Barbie’s coming to Richmond to remind us that before something becomes history, it was culture – and that includes pop culture.
It’s a notion that really democratizes and expands what we think of as history. The exhibition “Barbie: A Cultural Icon” opens at @virginiahistory on Oct. 17, providing a look back that spans Barbie’s debut in 1959 through today. The hook is that Barbie will stand in a gallery next to 16,000 years of Virginia history.
How is it that one small toy became culturally defining, reflecting changing fashion, shifting expectations and evolving ideas about what girls and women could be? “I think that pop culture topics are often easier to relate to,” says curator Elizabeth Klaczynski. “Lots of people have some kind of connection with Barbie, so we hope visitors will see their own memories and experiences reflected back at them.”
A wide-ranging display of dolls, fashions and accessories spanning more than six decades anchors the exhibition, including the original 1959 Barbie presented alongside her earliest looks. The exhibit is mostly chronological, beginning in the 1950s with Ruth Handler, Barbie’s inventor, and it explores the doll’s evolution decade by decade. “The final section discusses Barbie today, including the movie,” says Klaczynski. “Major themes run through the exhibit including the development of Barbie as an inspirational figure for young people as well as a fashion icon.”
Although it’s a traveling exhibit, it’s also uniquely relevant to Virginia. There are six particular Barbies with connections to Virginia that are highlighted: George Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Katherine Johnson, Gabby Douglas, a University of Virginia cheerleader and a Virginia Tech cheerleader. Each doll will be exhibited with an artifact or object associated with the person who inspired it. To bring it home, visitors can use interactive components to share their Virginia-specific Barbie experiences.
