the book. It's hard to go back and find the picture she's talking about.

I was confused by the author `s seeming lack of awareness that people might read the book 6 or more years after its publication. For instance, she refers to women of the Barbie generation as "women under 40." I had to think to realize this included me, since I'm not under 40 now, but I was when the book was published in 1994. The confusion will increase as years go by.

This is too bad, since the book is a unique treatment of Barbie in cultural context, and should be read well into the future by students of popular culture as well as individuals who like to ponder such things. Unfortunately, it's out of print. This makes it unlikely that a 2nd edition will ever appear, which is also too bad, since I would love to know what the author has to say about innovations subsequent to its publication, such as Barbie's new more lifelike proportions, and the introduction of her belly-button.

Some people might find this book too intellectual, or possibly over their heads. Probably many people who like to ponder the meanings of popular culture are anti-Barbie, and might be turned off by the book's positive spin on the doll. Barbie enthusiasts might be put off by the negative spin, as well as the stranger explorations. I love the book, but I have to admit it's not for everybody. Maybe that's why it's out of print. But if you are open to both sides of the Barbie controversy, and like to wax philosophical and think about things, this book is definitely for you.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressively skewed., September 29, 2005

By 

Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll (Paperback)

On the one hand, this is an impressively researched book written with humor and intelligence. I'd love to see a new edition tracking some of the more recent developments in Barbie's empire. But some of Ms. Lord's arguments drift unpersuasively far into psycho-sexual realms. When she used an obscure 43 minute 1987 documentary as her three-page focus for the conflicting causes of eating disorders, she completely lost me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For every Barbie fan, April 12, 2011

By 

T. Johnson (PA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll (Paperback)

I finally read this book after buying it a few years back, and I couldn`t put it down-rare for a work of nonfiction. LOTS of good Barbie stuff here, including her influence on our art and culture, but what got me was the detailed and well-researched history of the doll. I`d never heard the full story of how Ruth Handler based her on the Lili doll, for instance. And toy fans and collectors will be fully absorbed by the history of Mattel, the growth of the African-American Shindana toy company, the origin stories of Ken, Midge, and Francie, Barbie`s evolution to a working doll in the 80`s...just so much. It`s an objective look at this famous icon, but one can sense a certain affection for Barbie on the author`s part. Also intriguing: a section on B. and eating disorders, and artists who utilize her in their work.