By Design

For half a century, the Barbie doll has endured bad press. Her pointy-breasted, teeny-waisted body has even been linked to eating disorders in young women. But Barbie turns 50 next year, and this significant milestone raises the question, how has Barbie remained an international cultural icon for 50 years?

Masako Fukui investigated the legendary doll's life and times for By Design.

Guests

Dr. Lisa Brown
Consultant psychiatrist

Dr. Juliette Peers
Art, design and cultural historian and Lecturer at The Frances Burke Textile Research Centre, RMIT, Melbourne, Victoria

Further Information

ABC Doll Club, NSW.

Publications

Title: The Fashion Doll: From Bébé Jumeau to Barbie
Author: Juliette Peers
Publisher: Berg Publishers, Oxford, U.K., 2004

Title: Forever Barbie: The unauthorized biography of a real doll
Author: M.G. Lord,
Walker and Company, New York, USA, 2004

Producer

Masako Fukui

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