Barbie has a new career — computer engineer. Oh good, announced to coincide with E-week and honor of Engineer Your Life, I thought. But no, the announcement is tied to the opening of the annual toy show. Nonetheless!
Even though in 1992 Barbie said,”Math class is tough,” much to the legitimate horror of the American Association of University Women, after 18 years Barbie has finally mastered those equations and earned her degree in computer engineering; now she’s ready to take on the world.
She did take a few detours on the way, becoming both president of the United States and a Starfleet officer in 2000. In her younger days she tried ballerina and McDonalds cashier. But now she has found her true calling. We hope.
We are told that the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering were consulted in the kitting out of this latest Barbie doll. I believe that, but I suspect that Mattel tweaked the recommendations a bit. Like: a laptop with Linux has turned bright pink and glittery — and it’s hard to imagine a rookie computer engineer taking it to work. But, I have to say, on a quick look there actually are quite a few pink laptops IRL to choose from! Barbie also sports pink (of course) eyeglasses, a smartphone with bluetooth headset and a seriously hunk-a-chunk wristwatch. Probably the geek’s delight: an enigmatic Tokyoflash, custom made in hot pink for her. Again, just guessing.
I imagine that the women engineers suggested a casual pants outfit, more practical and realistic than a dress for computer engineer Barbie, never suspecting that pants would turn into skintight black leggings with silver sparkles. But hey, as long as she can do the work — right?
In order to increase the verisimilitude, perhaps a little accessory kit could be added: Dilbert cartoon book, half empty bag of Cheetos, a tiny can of Mountain Dew, and some special makeup for drawing the dark circles under her eyes.
Okay! Enough with poking fun. I would now like to say something in support of Barbie. Ahem. She can be something of a ditz, has certainly had some issues with making up her mind about a career (she has had over 100 of them) but keep this in mind: over the long haul, Barbie has been pretty consistent about being gainfully employed. That’s a lot more than you can say for those Disney princesses.
BTW: the binary code on Barbie’s laptop screen reads: Barbie. Over and over. In ASCII. I could tell you were dying to know.
Tags: Barbie doll, career, chic geek, computer engineer, employed, laptop, Tokyoflash
Barbie may be a bit too pink and glittery even as a computer engineer, but at least she’s employed, and in this economy that’s a good thing. My guess this is also about selling Barbie accessories – cellphones, laptops, and an endless number of other toy devices. It’ll be interesting to see how popular Barbie Computer Engineer is compared to Barbies of the past.
Sally,
You’ve captured elegantly here the tensions many of us have with Barbie, then and now. I grew up playing with her and Ken, not being able to relate in the least with them on a daily basis but imagining myself the tall, blonde-haired beauty that she was (and continues to be), which was quite a feat for a short South Asian girl with pimples.
Now, having put those years behind me, I am not sure what I think of Barbie the Engineer. As you point out, good to have her employed and having overcome her math problem, and perhaps more of a role model for girls who want to play with her. However, underneath it all she still stands (especially now that they’ve adjusted her bust so she’s more proportional) for an almost mythological female stereotype. I’m all for teaching girls that you can be whatever you want and that you can be beautiful and smart but I don’t understand why beautiful has to be so narrowly defined.
If we really want to shift the image of engineering from a “male” profession then I think we as a society should nurture our young engineers, both girls and boys, from the moment they put a square peg in a square hole (or a square peg in a round hole as that may be the greater engineering feat).
We should demand that Matell sell Barbie and Ken naked and with a healthy body type. Girls and boys alike should learn to sew clothes for their dolls. I believe now, after playing with Barbie all those years ago, that she is not an ideal to be emulated but rather an imposition and limitation on every girl’s creativity and potential.