There’s no denying Barbie is one of the most iconic toys in the world, and she sure has come a long way since she was first introduced to the world.
Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 with the philosophy that little girls, through playing with the doll, could be anything they wanted to be. “Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices,” Handler once said.
Over the years, the Mattel doll has been been everything from an astronaut to a firefighter to a game developer, and even the president of the United States. She’s also faced her fair share of controversy; some people have questioned whether she perpetuates stereotypical gender roles and lacks racial representation, while others believe her slim body and unrealistic proportions promote an unhealthy beauty standard.
That’s not to say Barbie hasn’t evolved though. In 2015, the brand launched its very first “Shero” campaign. Through the initiative, Barbie has honored boundary-breaking women like Ava DuVernay, Naomi Osaka, Eva Chen and Ibtihaj Muhammad with their very own dolls. In 2016, Mattel went a step further and released a range of dolls with different body types, more hairstyles and seven skin tones, to better represent the world we live in.
She’s always been quite the fashion plate, acting as a mini-muse for designers like Bob Mackie, Karl Lagerfeld and Jeremy Scott at Moschino.
“Barbie has always been a reflection of current fashion and beauty trends ― from wearing mod dresses and ‘Twiggy looks’ in the ’60s to now rocking street style, athleisure and a half shaved hair look, there isn’t a trend she’s afraid to try,” Robert Best, senior design director at Barbie, told HuffPost via email.
In honor of Barbie’s 60th anniversary, we’re taking a look back at some of her most iconic fashion moments over the years. Check them out below: