FE: Lessons from Barbie

Date Published: 8/10/2023



In just two weeks, the Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie as the iconic doll and Ryan Gosling as boyfriend Ken, has generated $351.4 million at the box office domestically and more than $750 million globally. The film’s popularity is based on a combination of nostalgia and positive memories of generations of girls who spent countless hours playing with the fashion doll since Mattel introduced her to the world in 1959.


While a critique of the doll is her genesis as a sex symbol with unrealistic proportions, Barbie has long been a working girl and has taken on more than many careers including flight attendant, nurse, astronaut, and business executive. In fact, Barbie’s creator, Ruth Handler, wrote in her 1994 memoir: “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”

In the 21st century Barbie became an entrepreneur. In fact, Mattel introduced a Madame CW Walker Barbie inspired by America’s first documented self-made female millionaire.

Here’s what entrepreneurs can learn from Barbie:

She’s always up on trends and is recognized as an influencer: Barbie’s roots are as a fashion icon. Thus, she has always been a trendsetter, and she can sell. After all, Barbie is the best-selling doll in history and the brand has over 99% brand awareness globally.
She’s inspirational: Barbie is a small town girl from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, who has risen to international stardom. She shows us that there are no limits to what women can achieve. She started as a fashion icon, of course, but among the careers she has had are astronaut, surgeon, and entrepreneur.

She’s tech savvy: Not only does Barbie have experience as computer programmer and video game designer, her YouTube channel has more than 20 million subscribers. She is a powerful social media presence with 3.4 million followers on Instagram. Barbie apps average more than 7 million monthly active users.

Read on for more inspo:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rohitarora/2023/07/31/lessons-entrepreneurs-can-learn-from-barbie/


Thank you to our millions of readers! Best wishes and we welcome your comments below.
Akasha Lin
Akasha Garnier for #TheWishwall
Author, Brand Expert, Filmmaker
Photo: Barbie movie, AP
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FE: Lessons from Barbie
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