Barbie's Reach to the Sky

The iconic fashion doll may have a new movie out, but she's long played a role inspiring women in aviation.

Friday, July 21, 2023 at 05:07 PM ET

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If you know a woman with a career in aviation or the sciences, chances are good she has a collectible Barbie doll celebrating her career. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Barbie was created by Ruth Handler to inspire girls to pursue diverse professional careers beyond traditional roles like motherhood.
The doll's career representations evolved significantly, expanding from early roles like fashion model and secretary to include aspirational professions such as airline pilot and various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers.
Barbie's aviation roles, including stewardess and later airline pilot, aimed to encourage girls in male-dominated fields, with packaging even offering tips and facts about becoming a pilot.
Mattel diversified Barbie's career portfolio into STEM fields with dolls like astrophysicist and astronaut, reflecting an effort to engage girls in science and technology while also diversifying the dolls' appearances.

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If you know a woman with a career in aviation or the sciences, chances are good she has a collectible Barbie doll celebrating her career. Barbie was created to inspire girls to pursue occupations past motherhood.

That may be difficult to envision, given the release of the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, which has been described as a comedy served up on a platter of pink. The film opens nationwide Friday.