Barbie – A Life Time of Fashion at Gallery 67
Barbie – A Life Time of Fashion is a special fashion exhibit by Marina Hobbs running from 11th October until 28th October 2016 at Gallery 67 on Goondoon Street with all gold coin donation door proceeds going to Cancer Council QLD.
Toy company Mattel has copped a bucket load of criticism over the years, from promoting sexism to giving girls an unrealistic idea of body image and the list goes on. Marina quotes through her research that the creator, Ruth Handler (who used a German doll as inspiration) in defence actually had a similar figure to the original Barbie doll. The entire exhibition is thoroughly researched and Marina collected the hundreds of Barbies mostly from various op shops around the Gladstone Region.
I was seven years old when Mum allowed my first Barbie doll. Begging for years, a very surprised and fortunate little girl unwrapped Sparkle Eyes Barbie on Christmas Day. Barbie’s plastic blue gem stone eyes sparkled against her fancy dress and tutus. Plus, her necklace doubled as a ring! These kinds of moments have warmed many children’s hearts around the world. Barbie and her friends have been created in many different nationalities and all this is seen through Barbie – A Life Time of Fashion. There are many reasons girls have continued to play with Barbie through generations.
You can watch Barbie ads from the 80s on YouTube, promoting diversity with the slogan “We Girls Can Do Anything”. Barbie has had various careers and Marina has a display of Barbie Career Girls. Barbie’s identities and qualifications are endless!
For the 2000 Olympic Games, there’s special edition Olympic Barbie on display as well as Paralympic Barbie (Becky) from 1996. Mattel has been striving to meet consumers’ demands overlapped with society’s criticism. I never realised that Barbie had so many different types of bodies. A curvier Barbie was actually released this year.
What it comes down to is many little girls enjoy fashion (and so do many adults!). The exhibition mainly celebrates the six decades since 1959 from the Demure fifties, the Mod sixties, the Palazzo pants and flares of the Seventies, the glam of the 80s, the rocking 90s, the Millennium and into the present day. These fashions are a piece of history and Marina has beautifully exhibited fashion through the decades.
Each Barbie stands out in the unique style of the various decades. One that really stands out is Sunday Lunch Barbie. This doll signifies how society has changed (because women all went out for lunch after church on a Sunday, dressed up in such pristine and elegant outfits!) I believe this is still evident in society today because we all know at least one woman who love to dress up for a lunch or brunch date!
At the exhibition keep an eye out for Midge, Allan and Ken amongst many more of Barbie’s friends. You will also find Totally Hair Barbie who is the most popular Barbie ever.
Marina proudly shows off Singapore Airlines Barbie and the Barbie Cruise Ship, which she hopes will delight the cruise ship passengers coming to Gladstone.
Marina Hobbs started sewing when she was 12 years old and she has a real talent and an eye for fashion.
Marina would love to someday visit the Mattel Headquarters in the USA.
To find out more about the exhibition visit Barbie – A Life Time of Fashion Facebook Event Page
(Article by Bron Hartas)
