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Queen Camilla's hilarious reaction to becoming a Royal Barbie Girl

In a moment that could only happen in the whimsical world of royalty, Queen Camilla found herself face-to-face with an unexpected miniature version of herself during a reception at Buckingham Palace. But this wasn't just any Barbie doll; it was a bespoke creation, meticulously crafted in Her Majesty's likeness, complete with her signature style and regal flair! The Queen's reaction was nothing short of priceless, as she quipped that the designers had managed to shave off a good few decades from her appearance. "You've taken about 50 years off my life," she joked, "we should all have a Barbie." One can only imagine the possibilities if all it took to turn back the clock was a custom-made doll! However, the hilarity didn't end there. Despite the uncanny resemblance between Queen Camilla and her plastic counterpart, there was a slight wardrobe mishap that caught Her Majesty's discerning eye. It seems she had inadvertently misplaced her WOW badge, wearing it on her dress instead of her cape, unlike her miniature twin. Oh, the horror of a mismatched ensemble in the halls of Buckingham Palace! One can only imagine the flurry of royal assistants scrambling to rectify the situation, lest the fashion police be summoned. But among the giggles and guffaws, Queen Camilla seized the opportunity to reflect on a more profound message, delving into the history of women's rights and the symbolism of two stones preserved from a 1914 suffragette protest. As she eloquently put it, "These stones were picked up and handed to Queen Mary, who decided to keep them for posterity. I thought today we might, to quote Shakespeare, find 'sermons in stones'." Indeed, the juxtaposition of a miniature Barbie and historical artefacts provided a reminder of the progress made in the fight for gender equality, while also serving as a testament to the timeless spirit of hope and resilience embodied by women throughout history. In the end, Queen Camilla's encounter with her Barbie alter ego may have been a lighthearted affair, but it also served as a reminder that even in the most regal of settings, laughter and humility are never far from reach. After all, who says queens can't have a little fun with their plastic doppelgängers? Images: Getty / YouTube

Beauty & Style

"They lost it": Margot Robbie's surprise encounter with Barbie fans

Margot Robbie has recalled a sweet story about when she overheard a group of men talking about the Barbie movie, before giving them the surprise of their life. At a screening of the Barbie movie in Los Angeles, the Aussie actress told the audience of the heartwarming moment she encountered in Scotland, shortly after the film's release last July. At the SAG-AFTRA screening of the blockbuster movie, Robbie began, “I had this brilliant experience.” “I was in a pub in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and I listened for about 30 minutes to a group of guys on a bachelor party discussing the Barbie movie, not knowing that I was sitting two or three feet away from them.” Robbie continued, “It was just truly fascinating. There were people at the table who refused to see the Barbie movie." “One guy was like, ‘Dude, it is a cultural moment, don’t you want to be a part of culture?’ And the other guy was like, ‘I’ll never see it,’ and by the end he did want to see it. It was a whole thing." “I wasn’t going to go up to them, but then I did.” Before leaving the pub, Robbie casually waltzed up to the group of men who “lost it” when they discovered Barbie herself had overheard their conversation. “At the last minute as I was walking out I went to their table and I went ‘Thank you for seeing the Barbie movie’,” she added. “It was very funny, they lost it. It took a full minute for them to realise and I was practically out the door and they went ‘Ohhhh’. “People’s reactions to the movie have been the biggest reward of this entire experience.” The heartwarming story comes fresh on the heels of Margot being <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/margot-robbie-snubbed-as-oscar-nominations-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snubbed</a> for a Best Actress nomination at this year's Oscars for the Barbie movie, which caused an uproar on social media. Margot addressed the snub at the LA screening, saying there's “no way to feel sad when you’re this blessed.” “Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director,” she added. “What she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing. What she pulled off, it really is." “We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact. And it’s already done that and some, way more than we ever dreamt it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this.” Image credits: Getty Images

Movies

Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> In the Barbie movie, we open with a picture of a perfect Barbieland where (almost) everyone is happy, diversity and sisterhood are embraced, and Barbies hold all positions of power. The Kens however, reflecting the popularity of the dolls in the real world, play a mainly decorative role. Spoilers for Barbie follow. In the film, we see a disgruntled Ken (played hilariously by Ryan Gosling) follow “Stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) to the real world where she has to find her human owner. This is all to fix an error that is allowing the real world to seep into Barbie land, with symptoms such as Barbie having an existential crisis. In the real world, Ken discovers the concept of the patriarchy. This sees him take a journey that is clearly influenced by, and pokes fun at, many aspects of contemporary anti-feminist men’s rights culture. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBk4NYhWNMM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Barbieland and the matriarchy</h2> It has been proposed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-greta-gerwigs-barbie-land-the-matriarchy-can-be-just-as-bad-as-the-patriarchy-209317">Barbieland is a matriarchy</a>, but I would argue that their attitude to Kens is instead indifference. Ken was aggrieved that Barbie didn’t notice him and reciprocate his affections. This is not dissimilar to the grievances of some real-life men under contemporary feminism. Why don’t women’s lives revolve around them? And what can they do to address this perceived injustice? The movie cleverly parallels the emotions, narratives and logics that lead men to extreme antifeminist and misogynistic thinking, and in doing so exposes the flimsiness of their foundations. Having undertaken <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">research</a> on online antifeminist discourses, Ken’s journey from aggrievement to masculine “enlightenment” parallels themes we found in Men’s Rights Activist spaces. Radicalisation into this world is often motivated by a feeling among boys and men of being left behind by a feminist world or system that doesn’t value them. This then leads them to long for an imagined natural order of patriarchy where women are back in their place and men regain their entitlements. These logics underpin <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-the-incel-community-has-a-sexism-problem-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-207206">incel</a> culture, a movement that is increasingly understood as a terror threat, and has been associated with various acts of terror, such as the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/closest-to-an-incel-attack-nz-has-had-experts-concern-after-attempted-murder-of-auckland-schoolgirls/HYPEVZ6F4BFT3CV2O4SXS5FR7U/">Epsom crash case</a>. <h2>The manosphere and MRAS</h2> The “<a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68360-7_2">manosphere</a>” can be understood as a loose coalition of antifeminist online subcultures. This includes MRAs (<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X15574338">Men’s Rights Activists</a>) who claim reverse discrimination and that feminism has gone too far, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X18816118">Redpillers</a> who claim to have swallowed the “red pill” to see the truth about feminism’s dominance. PUAs (<a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/d8971ded-1ec3-4939-8c0a-ab248dad62ba">Pick up Artists</a>) teach men how to manipulate the women they feel they are entitled to, to give them sex; and MGTOWs (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751867">Men Going Their Own Way</a>), who are antifeminist separatists (from women). Some of the most well known members of the manosphere are incels (involuntary celibates) a misogynistic community of self identified “beta-males” who want an end to women’s rights which prevent them from getting sex. <h2>Ken’s grievances</h2> Like many MRAs, Ken struggles with a sense of entitlement romantically (rather than sexually in genital-free Barbieland), and in attitudes to power and respect. Ken was being “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend%20zone">friend-zoned</a>” by Barbie, who despite being “boyfriend and girlfriend” wouldn’t let him stay over at the Dream House, because “every night is girl’s night”. This is coupled with a feeling of not being special, as Ken is essentially interchangeable with any other Ken. He is also “alpha’d” by other Kens: in the language of the manosphere, Barbie is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-27/incels-inside-their-terrifying-online-world/9700932">“Stacy” and the other Ken is an alpha “Chad”</a> preventing him from getting what he wants. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our data</a> we found women are often described as “overlords”, man-haters, misandrists and “feminazis”. Among other concerns, men perceive economic loss due to women’s participation in the workplace, and crucially a lack of men’s sexual access to women brought about by the gains of feminism such as the awareness raised around consent by the #metoo movement. These men all share a starting point of grievance at women and their perceived indifference towards them. When Ken goes to the real world, he discovers patriarchy and he LOVES it. He has been “redpilled”. Patriarchy explains his aggrievement, and affirms his feelings. He takes patriarchy back to Barbieland and transforms it to Kendom, where the men change it to a society oriented around men and their power (and horses…). <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1IgAEejvqM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Redpilled ken</h2> This redpilled Ken is a hilarious parody of the “neomasculinity” of the pick up artist (PUA) movement, that seeks to restore a masculine-centred world. Neomasculinity is about a belief in biological difference, traditional masculinity and heteronormative gender roles. The amusing depiction of the Kens trying to perform traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hypermasculinity">hypermasculinity</a> and needing their egos stroked – such as in a hilarious scene where the Kens are serenading the Barbies on the beach with an acoustic rendition of Matchbox Twenty’s <a href="https://youtu.be/HAkHqYlqops">Push</a> (“I wanna push you around … I wanna take you for granted”) – brilliantly shows the extent to which toxic masculinity is learned. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HAkHqYlqops?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Additionally, the competition among the Kens (that the Barbies ultimately stoke to overturn the Kentriarchy) is the perfect illustration of the damage toxic models of masculinity does to men. As Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell has long argued, almost no men can live up to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27640853">masculine ideals</a>, resulting in negative outcomes not just for women but also for men themselves. <h2>Finding the real Ken</h2> The movie ends with Barbie, her human (America Ferrera), “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon) and Allan (Michael Cera) deprogramming the brainwashed Barbies and turning the Kens against each other. But what of Just Beach Ken? And what can we learn from this for preventing or managing radicalisation of this feeling of aggrievement in real men or boys? Well, Barbie and Ken reach a middle ground. Barbie encourages Ken to work out who he is outside of his relation to Barbie, and to learn being Just Ken is enough. This isn’t dissimilar to the methods of men’s behaviour change programs and counselling for men who use violence, which use <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926771.2023.2189043">trauma-informed motivational interviewing</a>, reflect on challenging gender norms and breaking down rigid thought processes, and developing emotional literacy and communication strategies. But it also illustrates that men and boys need alternative narratives to make sense of themselves in the world, and alternative communities for affirmation, before it gets to this stage. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our report</a>, we recommended: "Providing alternative narratives and considering how far-right [or MRA] groups provide men with emotional support networks, with a view to providing better alternatives." Feminism has consistently been about separating attributes from their gendered associations, breaking down the Barbie/Ken binary. So if there is one thing we can take away from the Barbie movie, it is that hierarchy and rigid gender benefits nobody, and power and social roles have nothing to do with the genitals you are born with.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210273/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, Associate professor Sexualities and Genders / Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Image credits: Warner Bros. This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kens-rights-our-research-shows-barbie-is-surprisingly-accurate-on-how-mens-rights-activists-are-radicalised-210273">original article</a>.

Caring

Margot Robbie's enormous Barbie salary revealed

Margot Robbie is set to take home her biggest pay cheque yet for her portrayal in the Barbie movie, as the highly-anticipated film hits the $1 billion mark at the global box office. Robbie, who started her acting career on Neighbours, both starred in and produced the Barbie film, which was directed by Greta Gerwig. According to reports from <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/barbie-pay-margot-robbie-salary-box-office-bonuses-1235695563/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a>, the 32-year-old Aussie actress made an upfront fee of $19 million to portray the Mattel doll, but that figure will make a significant jump after the lucrative sales, bringing Margot's salary to $77 million. Barbie, which was made on a budget of approximately $220 million, hit the coveted $US1 billion mark at the global box office earlier this month, just two weeks after it hit cinemas. Robbie was instrumental in the making of the Barbie film, as her production company, LuckyChap, purchased the rights from Mattel in 2018. She then pitched the film to Warner Bros. and managed to convince Gerwig to both write and direct the blockbuster movie, with Gerwig's partner Noah Baumbach jumping in to help write the screenplay. Speaking of her commitment to making Barbie happen, Robbie recently said she was “overselling” the project in early meetings with executives to get the project off the ground. “I think my pitch in the green-light meeting was the studios have prospered so much when they’re brave enough to pair a big idea with a visionary director,” Robbie said in an interview with <a title="collider.com" href="https://collider.com/barbie-margot-robbie-interview-ryan-gosling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Collider </a>in July. She added, “And then I gave a series of examples like, ‘dinosaurs and [Steven] Spielberg’ – pretty much naming anything that’s been incredible and made a ton of money for the studios over the years. “And I was like, ‘And now you’ve got Barbie and Greta Gerwig.’ And I think I told them that it’d make a billion dollars, which maybe I was overselling, but we had a movie to make, OK?” Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Beyond Barbie and Oppenheimer, how do cinemas make money? And do we pay too much for movie tickets?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-martin-682709">Peter Martin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> I’ve got two questions about blockbuster movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer. <ol> <li> Why aren’t the cinemas charging more for them, given they’re so popular? </li> <li> Why are they the same price, given Oppenheimer is an hour longer? </li> </ol> The opening weekend <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/how-australian-cinemas-and-audiences-handled-the-barbenheimer-juggernaut-20230724-p5dqso.html">for both films</a> saw an avalanche of Australians returning to the cinema. Extra staff had to be put on (although probably not enough) to manage queues, turn away pink-clad fans who couldn’t get in, and clean up mountains of popcorn trampled underfoot. An obvious solution to such a rush of demand is to push up prices. Airlines do it when they are getting low on seats. When more people want to get a ride share, Uber makes them pay with “<a href="https://www.uber.com/au/en/drive/driver-app/how-surge-works/">surge pricing</a>”. Even books are sold at different prices, depending on the demand, their length, their quality and how long they’ve been on the shelves. But not movie tickets, which are nearly always the same price, no matter the movie. Why? And how much has the cost of a trip to the movies risen over the past 20 years? <h2>Why not charge more for blockbusters?</h2> In suburban Melbourne, Hoyts is charging $24.50 for the two-hour Barbie – the same as it is charging for the three-hour Oppenheimer, even though it could fit in far fewer showings of Oppenheimer in a day. It’s also the same price as it is charging for much less popular movies, such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It’s also how things are in the United States, where James Surowiecki, author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/175380/the-wisdom-of-crowds-by-james-surowiecki/">The Wisdom of Crowds</a> blames convention and says "it costs you as much to see a total dog that’s limping its way through its last week of release as it does to see a hugely popular film on opening night." Australian economists Nicolas de Roos of The University of Sydney and Jordi McKenzie of Macquarie University quote Surowiecki in their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167718714000174">2014 study</a> of whether cinema operators could make more by cutting the price of older and less popular films and raising the price of blockbusters. By examining what happened to demand on <a href="https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/Promotions/HalfPriceTuesdays#cinemas=59">cheap Tuesdays</a>, and developing a model taking into account advertising, reviews and the weather, they discovered Australian cinemas could make a lot more by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167718714000174">varying their prices</a> by the movie shown. We turn out to be highly price sensitive. So why don’t cinemas do that? <h2>‘There’s a queue, it must be good’</h2> It’s the sort of thing that puzzled <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1992/becker/biographical/">Gary Becker</a>, an economic detective of sorts who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in the early 1990s. A few years earlier, he turned his attention to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2937660">restaurants</a> and why one particular seafood restaurant in Palo Alto, California, had long queues every night but didn’t raise its prices. Across the road was a restaurant that charged slightly more, sold food that was about as good, and was mostly empty. His conclusion, which he used a lot of maths to illustrate, was there are some goods for which a consumer’s demand depends on the demand of other consumers. Queues for restaurants (or in 2023, long queues and sold out sessions, as crowds were turned away from Barbie) are all signals other consumers want to get in. This would make queues especially valuable to the providers of such goods, even if the queues meant they didn’t get as much as they could from the customers who got in. The “buzz” such queues create produces a supply of future customers persuaded that what was on offer must be worth trying. Importantly, Becker’s maths showed that getting things right was fragile. It was much easier for a restaurant to go from being “in” to “out” than the other way around. Once a queue had created a buzz, it was wise not to mess with it. <h2>Cashing in from the snack bar</h2> There are other reasons for cinemas to charge a standard ticket price, rather than vary it movie by movie. One is that it is hard to tell ahead of time which movies are going to soar and which are going to bomb, even if you spend a fortune on advertising as the <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/barbie-marketing-campaign-explained-warner-bros-1235677922/">makers of Barbie did</a>. In the words of an insider, “<a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/opinion/william-goldman-dies-appreciation-1203030781/">nobody knows anything</a>.” Another is the way cinemas make their money. They have to pay the distributor a share of what they get from ticket sales (typically <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167718714000174">35-40%</a>). But they don’t have to pay a share of what they make from high-margin snacks. This means it can make sense for some cinemas to charge less than what the market will bear – because they’ll sell more snacks – even if it means less money for the distributor. <h2>Rising prices, despite some falling costs</h2> But cinemas still charge a lot. From 2002 to 2022, Australian cinemas jacked up their average (not their highest) prices <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/industry-trends/box-office/ticket-prices">from $9.13 to $16.26</a> – an increase of 78%. In the same 20 year period, overall prices in Australia, as measured by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-the-cpi-and-what-does-it-actually-measure-165162">consumer price index</a>, climbed 65% – less than the rise in movie ticket prices. <hr /> <iframe id="E2kxi" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/E2kxi/5/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> A 2015 study found Australian cinemas charge more <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306227560_Counting_the_cost_the_impact_of_cinema_ticket_prices_in_Australia">than cinemas in the US</a>. Yet some of the cinemas’ costs have gone down. They used to have to employ projectionists to lace up and change reels of film. Digital delivery means much less handling. A now-dated <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/publications/developments-in-the-cinema-distribution-exhibition-industry">1990s report</a> to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found the two majors, Hoyts and Greater Union/Village, charged near identical prices except where they were faced with competition from a nearby independent, in which case they discounted. Whether “<a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/The%20Cinema%20Industry.pdf">by design or circumstance</a>”, the two cinema chains rarely competed with each other, clustering their multiplexes in different geographical locations. <h2>Longer films no longer displace shorter films</h2> I think it might be the multiplex that answers my second question: why cinemas don’t charge more for movies that are longer (and movies are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/bigger-than-ben-hur-why-movies-are-getting-longer-and-longer-20220322-p5a6ty.html">getting longer</a>). In the days of single screens, a cinema that showed a long movie might only fit in (say) four showings a day instead of six. So it would lose out unless it charged more. But these days, multiplexes show many, many films on many screens, some of them simultaneously, meaning long films needn’t displace short films. Although we have <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/industry-trends/screens-and-theatres">fewer cinema seats</a> than we had a decade ago (and at least until the advent of Barbie, we’ve been <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/industry-trends/screens-and-theatres">going less often</a>) we now have <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/industry-trends/screens-and-theatres">far more screens</a>. Long movies no longer stop the multiplexes from playing standard ones. And because cinemas like to keep things simple, you pay the same price, no matter which movie you chose. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211121/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-martin-682709">Peter Martin</a>, Visiting Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-barbie-and-oppenheimer-how-do-cinemas-make-money-and-do-we-pay-too-much-for-movie-tickets-211121">original article</a>.

Movies

Done with Barbie? How to reuse or recycle old dolls

Bright pink clothing has been a hot item at a number of Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) op shops as movie-goers doll up to see Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. <div class="copy"> Kelly McMurray, an area store manager for BSL, says “a lot of 18 – 35 year old women have been coming in to get outfits for premier parties. “It’s been really fun helping people to find their outfits!” The movie has set off a global Barbiecore mania, pinkifying everything and <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/barbie-movies-potential-500-million-haul-could-have-huge-implications-for-mattel-123756476.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">driving demand</a> for more plastic dolls and toy company merchandise. Even before the movie, the global population of Barbies was growing by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/barbie-science/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">around 100 new dolls every minute</a>. Which begs the question: what to do with all those dolls once the gloss of the movie ultimately wears off? For toys still in good condition, reusing them by donating to friends or op shops is an obvious first choice. “Our stores do receive a lot of toys every year,” McMurray says. “The peak of our toy donations would be in the New Year and the second week of every school holidays – when people have either been gifted new toys (after Christmas) and when they have had time to do a clean out – hence the second week of school holidays.” For those seeking a more sustainable supply of Barbie dolls, accessories or merchandise, McMurray suggests visiting one of the bigger BSL stores, as those tend to receive the bulk of toy donations. In Melbourne, the Deer Park op shop has two large sections dedicated to kids toys and clothes, while the Belmont store has been receiving – and selling – a lot of Barbie DVDs. When donating Barbies, or any kind of doll or toy, McMurray says people need to really consider if the toy is in a suitable condition, and isn’t missing any body parts. “A little wear and tear is ok. But if people have any doubts about it – best not to include it in their donations.” For those ‘weird Barbies’ past the point of no return, recycling is the next best option. Research by retailer Flora & Fauna suggests Australians send <a href="https://giftguideonline.com.au/flora-fauna-launches-upcycled-toys-christmas-initiative/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">26.8 million toys</a> to landfill every year. Plastic toys are considered harder to recycle than many regular household items, and can not be put in kerbside recycling bins. <iframe title="Think Pink: The Science of Barbie" src="https://omny.fm/shows/huh-science-explained/think-pink-the-science-of-barbie/embed?in_playlist=podcast&style=Cover" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"></iframe> Global recycling company TerraCycle offers a toy recycling program for worn out and broken toys in partnership with department store Big W. It’s called ‘Toys for Joy’. Marina Antoniozzi, TerraCycle’s head of operations, says the initiative saw over 18 tonnes of old toys collected in the first year of trial operations in 2021. The program has now collected well over 160 tonnes of toys, she says. “The majority of toys are not kerbside recyclable due to the complex nature of their composition. Toys are frequently made up of several materials including different types of plastics and metals, which means they need to be manually sorted and separated,” Antoniozzi says. The recycling company partners with toy brands and retailers because the cost to collect and process the material is usually more than the value of raw material produced through the recycling process. In Barbie’s case, the doll is made up of a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/culture/plastic-artefact-what-is-barbie-even-made-of/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complex mix of different types of plastics</a>. According to a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/20/4287" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study by Italian researchers</a> early dolls made between 1959 and 1976 comprised a complex mix of different <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/explainer-what-is-a-polymer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polymers</a>: polyvinyl chloride faces and legs; hair from polyvinylidene dichloride; and torsos made from low-density polyethylene. More <a href="http://www.designlife-cycle.com/barbie-dolls" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modern dolls</a> have arms of ethylene-vinyl acetate (also used in thongs, and frozen food packaging), torsos of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (also found in Lego), legs from polypropylene, and heads made of hard vinyl (like the kind used in vinyl records). Once collected, the toys sent to TerraCycle for recycling are checked in at TerraCycle’s Materials Recovery Facility where they are manually sorted, separated into individual material streams and prepared for processing. Antoniozzi says that in Australia, TerraCycle processes Barbie dolls and accessories along with other hard plastic toys. These are sent to recycling facilities to be shredded and cleaned. Residual metals are removed using magnets in a process called eddy current separation. The plastics are then sorted into different types using technologies like near infrared, a spectroscopy technique used for analysing and differentiating between polymers. Afterwards, the separated, shredded plastics go through a melting and extrusion process producing recycled plastic pellets, used by manufacturers to make a variety of products. So, when Barbie goes to the recycling plant, she will ultimately be sorted, shredded, melted and turned into plastic pellets. Antoniozzi says donating toys is a good first option. “But if your Barbie is genuinely beyond repair, then you can take her, Ken, Sandy, as well as all her horses, buses, apartments and accessories along to your local BIG W store and give her a second life through the Toys for Joy recycling program,” she says. “Who knows… she may come back to you as a flower pot.” Image credits: Shutterstock  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=258208&title=Done+with+Barbie%3F+How+to+reuse+or+recycle+old+dolls" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/done-with-barbie-how-to-reuse-or-recycle-old-dolls/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/petra-stock/">Petra Stock</a>. </div>

Home & Garden

Surprising facts about Barbie (she’s kept quiet all this time)

1. Her fame is global, but she’s a small town girl. According to brand lore, Barbara “Barbie” Millicent Roberts was officially born on March 9, 1959, in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. 2. She’s just one of seven kids. Over the years, her siblings for sale have included: Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, Krissy, Tutti and Todd. 3. Barbie digs younger men. Her longtime BF Ken is two years younger than Barbie, debuting in toy stores in 1961. 4. She has had more than 150 careers, including paleontologist, Canadian Mountie, McDonald’s cashier, Desert Storm medic, business executive, secretary, Catwoman, and, regrettably, rapper. 5. She’s been to space three times. Astronaut Barbie debuted in space in 1965 (four years before the moon landing), then returned in 1986 and 1994. 6. Her house is a zoo. Barbie has owned more than 40 pets, including 21 dogs, 14 horses, three ponies, six cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe, and a zebra. 7. She’s got friends in the fashion industry. Gucci, Versace, Vera Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, and Givenchy have all contributed designs to Barbie’s wardrobe. 8. Her wardrobe is house-sized. Barbie has had more than one billion outfits (with shoes to match) designed for her. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/entertainment/8-Things-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-Barbie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Beauty & Style

Sports presenter slammed over "Barbie" comments

The BBC has issued a statement after a cringeworthy interview with a sports presenter went viral. Chris Hughes, a former Love Island contestant, was chatting to Aussie cricketer Maitlan Brown during Southern Brave's match in The Hundred. As the interview began, Hughes referred to Brown as a "batsman", with the rest of the interview only going downhill from there. Hughes then asked how Brown had been settling in and bonding with her teammates. "We watched Barbie the other night all together and it was really good team bonding and the group is gelling really well together," Brown replied. Hughes then quipped back, "You're a little Barbie yourself, aren't you, with your blue eyes." As Brown laughed awkwardly, Hughes added, "She's blushing now." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The absolute state of this <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BBCSport</a> "Batsman" "You're a bit of a Barbie yourself" So much great young journalistic cricket talent in the UK, and you hire that clown <a href="https://twitter.com/chrishughes_22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chrishughes_22</a>, because demographics, innit <a href="https://t.co/f7FwAtQjR9">pic.twitter.com/f7FwAtQjR9</a> — Always Look On The Bright Cider Life 🍎🏏🍎🏏🍎 (@somersetpodcast) <a href="https://twitter.com/somersetpodcast/status/1686411647903006720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2023</a></blockquote> Since the interview, Hughes has copped criticism on social media with the BCC stating they have addressed the issue with him. "We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate," a BBC spokesperson said. Hughes has been the subject of an online slating since the interview, with many criticising his comments and wondering how he even landed the gig in the first place. One person wrote on Twitter, "This is what happens when you get a Love Islander to present cricket... Oh dear." "Whether Chris Hughes made the Barbie remark yesterday with the intention to belittle or embarrass Maitlan Brown or not is irrelevant. As is whether Brown in fact took offense to it. The effect and imagery was the same," another commented. Image credits: BBC

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-gurrieri-5402">Lauren Gurrieri</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> After a months-long marketing blitz, the much-hyped Barbie movie is released this week. From a <a href="https://news.airbnb.com/barbies-malibu-dreamhouse-is-back-on-airbnb-but-this-time-kens-hosting/">Malibu Barbie dreamhouse</a> listed on AirBnB, an AI tool that <a href="https://www.barbieselfie.ai/au/">transforms selfies into Barbie movie posters</a> and multiple Barbie-themed brand collaborations ranging from nail polish to roller skates, Barbie is everywhere. She has even gone viral as a fashion trend known as <a href="https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/barbiecore-27286">Barbiecore</a>, exploding across social media with people embracing vibrant pink hues and hyper feminine aesthetics. A Barbie world is upon us. Although some have criticised this <a href="https://twitter.com/MosheIsaacian/status/1673415496929267712">saturation</a> strategy, it is a very deliberate marketing ploy to revitalise and redefine a brand with a contested position and history. As well as attracting adults who grew up with Barbie and are curious to see what’s changed, the reinvention is drawing in those younger fans swept up by the tsunami of marketing and merchandise. Despite being one of the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/brandspark-most-trusted-brands-america-2022">most trusted brands</a> with a value of approximately <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009126/barbie-brand-value-worldwide/">$US700 million</a>, Barbie has long attracted feminist criticism for fuelling outdated and problematic “plastic fantastic” sexist stereotypes and expectations. <h2>The Barbie backlash</h2> Only a few years back, Barbie was a brand in crisis. <a href="https://time.com/3667580/mattel-barbie-earnings-plus-size-body-image/">Sales plummeted</a> across 2011 to 2015 against the cultural backdrop of a rise in body positivity and backlash against a doll that represented narrow ideals and an impossible beauty standard. After all, at life-size Barbie represents a body shape held by <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01544300#page-1">less than 1 in 100,000</a> real people. In fact, she is so <a href="https://rehabs.com/explore/dying-to-be-barbie/#.UWs-5aKyB8F">anatomically impossible</a> that, if she were real, she would be unable to lift her head, store a full liver or intestines, or <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/305/6868/1575">menstruate</a>. The backlash has also been in response to growing concerns about how she influences child development, particularly how and what children learn about gender. Barbie has been identified as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144521000243#!">risk factor</a> for thin-ideal internalisation and body dissatisfaction for young girls, encouraging <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S174014451630208X">motivation for a thinner shape</a> that damages body image and self esteem. And despite the multiple careers Barbie has held over the decades, research highlights that girls who play with Barbie believe they have <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-014-0347-y">fewer career options than boys</a>. This speaks to the power of toys to reinforce gender stereotypes, roles and expectations, and how Barbie has imported narrow ideals of femininity, girlhood and womanhood into young girls’ lives. <h2>Reinventing a long-established icon</h2> In response to this backlash, Mattel launched a new range of Barbies in 2016 that were promoted as <a href="https://shop.mattel.com/collections/fashion-dolls#filter.ss_filter_tags_subtype=Fashionistas">diverse</a>, representing different body shapes, sizes, hair types and skin tones. This was not without criticism, with “curvy” Barbie still considered thin and dolls named in ways that drew attention foremost to their bodies. From a white, well-dressed, middle-class, girl-next-door with friends of a similar ilk, Barbie has since been marketed as a symbol of diversity and inclusion. To signify the extent of the transformation, Mattel’s executives gave this project the code name “Project Dawn”. Mattel - like many other brands joining the <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-secret-joins-the-inclusive-revolution-finally-realizing-diversity-sells-163955">“inclusivity revolution”</a> - knew that diversity sells, and they needed to make their brand relevant for contemporary consumers. Diversity initiatives included a line of <a href="https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models">female role model dolls</a>, promoted as “introducing girls to remarkable women’s stories to show them you can be anything”. Barbie was also given a voice in the form of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BsRl9zFaeSKIL4XD-pdGHGbJRvkfe8S">Barbie Vlogs</a>, where she expressed her views on issues including depression and the <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/barbies-vlog-about-the-sorry-reflex-is-the-feminist-pep-talk-all-90s-babies-need-to-hear-9852366">sorry reflex</a>. A gender neutral collection called “creatable world” was added in 2019 to open up gender expression possibilities when playing with Barbies. Such efforts were crucial to undoing missteps of the past, such as a “Teen Talk Barbie” that was programmed to say “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSL2-rbE9AM">Math class is tough!</a>”, or the compulsory heterosexuality that Barbie has long advanced. <h2>The latest step in Barbie’s transformation</h2> Barbie the film is simply the next step in an evolution to make brand Barbie inclusive. And with a rumoured film budget of $100 million, the supporting marketing machine provides a critical opportunity to reset the Barbie narrative. With Greta Gerwig, acclaimed director of female-led stories such as Little Women and Lady Bird at the helm, and a diverse cast of Barbies of different races, body types, gender identities and sexual preferences, the film and its creators have sought to assure audiences of the film’s feminist leanings. Addressing the complicated history of Barbie is crucial for audiences who grew up and played with the doll and are grappling with introducing her to the next generation of doll consumers. Yet, Robbie Brenner, executive producer of Mattel Films, has explicitly stated that Gerwig’s Barbie is “not a feminist movie”. Indeed, the main character still represents a narrow beauty standard - tall, thin, blonde, white - with diverse characters in place to support her narrative. Which begs the question: are these inclusion initiatives simply emblematic of diversity washing, where the language and symbolism of social justice are hijacked for corporate profit? Or do they represent a genuine effort to redress the chequered history of a brand that promotes poor body image, unrealistic ideals and rampant materialism? What is clear is that in today’s climate where brands are increasingly rewarded for taking a stand on sociopolitical issues, brand Barbie’s attempts to reposition as inclusive have paid off: sales are now booming. Seemingly, Barbie’s famous tagline that “anything is possible” has shown itself to be true.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209394/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-gurrieri-5402">Lauren Gurrieri</a>, Associate Professor in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-barbie-movie-a-bold-step-to-reinvent-and-fix-past-wrongs-or-a-clever-ploy-to-tap-a-new-market-209394">original article</a>.

Movies

In a Barbie world … after the movie frenzy fades, how do we avoid tonnes of Barbie dolls going to landfill?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-pears-52">Alan Pears</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> It made headlines around the world when the much-hyped Barbie movie contributed to a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jun/05/barbie-film-required-so-much-pink-paint-it-contributed-to-worldwide-shortage">world shortage</a> of fluorescent pink paint. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. When movies or TV shows become cultural phenomena, toymakers jump on board. And that comes with a surprisingly large amount of plastic waste. Think of the fad for <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51554386">Baby Yoda dolls</a> after the first season of The Mandalorian in 2020. When the Barbie movie comes out this week, it’s bound to trigger a wave of doll purchases over and above the <a href="https://environment-review.yale.edu/most-materials-are-recyclable-so-why-cant-childrens-toys-be-sustainable">60 million Barbies</a> already sold annually. Toys are the most plastic-intensive consumer goods in the world, <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25302/Valuing_Plastic_ES.pdf">according to</a> a 2014 United Nations Environment Program report. Worse, very few toys are recycled. That’s often because they can’t be – they’re made of a complex mixture of plastics, metals and electronics. When children get bored, these toys often end up in landfill. <h2>The toll of the dolls</h2> Consider a single Barbie doll. What did it cost to create? Before the US-China trade war, <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/China-s-toy-making-capital-scrambles-to-reinvent-itself">half the world’s toys</a> were manufactured in Dongguan, a city in China. That included one in three Barbie dolls. American researchers <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352550922000550">last year quantified</a> what each doll costs the climate. Every 182 gram doll caused about 660 grams of carbon emissions, including plastic production, manufacture and transport. The researchers analysed seven other types of toys, including Lego sets and Jenga. By my calculations, emissions on average across all these types of toys are about 4.5 kilograms per kilogram of toys. Scaled up, this is considerable. In the US, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/21/plastics-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-crisis">it’s estimated</a> emissions from the plastics industry will overtake those from coal within seven years. So the question is, how can we cut our emissions to zero as fast as possible to ensure we and our children have a liveable climate – without putting a blanket ban on plastic toys? After all, toys and entertainment add happiness to our lives. <h2>The role for toymakers and governments</h2> To date, there has been little focus on making the toy industry more sustainable. But it shouldn’t escape our notice. Toy manufacturers can – and should – use low carbon materials and supply chains, and focus on making toys easily dissembled. Toys should be as light as possible, to minimise transport emissions. And battery-powered toys should be avoided wherever possible, as they <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352550922000550">can double</a> a toy’s climate impact and turn a plastic waste problem into an electronic waste problem. To their credit, some toymakers <a href="https://time.com/6126981/my-kids-want-plastic-toys-i-want-to-go-green-heres-a-fix/">have cut back</a> on plastic in their packaging, given packaging immediately becomes waste. In a welcome move, the maker of Barbie, Mattel, launched their own recycling scheme in 2021, allowing buyers to send back old toys to be turned into new ones. This scheme isn’t available in Australia, however. Toymakers can help at the design stage by choosing the materials they use carefully. Governments can encourage this by penalising cheap, high-environmental-impact plastics. We can look to the <a href="https://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/press-list/eu-court-delivers-final-blow-to-plastics-industry-on-bpa/">European</a> and American bans on BPA-containing plastics in infant milk bottles as an example of what’s possible. Governments can set up effective recovery and recycling systems able to handle toys. Some plastic-dependent brands such as Lego are unilaterally moving away from petrochemical-based plastic in favour of sugarcane-based plastic. But it’s not a <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/lego-sustainable-bricks/">short-term project</a>. While Barbie dolls had an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-24/barbie-s-pandemic-sales-boom-followed-yearslong-revamp-at-mattel">uptick in popularity</a> during the pandemic years – and will no doubt have another surge alongside the movie – longer-term trends are dampening plastic toy impact. While movies in the 1980s were often “<a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/toyetic?s=t">toyetic</a>” – conceived with an eye to toy sales – the trend is on the wane. Gaming, for instance, has moved to centre stage for many older children. While gaming produces e-waste streams, it is also a likely cause of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/05/lights-camera-but-no-action-figures-are-movie-toys-going-out-of-fashion">longer-term fall</a> in popularity of plastic toys. <h2>What should we do?</h2> If you’re a parent or an indulgent grandparent, it’s hard to avoid buying toys entirely – especially if your child gets obsessed with Barbie dolls after seeing the movie. So what should you do? For starters, we can avoid cheap and nasty toys which are likely to break very quickly. Instead, look for toys which will last – and which will lend themselves to longer-term creative play. Think of the enduring popularity of brick-based toys or magnetic tiles. Look for secondhand toys. And look for toys made of simpler materials able to be recycled at the end of their lives – or even for the Barbie dolls made out of <a href="https://www.today.com/shop/mattel-barbie-doll-recycled-plastic-t221461">ocean plastics</a>. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209601/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-pears-52">Alan Pears</a>, Senior Industry Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-barbie-world-after-the-movie-frenzy-fades-how-do-we-avoid-tonnes-of-barbie-dolls-going-to-landfill-209601">original article</a>.

Movies

Brekkies, barbies, mozzies: why do Aussies shorten so many words?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-burridge-130136">Kate Burridge</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/howard-manns-111255">Howard Manns</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Australians sure do like those brekkies, barbies and mozzies. We’re not talking about “actual” mozzies here. We’re defo (definitely) talking about words — and Aussies can’t seem to get enough of these shortened words. <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1988059">Some</a> say we’re lazy for clipping them. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-in-society/article/abs/does-language-reflect-culture-evidence-from-australian-english/75BDD40DC2429903CABAA39BB9CA83B7">Others</a> claim it’s just Aussies knocking words down to size — ta, we’ll have a glass of cab sav or savvy b instead of whatever that is in French. Our most beloved shortenings end in -ie/y and -o. Journos often ask us why Aussies use them, and whether they’ll last. Well, not only are we still using them, seppos (Americans) and pommies (Brits) are joining the action, too. Here’s an uplifting story for your hollies (holidays) about Australia’s “<a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/story-australian-english/">incredible shrinking words</a>”. <h2>Endings that bond and bind us</h2> These alternative forms of words are often described as “diminutives” (or hypocoristics). Pet names with such endings can show we have a warm or simply friendly attitude toward something or someone (think of the -s on Cuddles). Certainly, on names, -ie/y and -o are often affectionate (think Susy and Robbo). But the vast majority of Aussie diminutives are doing something different. Indeed, saying journo or pollie doesn’t usually indicate we’re thinking of journalists and politicians as small and endearing things. These “diminutives” are also a world away from the birdies and doggies of the nursery. Adult Australians might cheerfully talk about blowies and trackies, but not birdies and doggies — well, unless it’s on the golf course or perhaps in reference to the Western Bulldogs getting a specky (spectacular mark). For Australian National University linguist <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Semantics_Culture_and_Cognition.html?id=5XM8DwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y">Anna Wierzbicka</a>, these expressions are among the most culturally salient features of Australian English — expressions of informality and solidarity that are “uniquely suited to the Anglo-Australian ethos […] and style of interaction”. Experiments by Australian linguists have empirically confirmed the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298354067">social effects</a> of these embellished words. Colloquialisms such as barbie and smoko are like accents – part of the glue that sticks Australian English speakers together. <h2>Are -ie/y endings darlings or weaklings?</h2> Diminutives can die out when they take on the burden of new social meanings. One of the oldest endings (found as far back as Anglo-Saxon times) is -ling. We see it still on words like twinkling and darling. However, by modern times it had flipped and become contemptuous, especially when used of humans (think of weakling and underling). In contrast to -ling, our -ie/-y endings carry important, positive meanings, and there’s no sign yet that we’re giving up on them. Those sunnies, scungies, boardies, cozzies, stubbies and trackies are still the stuff of our sartorial summer fashion. <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-yer-hand-off-it-mate-australian-slang-is-not-dying-90022">Slang</a> might come and go, but the process that transforms sunglasses into sunnies and tracksuit pants into trackies continues to thrive. So thriving in fact are these expressions that some are among Australia’s <a href="http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150427-pervs-greenies-and-ratbags">successful exports</a>. International celebrities include greenie, pollie, surfie, mozzie, budgie (and its offshoot budgie smugglers). And let’s not forget the linguistic rockstar that is selfie – its meteoric rise to stardom in 2013 saw it crowned <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/19/living/selfie-word-of-the-year/index.html">Word of the Year</a> by Oxford Dictionaries, and also by the Van Dale dictionary in the Netherlands. We are, however, constantly refreshing our stock of -ie/y words. Many of the gems in Wendy Allen’s 1980s collection of youth slang in Melbourne (Teenage speech) have bitten the dust (for example, scottie from “he’s got no friends” -> “s’got no friends” -> “s’got + ie”). But the second edition of the Australian National Dictionary shows us how many -ie/y words have proliferated since the 1980s/1990s (firie, tradie, trackie daks). <h2>Bottle-o, milko and smoko: still alive-o?</h2> That other long-time favourite ending -o occurs all round the English-speaking world. However, as the Oxford English Dictionary describes, its use “is especially associated with Australia”. The earliest Australian examples (like milko, rabbito, bottle-o) date from the 19th century and are abbreviated nouns referring to a person’s trade (“milkman”, “rabbit-seller” “bottle-collector”). Sometimes they appear with -oh because of their association with street calls, and this use is old – think of those cockles and mussels of 18th century London, all very much “alive, alive-oh”. Our love of this -o suffix may also owe something to Irish English. However, Australian linguist <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110208412.2.398/html?lang=en">Jane Simpson</a> points out it has much wider applications in Australia (and New Zealand), as shown by place names such as Rotto (Rottnest Island), Freo (Fremantle), Paddo (Paddington) and common nouns such as compo (compensation), ambo (ambulance driver) and bowlo (bowling club). And we’re exporting these too – demo, preggo and muso have made it into the wider world. As with -ie/y endings, our -o endings don’t seem to be going anywhere in a hurry. However, their long-term survival seems slightly less assured than -ie/y. We’re still seeing newer coinages (such as housos), but a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241095924_Did_you_have_a_choccie_bickie_this_arvo_A_quantitative_look_at_Australian_hypocoristics">2011 study</a> suggests young people might be using this one less than previous generations. <h2>Rellies or rellos, garbies or garbos: is there a pattern?</h2> There are wharfies and truckies but not wharfos and truckos; garbos and musos but not garbies and musies. People who ride motorcycles are generally bikers; those who belong to motorcycle gangs tend to be bikies. So what’s wrong with bikos? And why are there gaps? Those who build houses are neither buildos nor buildies. Undoubtedly there are nuanced differences of meaning involved here. Does weirdie describe unconventional people more affectionately than weirdo, or even weird person? Certainly there’s a world of difference between the sicko (psychologically sick person) and the sickie (leave you take when you’re sick – or is that when you’re not sick?). You tell us: do you prefer a lammo or a lammie for the small chocolate and coconut–covered cake? And are members of your family rellos or rellies? There’s a lot of lexicographers, linguists and other word nerds who haven’t figured this out.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192616/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-burridge-130136">Kate Burridge</a>, Professor of Linguistics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/howard-manns-111255">Howard Manns</a>, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/brekkies-barbies-mozzies-why-do-aussies-shorten-so-many-words-192616">original article</a>. Image: Getty

Domestic Travel

Platinum jubilee Barbie becomes a hot commodity

In what surely must be one of the most iconic collaborations of the modern era, a special limited-edition Queen Elizabeth II Barbie doll has been released to mark the Platinum Jubilee of the beloved monarch. Not surprisingly – given how outrageously cute its hairstyle is – the diminutive doll has sold out in just three seconds upon release – and has now become the subject of many fierce bidding wars on eBay and other sites. UK department store John Lewis said its stock of the GBP95 ($A168) dolls sold out, seen as a key piece of royal memorabilia. The doll is now a highly sought-after collectable. The Queen Elizabeth II Barbie doll comes with an ivory gown and blue riband adorned with decorations of order. Her miniature tiara is based on Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara – famously worn by the Queen on her wedding day. Barbie’s manufacturer Mattel have hinted that more could be released before next month’s celebrations kick-off – an announcement that has caused quite a stir among fans. Stay tuned! Image: Mattel

Beauty & Style

COVID-19 heroes honoured by new Barbie range

Women in science and medicine are being honoured with a miniature version of themselves in the form of a Barbie doll. Toymaker Mattel has recognised the work of six women across STEM who have made significant contributions to the fight against COVID-19 by modelling new Barbies after them. Professor Sarah Gilbert, one of the co-developers of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, is one of the honourees, with her Barbie sharing her long auburn hair and oversized black glasses. “It’s a very strange concept having a Barbie doll created in my likeness,” Gilbert said in an interview for Mattel. “I hope it will be part of making it more normal for girls to think about careers in science.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSKIFZwl7c9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSKIFZwl7c9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Barbie (@barbie)</a> </div> </blockquote> Amy O’Sullivan, the emergency room nurse who treated the first COVID-19 patient at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn and appeared on the cover of Time magazine for its 100 Most Influential People list, also received a doll version of herself. Other honourees include Dr Chika Stacy Oriuwa, a Canadian psychiatrist who spoke out against racism in healthcare, frontline doctor Audrey Cruz, who fought discrimination, and Jacqueline Goes de Jesus, the Brazilian biomedical researcher who led the genome sequencing of a COVID-19 variant in Brazil. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSKN4QuFL_2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSKN4QuFL_2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Chika Stacy (@chikastacy)</a> </div> </blockquote> Finally, Australian Dr Kirby White, who pioneered a washable and reusable surgical gown for frontline workers to use during the pandemic, received a doll in her honour. To support her work, $5 from each eligible doctor, nurse, and medical doll sold in Australia will be donated by Barbie to <a rel="noopener" href="https://gownsfordoctors.wordpress.com/?fbclid=IwAR3DoOlLlqp06mby2LE06j3zIMFEOJMrH7cyhApl6TeHfmxE80Pi6bhBiDI%2F" target="_blank">Gowns for Doctors</a>, the initiative she started to supply GPs with the gowns. “This donation from Barbie will mean many more doctors across Australia will be able to receive a box of reusable protective gowns and many patients and children will be able to seek care from their doctor,” the Bendigo GP said. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 🇦🇺👩‍⚕️ <a href="https://twitter.com/Barbie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Barbie</a> launches 6 new dolls celebrating female scientists - including Australian Dr Kirby White. Dr White pioneered Gowns for Doctors, an initiative behind surgical gowns that can be washed & reused by frontline workers during the pandemic. ▶️ More: <a href="https://t.co/PHYXvyFIu5">https://t.co/PHYXvyFIu5</a> <a href="https://t.co/PwnL6J4I8o">pic.twitter.com/PwnL6J4I8o</a> — Australia in the US 🇦🇺🇺🇸 (@AusintheUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/AusintheUS/status/1422923782180777986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2021</a></blockquote> “Australia is once again facing increasing COVID-19 case numbers and this donation will allow Gowns for Doctors to upscale our efforts to support those clinics in need.” In the UK, Gilbert chose Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), a nonprofit organisation inspiring girls to pursue a career in STEM, to receive a financial donation from the company. Image: Mattel

Caring

Julie Bishop honoured with her own Barbie doll

Julie Bishop has been honoured many different times throughout her career, and although she doesn't have an Order of Australia just yet, she does have something almost no other Aussie has: Her own Barbie doll. Toy giant Mattel is honouring Bishop as its 2021 Australian role model for being a "true trailblazer" in politics and the roles she has occupied since, giving her a one-off doll that is, sadly, not for sale. August 26, 2018, was a symbolic day for Bishop, who decided to quit politics. Which is why she chose the outfit she wore on the day for her doll. Completing the look are matching diamond earrings and brooch, a diplomatic passport and Bishop's silver carry-on suitcase. The hairstyle is also more reflective of Bishop's 2018 cut than what she opts for now. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bishop revealed her love for Barbie goes back nearly six decades. She mentioned that she still has the Jackie Kennedy doll her parents gifted her as a child. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQKsAFrh1ZM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQKsAFrh1ZM/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Hon Julie Bishop (@honjuliebishop)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Knowing how much Barbie had meant to me as a little girl, knowing how Barbie had evolved into this doll that inspired young girls to choose fascinating careers, I jumped at this opportunity,” she says. In the past, Barbie has been relentlessly criticised for reinforcing stereotypes around gender and promoting an unrealistic body image. But Bishop believes the company's ethos has moved "even ahead of the feminist zeitgeist", as well as on matters of diversity, and that such perceptions are "outdated". Mattel paid tribute to Bishop's love of fashion in their explanation of why they chose to honour her. The company was impressed with Bishop after she formed a partnership between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Fashion Chamber to promote the local industry. “I wanted to help promote Australian fashion. The industry was such a massive contributor to our ... economy, yet it received very little attention. “It sent a message that you can be a fashion aficionado and still have a very serious job. The more people would try to use my interest in fashion as a negative, the more I saw it as a positive to get out that message.” Bishop’s involvement with Mattel includes working on its “Dream Gap” project, which aims to show girls as young as five that they can achieve the same career goals as boys. Locally, she says there’s a major “dream gap” among Indigenous youth, and as ANU chancellor she is focusing on attracting more First Nations students, including through new scholarships.

News

Slip a more sustainable prawn on your barbie this Christmas

Australians are set to munch through half a billion prawns this Christmas. But where do all those prawns come from? And can we feel good as we throw another one on the barbie? About half of the prawns eaten in Australia come from overseas. More than A$200 million worth of frozen prawns were imported in 2011–2012, mainly from southeast and east Asia, and these imports are on the rise. Most of the imported prawns are farm-grown and the main species is commonly known as vannamei, or white shrimp. The rapid growth of prawn farming has generated public debate over its sustainability and effects on the environment. Concerns have surrounded the destruction of mangrove areas, coastal pollution, salinisation, wild prawn collection, the use of marine-based feeds, and conflict with other resource users. But there is some good news: according to the <a href="http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Litopenaeus_vannamei/en">Food and Agriculture Organization</a> of the United Nations, worldwide environmental certification programs such as <a href="http://www.globalgap.org/uk_en/">Global Gap</a> are having a positive influence on farming practices. Growers are breeding prawns that use protein more efficiently, and adopting low-water-exchange pond systems with less environmental impact. These <a href="http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/ista/ISTA9/PDF's/Yoram-BFT%20Brief%20Summary%205.3.11.pdf">aerated systems</a> encourage the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms that recycle unused food. Other advances include better biosecurity and traceability, and reduced chemical residues. Australian scientists are supporting better aquaculture practices in Vietnam by helping farmers to establish prawn breeding programs that improve farm productivity. <h2>Australian farmed prawns</h2> About 20% of Australian prawns are farm grown. Australia has some 20 prawn farms, located mainly in Queensland. The most common farmed species is the black tiger prawn, followed by the banana prawn. Australian prawn farmers have worked with scientists to develop healthy, <a href="http://www.csiro.au/en/Outcomes/Food-and-Agriculture/tiger-prawn-farming.aspx">fast-growing</a> prawns that can be produced efficiently on farms that meet the world’s highest standards for environmental management. Research has also addressed the industry’s perceived dependency on marine-based feeds. <h2>What do prawns eat?</h2> Farmed prawns are fed on a compounded pellet made from a range of ingredients that satisfies their nutritional needs. In Australia, the ingredients include soybeans, lupins and canola, and recycled waste proteins, plus small amounts of sustainably-sourced fish meal and fish oil. But now the technology exists to phase-out these marine ingredients. A new food <a href="http://www.csiro.au/Portals/Media/Perfect-food-for-perfect-prawns.aspx">additive</a> developed by CSIRO has been shown to improve prawn growth rates by 30% and eliminates the need for fish products in their diet. The additive is moving towards commercial production in Australia and Asia. <h2>Trawling for prawns</h2> The rest of our prawns are harvested by 500 prawn trawlers that operate across 15 Australian fisheries off Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. The main species caught are <a href="http://fish.gov.au/reports/crustaceans/prawns/Pages/Eastern-king-prawn.aspx">king prawns</a>, <a href="http://fish.gov.au/reports/crustaceans/prawns/Pages/white_banana_prawn.aspx">banana prawns</a>, <a href="http://fish.gov.au/reports/crustaceans/prawns/Pages/tiger_prawns.aspx">tiger prawns</a>, school prawns and <a href="http://fish.gov.au/reports/crustaceans/prawns/Pages/blue_and_red_endeavour_prawns.aspx">endeavour prawns</a>. Wild-caught Australian prawns are available year-round, although some seasonality occurs. Many of the fisheries are remote, so catches are commonly packaged and frozen on board the vessels. Australian prawn fisheries, like all Australian fisheries, are recognised as among the best-managed in the world. Scientists work with managers and industry to set fishing levels that are strictly regulated and monitored. Escape hatches in the trawl nets have been used for more than a decade to reduce the capture of large species, and all prawn fisheries must pass ecological assessments to meet conservation and export regulations. South Australia’s Spencer Gulf Fishery and the Commonwealth <a href="http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Oceans/Marine-Life/Sustaining-fisheries-index/Northern-Prawn-Fishery.aspx">Northern Prawn Fishery</a> have both achieved certification from the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent body that certifies sustainable fisheries worldwide. <h2>Look out for labels</h2> All prawns sold at major supermarkets in Australia must be labelled according to the country of origin. In some states, such as the Northern Territory and South Australia, that compulsory labelling extends to all seafood retail outlets, including restaurants. Australian prawn farmers and fishers are trying to encourage people to eat Aussie prawns throughout the year with a <a href="http://australianprawns.com.au/">Love Australian prawns</a> campaign in an effort to smooth out some of the logistics associated with stocking so many prawns at Christmas. So if you do want to buy homegrown prawns, look out for the labels at your supermarket, or ask your fishmonger where they’ll be getting their supplies from this Christmas. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xn_CPrCS8gs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Paul Hogan’s famous ‘I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie’ ad from 1984. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/20421/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rik-buckworth-110680">Rik Buckworth</a>, Principal Research Scientist, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/greg-coman-109363">Greg Coman</a>, Aquaculture scientist, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/slip-a-more-sustainable-prawn-on-your-barbie-this-christmas-20421">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

The real story of the Barbie doll: Strong female leadership behind the scenes

In marking the 60th anniversary of one of the world’s best-known toys, the Barbie doll, scholars and journalists have a wealth of angles to explore. The impact of the Barbie doll on <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-barbie-bad-for-body-image-33725">girls’ body images</a> and the spread of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/barbie-at-60-instrument-of-female-oppression-or-positive-influence-113069">stereotypical model of womanhood</a> has been the subject of extended reflections. They can also focus on the American company that markets it, Mattel, and its current difficulties in dealing with more interactive toys. Yet one story that’s much less known is that of Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie and one of the founders of Mattel. A succession of trials and tribulations The first part of Ruth Handler’s life is a succession of challenges. Born Ruth Moskowicz in Denver, Colorado, in 1916, she and her family were Polish Jews who had earlier immigrated to the United States. The youngest of 10 children, she could not attend university and initially found work as a secretary. She married Elliot Handler in 1938 and together they traversed the ordeal of World War II, which affected all of the United States. Then came financial hardship for the young couple, living in California with two children. At the time Ruth was 30, but she had a huge ambition for her life and a big vision for the Handler family. She encouraged her husband to use his design skills to create a company manufacturing plastic objects. Mattel was founded in 1945 and success quickly arrived. Behind the scenes, Ruth’s creativity, energy, intelligence, willingness to take risks and determination worked wonders. While she didn’t take the title of president until 1967, these qualities made her the real leader of Mattel. Poker and strategic breakthroughs One of Ruth Handler’s rare qualities was her visionary ability to anticipate. She was able to analyze subtle signals in the marketplace, identify potential innovations, and develop strategic breakthroughs. For example, Mattel was looking for an original way to promote one of its first toys, a plastic machine gun. While toys has previously been marketed to parents, who chose them for their offspring, Ruth had the idea of speaking directly to the end users, as such. The approach was the Mickey Mouse Club television program, which Mattel sponsored in 1955. After seeing the program, thousands of children asked their parents for the new toy, a reversal from the traditional process. While this idea may seem unremarkable to us in the 21st century, it was a clear break in the marketing dogma of the time. Another innovation was the cost of this promotion: $500,000, which at the time was the entire financial value of Mattel. A skillful poker player, Ruth Handler was ready to risk her firm’s entire future on a single advertising campaign. Ruth wanted to make a toy for girls, and knew that she had a test market close at hand, her daughter Barbara. The idea emerged during a trip that the family took to Switzerland in 1956. In the window of a Swiss shop Ruth discovered a sex-symbol doll with a generous shape, <a href="https://allthatsinteresting.com/bild-lilli">Bild Lilli</a>, based on a cartoon character created for the German tabloid Bild. Ruth immediately understood the marketing potential of the doll, and took several back to the United States. In the 1950s, dolls intended for girls were often babies or mother or housewife characters. Ruth Handler’s insight was that girls of the 1950s no longer wanted to grow up just to be mothers, and the Barbie doll announced a certain emancipation from the exclusive role of a mother. While we can now see in Barbie the personification of the woman as object, Ruth Handler’s idea was to create a toy that reflected women’s ability to work and be autonomous. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/29/arts/ruth-handler-whose-barbie-gave-dolls-curves-dies-at-85.html">As she stated</a> in her 1994 autobiography: “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” When Ruth Handler presented her new concept to the head of a major American advertising agency, he stated: “It has no chance of succeeding. You’re joking”. Mattel’s executive committee – composed entirely of men except for Ruth – also opposed the idea. She not only imposed the project, she persuaded Mattel’s R&D department to make a doll that would be sold at cost, with profits coming from the sale of clothes and accessories. At the same time, the innovation of a product whose profit comes from consumables (in this case, accessories) was born. We have here a stimulating break: the doll is sold at a very low price to capture a market and the profit is generated by the sale of accessories. This business model has now become the norm in many economic sectors. Speaking directly to children When the Barbie doll was presented at the New York International Toy Fair in 1959, all the big buyers, including the major American store brands were unimpressed and refused to buy any. While many entrepreneurs would have given up, Ruth Handler decided to sell her doll directly to consumers. A major publicity campaign was launched, which resulted in the worldwide success that we know today. For the next decade Ruth Handler was instrumental in Mattel’s rise. However, in 1975 she and her husband <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/04/archives/mattel-settles-5-class-lawsuits-30-million-payment-set-to-toy.html">resigned after a financial scandal</a>. She died in 2002 and Elliot in 2011. Mattel and Barbie live on, however, its earnings reaching a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/07/mattel-jumps-17percent-after-earnings-and-revenue-beat-.html">five-year high</a> in the first quarter of 2019, and Barbie continues to prosper, with sales up 12%. Yet on the 60th anniversary of her creation, Ruth Handler’s contributions aren’t as well-known as they should be. She was an independent, creative and powerful woman, and a model of female leadership. And ultimately, a much more interesting and important model than Barbie doll herself. Written by Bertrand Venard. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-real-story-of-the-barbie-doll-strong-female-leadership-behind-the-scenes-118708">The Conversation</a>.

Beauty & Style

8 things you probably didn’t know about Barbie

1. Her fame is global, but she’s a small town girl According to brand lore, Barbara “Barbie” Millicent Roberts was officially born on March 9, 1959, in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. 2. She’s just one of seven kids Over the years, her siblings for sale have included: Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, Krissy, Tutti and Todd. 3. Barbie digs younger men Her longtime BF Ken is two years younger than Barbie, debuting in toy stores in 1961. 4. She has had more than 150 careers Including paleontologist, Canadian Mountie, McDonald’s cashier, Desert Storm medic, business executive, secretary, Catwoman, and, regrettably, rapper. 5. She’s been to space three times Astronaut Barbie debuted in space in 1965 (four years before the moon landing), then returned in 1986 and 1994. 6. Her house is a zoo Barbie has owned more than 40 pets, including 21 dogs, 14 horses, three ponies, six cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe, and a zebra. 7. She’s got friends in the fashion industry Gucci, Versace, Vera Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, and Givenchy have all contributed designs to Barbie’s wardrobe. 8. Her wardrobe is house-sized Barbie has had more than one billion outfits (with shoes to match) designed for her. This article first appeared in <a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/entertainment/8-Things-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-Barbie">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer</a>. <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Beauty & Style

What Barbie would look like as a 60-year-old

A dating site for single over 50-year-olds looking to get back in the game has honoured Mattel’s beloved iconic Barbie on her 60th birthday. Charly Lester from Lumen told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/dating/barbie-reimagined-as-her-actual-age-on-her-60th-birthday/news-story/ca897d3c91b20dce543cc8761373c214">news.com.au</a> the idea was created in an effort to celebrate and show the appeal of older women. “Our Head of Brand Liesa had the idea of showing ageing icons as their real ages, and Barbie was one of the first ones she mentioned,” Lester explained. After reconfiguring what the iconic “forever young” doll would look like into her older age, the dating site team said Barbie’s 60th birthday was the perfect way to challenge the way mature aged people are shown in the media. “Lumen’s mission is very much pro-age and anti-ageism and we are repeatedly challenging the way over 50s are shown in the media,” Lester said. embed “We felt Barbie’s 60th birthday was a great opportunity to showcase this in a lighthearted way. “Our homage to Barbie shows her un-airbrushed, and represented by a real woman at her real age. She is still beautiful and aspirational, but in a very realistic way.” Over the years, Barbie has had over 200 jobs, from being an astronaut to a firefighter, a game developer to even the president of the united States – there isn’t much the most recognisable toys in the world can’t do. The issue, says Lester, is that Barbie has “never been her real age.” Telling <a href="https://www.metro.news/barbie-brought-to-life-to-help-over-50s-win-dating-game/1464916/">Metro,</a> they said: “Many women say that in their 50s and 60s they’ve never felt more empowered in their own skin and this should be reflected by influential icons like Barbie. “We encourage the toy industry to consider making their products more pro age… who says that everyone should be in their 20s to be a success?”

Retirement Life

Make-up artist goes from human to Barbie doll in one minute

Millions of young girls grow up playing with Barbie dolls, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many try to look like them. But one make-up artist has taken it a step further, perfectly copying the iconic doll’s beauty look. Kandee Johnson, a US make-up artist known for her pop-culture inspired beauty tutorials, has completely transformed herself into Barbie with blue contact lenses, a blonde wig and a whole lot of make-up – and the result is unbelievable. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h7UDy4oaO9k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> To see Johnson’s other transformations, including Angelina Jolie, Audrey Hepburn, Madonna and even Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands, flip through the gallery above. Image credit: Kandee Johnson/YouTube.

Beauty & Style

Playing with skinny dolls make young girls unhappy with own bodies

Girls who play with unrealistically thin Barbie dolls are more critical of their bodies compared to girls who play with bigger dolls, finds a new study. In the study, published in the journal Body Image, researchers randomly assigned 112 girls, aged between six to eight, to four groups. The girls played with thin Barbie dolls or full-figured dolls modelled after the Hairspray character Tracy Turnblad, in either swimsuits or modest outfits. The researchers then asked the girls how they felt about their bodies before and after playing with the dolls. The experiment was repeated with another 112 girls using less well-known dolls of a thin and curiver variety. The dolls were dressed in the same clothes as the previous experiment. In both cases, the study found the girls who played with thin dolls were less satisfied with their bodies than the girls who played with the fuller-figured dolls. Interestingly, the clothes the dolls were wearing didn’t influence the girls’ body image. The authors of the study noted such body dissatisfaction is concerning in such young girls as it is associated with strict-dieting, and could be a precursor to eating disorders. Are you surprised by this new research? Do you think there should be more variety in doll sizes? Share your opinion with us in the comments below. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/08/5-beauty-miracle-products-that-are-not-true/">5 beauty miracle products that just aren’t true</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/08/more-ways-to-use-vaseline-in-your-beauty-routine/">5 ingenious ways to use Vaseline in your beauty routine</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/07/problem-with-all-natural-skincare-products/">The problem with “all-natural” skincare products</a>

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