WRITE OR WONG – Barbie: A Setback to Female Empowerment

KAYIU WONG
Staff Writer

Every year, Sports Illustrated (SI) releases their annual Swimsuit Issue in recognition of the swimsuit industry. Featuring fashion models wearing swimsuits at beach locales, the edition is perhaps one of the most hyped up issues of the year. However, this year’s edition brought even more commotion. 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of SI’s swimsuit issue, yet the talk is all about SI having Barbie on its cover.

I have to admit, when I first heard about this, I thought, “For real?” Well, for real, if having a plastic doll posing in a swimsuit should even be considered “real.” According to the Associated Press, the reason why Barbie, dressed in a swimsuit, is on the issue’s promotional overwrap around the magazine is because the publication of this year’s swimsuit issue coincided with the American International Toy Fair occurring in New York.

However, having Barbie on the cover brings up the question about whether it intends to convey the impact Barbie has had or only demeans women to an unrealistic female form. I understand how having Barbie on the cover fits in with this year’s “SI Swim Legends” theme, but it is still a bit of a letdown for Barbie admirers like me who see more than a pretty face in her.

I do not have any problem with the magazine, and the models who appear in it are beautiful, but when the swimsuit issue rolls around, SI reminds me that women are still admired for what they look like, not for what they do. Adding Barbie to that mix does not boost the self esteems of the millions of young girls who look up to her. At the end of the day, Barbie is a symbol of imagination and creativity, not an object of sex.