Oh, Barbie. It always seems to be two steps forward, one step back with you.
Don’t get me wrong; I still applaud all your recent victories. That new line of yours, showing you in a variety of body types and skin tones. That was great. And all the new careers you’ve been taking on — from veterinary medicine to game development to politics? Love it.
And now, you’re taking on the STEM world as “Engineering Barbie.” How awesome!
When I first heard the news, I was ready to love that move, too. But then I took a look at you, and something stood out to me: Your “machinery.” I expected you to be working on computers or robots or space ships. But instead, you seem to be restricted to household appliances only — like washing machines and superficial objects like jewelry holders. And I’ll be honest, the world is disappointed.
Listen, girlfriend. You are a powerful, timeless force in our girls’ lives. You were a mainstay throughout most of my childhood. There was no greater moment for me than the opening of the Barbie Dream Store that Christmas morning back in 1988. You’ve got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, and you’ve faced your fair share of criticism over the years. You seem committed in recent years to fighting negative gender stereotypes, and we appreciate that.
But you need to do better.
Developing STEM-related Barbies is a fantastic idea, as we need to push our girls to challenge themselves and believe they can succeed in largely male-dominated fields like math and science. So the decision last year for Mattel to team up with STEM toy maker Thames & Kosmos to make you was a smart one. And having you come with a “STEM Kit” for little girls to put together all of your machines was great.
The intent was good, but the delivery wasn’t.
You see, Engineering Barbie could have made anything. Any myriad of machinery and/or inventions would be acceptable — but you chose a washing machine. A WASHING MACHINE. Combined with the clothes and jewelry rack, we are all left shaking our heads. (The greenhouse is pretty cool, though — I’ll give you that one.)
And the thing is, we all know you can do better. We’ve seen it. Politician Barbie rocks. As does Pilot Barbie, Firefighter Barbie, and World Culture Barbies. Also, there’s nothing wrong in general with Barbie having a washing machine and racks to hang her clothes and jewelry. My daughter had a play washing machine and loved it. But don’t pair her up with domestic appliances that women and girls have been pigeon-holed and limited to for decades and call her “Engineering Barbie.” The stakes are too high for our girls on this issue, as only 13% of the engineering workforce is female.
The other criticism is that not only are Engineering Barbie’s machines stereotypical and superficial, but they are also all pink. Again, nothing against pink. I love pink, as does my daughter. But we also love blue, yellow, and green. And while it make sense that Barbie and her equipment are flashy and pretty to attract the attention and love of little girls everywhere, the problem is that over the past few decades, options for girls in the toy department have become increasingly limited. Take a walk down the “girl” aisle and count how many primary colors you see.
I’ll wait.
… See? That didn’t take long, because every single thing you’ll see is pink and glittery.
We thank you for your many career-oriented versions, and we sure hope you continue to foster the ideas of opportunity, intelligence, and courage for our girls — particularly in science and math fields. But maybe instead, Engineering Barbie can get busy building a robot that does the laundry for her. And maybe, just maybe, it can be blue with pink buttons this time.