Mattel, Malibu Stacy, and the Dialectics of the Barbie Polemic

Our recent embrace of Barbie as a feminist icon leaves out decades of discourse about feminism and consumerism. One episode of The Simpsons may offer the perfect response.

“Come on, Stacy. I've waited my whole life to hear you speak. Don't you have anything relevant to say?” -Lisa Simpson “Don't ask me, I'm just a girl!” -Malibu Stacy When I tell people my parents were forty-five when I was born, the usual response is: “That makes a lot of sense.” There are a handful of side effects that come with having older, second-wave feminist baby boomer parents; mainly being very good at talking to adults, building a vocabulary by overhearing backseat NPR broadcasts, and childhood bans on all things deemed “bad for women” or “consumerist.” In our house, there were no…

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