With all the photos of neon-clad Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling going around, how could we not do a Barbie episode? We take a wild ride through Barbie's chequered history in an attempt to discover whether she's actually a feminist, or a role model for eating disorders, or simply a vessel for our wildest fantasies. Naturally, we also talk Bratz and MyScene, and the incomparable Barbie Cinematic Universe!

CW: disordered eating, body image

Required Reading:

http://www.barbiemedia.com/timeline.html

https://www.rd.com/list/barbie-doll-controversies/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6592527/

https://blog.frontiersin.org/2020/10/01/human-neuroscience-child-play-dolls-cognitive-social-benefits-children/

https://www.arc.unsw.edu.au/blitz/read/barbie-cinematic-universe

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14680777.2016.1178158?casa_token=uRNsra42zpAAAAAA%3A-nSUP5JOIqBUQUPEy2HuAK2yLSv0gqAlzKfcSjJL8qC0fxvBBkxiMkUTEo2nngl9dqw6Y1fXSd2xNA

Music Credit:

https://uppbeat.io/t/cruen/the-lowdown

License code: PPH9FBEMASHOI7PB

https://uppbeat.io/t/cruen/in-the-now

License code: 5WQG1LQRLH7QMYPC

NB: All opinions are our own and this podcast is for humorous and fun analytical discourse only!

This episode was recorded on 11/07/22