Culture: So Barbie was a Prostitute!

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The first time I ever appeared on a cable television program, that being the local "Current Events" show produced in Bellevue, Washington and run on local access channel #28, I was on a student panel commenting on various stories in the fall of 1991. One of my fellow panelists--who just happened to be my cousin--talked about a story related to body image that was in the news, and used a Barbie doll to help make her points about unrealistic ideals presented in American culture. Barbie's measurements, she pointed out, were physically impossible for any real woman to attain.

For those who have thought all along that Barbie originated in some sort of male sexual fantasy, author Robin Gerber argues that there's some real truth to that thought. Gerber is on a book tour promoting her book "Barbie and Ruth" about the woman behind the Barbie doll, and appeared on WBUR's "On Point" yesterday. Ruth Handler, who created Barbie fifty years ago in 1959, apparently based Barbie on the European doll called "Bild Lilli."

As well described in a Wikipedia article, Lilli originated as a comic character in 1952. She was a character that was very sassy and open about sexuality. Gerber claims in her book that Lilli even talks in some of the comic strips about taking money for sex. In essence, the author claims, Lilli was a prostitute.

The popularity of the comic led to production of a doll, "Bild Lilli," in 1955. Originally intended as a novelty item for men, it was such a novel doll design that girls decided they wanted to play with it. Before long, it was for sale as a rather expensive general toy in Germany. While traveling in Europe, Ruth Handler found the doll and used it as the model for Mattel to copy for Barbie.

So, if Barbie was based on Lilli, and Lilli was a comic character that was a prostitute, then Barbie was based on a prostitute. Somehow, I doubt anyone is surprised by Gerber's claim. In 1964, Mattel purchased the rights to Lilli and stopped production of the German doll. Nominally, this was to prevent competition for Barbie, but one wonders if burying the history wasn't at least an intended side effect.

For a 50 year-old, Barbie seems to have aged pretty well, appearing almost the same as she did in 1960--just one more thing unrealistic thing about one of the best selling toys of all time.