Barbie Bound to Save Gender Gap in Music Industry with New Music Producer Doll

The bright-haired dolls are due to fuel a career that’s over 97 percent male.
Barbie Bound to Save Gender Gap in Music Industry with New Music Producer Doll

The bright-haired dolls are due to fuel a career that’s over 97 percent male.

Words: Margaret Farrell

September 16, 2021

It can be upsetting thinking about the gender gap, the racial gap, the sexuality gap—really all the fucking gaps—when it comes to any industry. But in a creative industry where people are advertised to be authentic and let their true selves flourish, thinking about these interceptive chasms is the most unnerving. In this capitalistic dumpster-fire world, no genuine idea or culture goes unexploited. But maybe things are changing. Maybe the larger systems at play can use their powers, which have enforced gender norms and set impossible beauty standards, for good? Well, Barbie is trying.

Mattel has partnered with veteran songwriter-producer Ester Dean—who’s written and produced for Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Kelly Clarkson, to name a few—for their latest career Barbie, who’s landed a gig as a music producer. According to Variety, the doll was “designed to introduce girls to an underrepresented career where women make up less than 3% of music producers and shine a light on the importance of women’s stake in the industry.” Maybe all that inequity in the music biz can be resolved for future generations inspired by this new piece of plastic still rocking that unattainable figure. Wilder things have happened, honestly, and young minds are extremely impressionable…so this is an interesting opportunity to push representation in the industry. I mean, the Grammys aren’t doing much about it.

“Barbie recognizes the barriers that impede girls from reaching their limitless potential and aims to level the playing field for girls as part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project,” notes the press release. “With over 200 careers and counting, Barbie is mixing it up as a music producer to show girls more role models in this space and encourage purposeful play through careers they may not be familiar with.”

On top of the new Barbie that embraces orange, pink, purple, and blue hair, Barbie is also creating “Girls Make Beats” scholarships for young gals to further their dreams of music production, in addition to a webinar, hosted by Dean, for girls ages five to 17.

Fuck it, Barbie might be changing entire generations to come, and all for only $15 (before tax)!

 

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