Barbie World

Header Image: Melissa Mathieson for Polygon

You’ve seen her on shelves all over the world – the oversized eyes, glossy blonde hair, pale skin, impossibly slender waist and legs, and arched feet. Barbies have been popular for seven decades, with numerous series celebrating different professions, Disney movie princesses and more. The doll has also become a popular character in video games, television shows, web series and movies.

Barbie’s cultural influence is beyond question; people still buy the dolls today. She is a pioneer with numerous careers, helping young girls dream of their own future at a time when women were not often welcome in certain spaces. But Barbie’s influence hasn’t always been positive either. Over the years, her design has been criticized for imposing unrealistic beauty standards and reinforcing thin, white women as ideals of beauty.

Greta Gerwig Barbie movie — which will be released on July 21 in a double-feature showdown on the same day as Oppenheimer – is a perfect excuse to ask: What will Barbie look like in 2023? Where has she been and what has she meant to fans over the years?