Reinventing BarbieDecember 16, 2018

In her 59 years, Barbie has become a fashion icon, a lightning rod, and a topic among feminists. Reinventing Barbie, featuring newly discovered footage and unprecedented access to the inner workings of a toy giant during Barbie’s biggest reinvention, surveys 60 years of women in popular culture through the lens of this 11.5 inch, Zelig-like plastic icon. Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, Peggy Orenstein, Mattel insiders and cultural historians, the documentary reveals, through both funny and fascinating archival material, and fly-on-the-wall observations of Barbie’s current architects, the progression and regression in the fight for gender equality.

Reinventing Barbie was broadcast on SBS ONE at Sunday 23 May 2021, 17:05. This episode was initially placed on Sunday 16 December 2018.