This blog post is long overdue but as they say, better late than never.

I purchased a copy of Vogue Italia’s July 2009 issue from the soon to be closed Page Books in downtown Toronto, and as you can tell from the accompanying pictures this was no ordinary issue. This edition of the magazine came with two supplementary features, a compilation of the fall/winter 2009 prêt-a-porter shows and the Barbie Issue.

Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief, Franca Sozzani, Vogue Italia published its July 2008 edition featuring only black models. This year, Sozzani and her staff took a different approach to celebrate ethnicity by replacing human models with black Barbies, and by celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the iconic doll.

I thoroughly read the Barbie Issue and was impressed with the range of images in which black Barbie was depicted and analysed representing 50 years of style. She was shown in various personas, such as the haute couture model, the sophisticate, the diva, the athlete, the urban woman with street style flavour and even the dominatrix. Seeing Barbie in these characterizations represents a turning point in which the doll has gone from being the fantastical image of feminine beauty and perfection to the woman of the times that is multiracial, educated and empowered thereby bringing the doll closer to the human condition – after all they did widen her waist and took her down a cup size.

In the Barbie Issue, Carlo Ducci interviews Richard Dickson, senior vice president of Mattel who expresses his sentiment on the evolution of Barbie;

“‘I want to develop her status as an icon, a reference, a canvas for social and cultural considerations… In reality, unintentionally that’s what she’s always been. Just look how she’s been used over the years by all the artists who have plainly drawn inspiration from her, and those who have flipped her around or dissected her to take what she represents to an extreme.’”

Barbie fascinates people because she embodies all the things little girls and women dream about becoming; she can do anything and be anyone she desires without judgement or hindrance. Yves Saint Laurent said it best in 1984 when he was asked to dress Barbie for her 25^th birthday, “I hope that by playing with these dolls, children can find the road to their truest vocation.’”  

I applaud Vogue Italia’s efforts to break the mould of how beauty is defined and look forward to when fashion embraces ethnicity and the real modern woman.