Wednesday, March 11, 1998
Barbie creator visits as guest for conference on self image
SPEAKER: Handler serves as role model through work with breast
cancer
By Luan Huynh
Daily Bruin Contributor
When Hillel, a Jewish-religious center, hosted a conference on
woman’s self-image, they chose an interesting guest: Barbie’s
mother.
Ruth Handler, the 81-year-old creator of the Barbie doll, knew
she was onto something good when she conceived of Barbie 39 years
ago, but had no idea that Barbie would become the cult figure that
she is today.
Blue-eyed, blonde and irregularly proportioned Barbie has
increasingly come under attack as women’s images become a heated
issue.
Many Jewish women who attended the conference on Monday see
Barbie as something they once aspired to be but eventually learned
that they could not attain.
"What people have interpreted from her is very individual," said
Handler. She claims that she did not create Barbie as an object of
aspiration, but as a doll that little girls can project their
fantasies onto. Handler’s goal was to make Barbie as non-specific
as possible.
Handler got the idea of the Barbie doll from three Lilli dolls
she bought in Switzerland for her daughter, Barbara. The Lilli
dolls were tall, thin and had large breasts.
It did not occur to Handler to change Barbie’s proportions,
because she wanted the doll to look good in clothing. At the same
time, Handler said that the way Barbie looks is "unimportant."
In response to critics who believe that Barbie is a source of
oppression, Handler said, "Many of today’s young achievers can
trace their success back to their days of playing with Barbie."
After all, Barbie has been a doctor, a teacher, an astronaut,
etc; there has also been a fat Barbie, a dreadlocked Barbie, a
talking Barbie and even a breast-reduced Barbie.
Handler said that many women treat her with idol status once
they find out that she created Barbie. Slowly, Handler said, she
realized that Barbie was more than just a doll; she represents
something much more important.
"Barbie as an icon has shaped our image of women," said Natalie
Stern, a Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow. Although she expected
the conference to be a "Barbie-bashing feast," it was more than
that.
Handler has survived many experiences that young women can learn
from. When making presentations, she’d recall to audiences that she
would have to walk through kitchens, because women were not allowed
to use the front door.
One year, Handler became the first woman vice-president on the
board of the Toy Association. Traditionally, the vice president
becomes the president the next year. However, for the first time,
the board also promoted a man to the vice-president position. When
it was time for Handler to become president, the board chose the
man instead.
More importantly, Handler has survived breast cancer and was the
first to mass-market a prosthetic breast.
In 1970, Handler found out that she had breast cancer. After
surgery, Handler went back to work. Nothing was said out loud about
her illness, she recalls; everything was whispered. She cried at
the least instigation.
"I had lost my image of being a woman. I was trying to stay
feminine in a man’s world," Handler said.
In 1975, Handler was pushed out of Mattel, the toy company that
she co-founded with her husband Elliot and his friend, Harold
Mattson. Handler was depressed, until it occurred to her to make
prosthetic breasts for women who needed them.
The first breast to come out was called Nearly Me. It was made
out of contoured foam, silicone gel and an outer-skin of
polyurethane film.
Handler was also determined to bring cancer out of the closet.
She set out on the lecture circuit to promote her product and to
open discourse on breast cancer. It worked. Handler has continued
for 15 years.
"I was aware of the woman’s movement, but I was too busy living
it," said Handler, who still believes that a woman’s first role is
that of a mother.
Mayim Bialik, a junior majoring in neuro-science with a minor in
Jewish studies, said she saw Handler as a feminist.
"There is more to this story than what we want to assume as
feminists," said Bialik, who organized the conference in
conjunction with Jewish women at Cal State Northridge.
"It is an understatement to say that images are forced upon us.
It becomes a part of us: what we see, what we are told and what we
experience. That is why any dialogue on this subject is healthy
dialogue," Bialik added.