Can Margot Robbie Bring Positivity to Problematic Barbies?

There is some great news- Margot Robbie has been officially confirmed as a live-action Barbie! In the upcoming Warner Bros production, Robbie has been signed in as a producer as well as the blonde dolly. Hopes are that the actress will bring a much needed revolution to the on-screen character in a way that is relevant for today’s audiences. Although there are no directions on the way that the Barbie character will be taken, Robbie will add a much more positive touch. But the real challenge is how? Barbies aren’t really popular anymore, now that feminism is taking root in society. And that’s majorly because of all the unrealistic body images and gender roles they bring with them.

As of last year they were planning to make Barbies more inclusive in terms of shapes, colors and sizes. However, it’s questionable if Margot Robbie will be able to do the same to the on-screen character. After all, she herself if a perfectly fit blonde so she the casting does bring a typical touch.

Will Margot Robbie Succeed In Making Barbie Dolls More Positive?

Now that it’s confirmed that Margot Robbie will appear in a live-action Barbie in Warner Bros’ upcoming movie, she is already talking about her plans for the character. The actress shared that the character plays an important role with curiosity, confidence and communication in a child’s journey of self discovery. And for 60 years now, the doll has inspired children from being princesses to presidents. Robbie feels honored and blessed with this role. And aims to bring a more positive touch to the character for children and audiences.

However, bringing a more positive touch to the traditional Barbie character might be a hard call. For years now, Barbies are reinforcing gender roles and unrealistic body images. Ever since its existence, the doll portrays women as pretty objects that have an obsession with fashion and everything pink. And in the Hello Barbie’s world, you’ll probably come across style and shop way more than science and math. Moreover, up until last year, Barbie dolls were just pretty blondes with an ideal figure.

Only last year, they decided to make Barbies more inclusive. And we had dolls that came with actual diverse figures resonating the bodies of women. But although we saw curvy Barbies, feminists are still waiting to have an actual fat one. We also saw more diverse barbies with different ethnicities in the character as well with notable examples such as the muscular Lara Croft, brave Emilia Earhart and Muslim Hijab wearing athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad.

Although Margot Robbie aims to bring something similarly positive to the character, will she be able to do so? Given that she represents only the fit blonde Barbie doll of the 1960’s that isn’t really popular anymore, it would be interesting to see what happens.