Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll » (Reprint)

M. G. Lord is an author and critic. Since 1995 she has been a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New York Times Arts & Leisure section. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and ARTnews. She lives in Los Angeles.

Since Barbie's introduction in 1959, her impact on baby boomers has been revolutionary. Far from being a toy designed by men to enslave women, she was a toy invented by women to teach women what— for better or worse— was expected of them. In telling Barbie's fascinating story, cultural critic and investigative journalist M. G. Lord, herself a first-generation Barbie owner, has written a provocative, zany, occasionally shocking book that will change how you look at the doll and the world.

"Fascinating ... compelling .... A seriously wry, thoroughly researched and totally enlightened look at the doll that most of us either love or love to hate."— Newsday

"Scathing, hilarious ... consistently informative and amusing."— San Francisco Chronicle

"Its mix of social history, psychoanalytical insights, and the Mattel marketing schemes that evoke them is told with wit, curiosity, and wry photos."— Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Terrific .... A book that was dying to be written .... A crisp, often witty love story of American pop culture."— The Boston Globe

"The author's enthusiasm is infectious and she writes with considerable wit .... Her subject inspires passion."— The New York Times

M. G. Lord is an author and critic. Since 1995 she has been a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New York Times Arts & Leisure section. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and ARTnews. She lives in Los Angeles.

Publishers Weekly

The original ``Barbie,'' an 111/2 fashion model doll with an hourglass figure, was introduced to the American public in 1959 and has been a bestseller ever since. In this witty and perceptive study Lord, a columnist for New York Newsday, chronicles Barbie's history and her relevance as a cultural icon. Ruth Handler, co-owner of Mattel Toys, modeled Barbie on a sexy plastic German pin-up that was sold to men in tobacco shops. The popularity of Barbie and her ever-expanding wardrobe with preteen girls led to the development of ``Ken'' and ``Midge'' dolls and a line of African American fashion dolls. Lord's comprehensive research includes interviews with toy-makers, an eclectic group of Barbie collectors, visual artists and feminists who disagree on Barbie's impact on young girls. The author sees Barbie, whose careers have included surgeon, pilot and astronaut, as a female role model, and credits her childhood play with Barbie as helping her cope with her own mother's mastectomy. Illustrations.