Brigitte Bardot in a promotion for Naughty Girl, 1956. Photo: Getty
God might have created woman—if the title of Roger Vadim’s 1956 film is to be believed—but Mattel created Barbie. Would the fantastical plastic doll have been possible without the popularity of real-life sex kitten Brigitte Bardot? There might not be a definitive answer to that question, but it’s certain that both the woman and the plaything represented unattainable beauty ideals.
An original Barbie launched in March 1959. Photo: Getty
Over the years Barbie has expanded her repertoire and her wardrobe. The filming of Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming movie has made Barbiecore—which mostly translates into skimpy looks in bright pink—the trend of this summer. It’s not the first time, and won’t be the last, that this überfeminine aesthetic has peaked.
Below, take a look at some throwback Barbie moments.
Karen Mulder in Valentino Couture, fall 1992. Photo: Getty
Chanel, spring 1994 ready-to-wear. Photo: Condé Nast Archive
Brandy Quinones in Thierry Mugler, spring 1994 ready-to-wear. Photo: Getty
Claudia Schiffer in Chanel, spring 1995 ready-to-wear. Photo: Getty
Claudia Schiffer in Atelier Versace, fall 1996 couture. Photo: Getty
Carla Bruni in Balmain, spring 1996 couture. Photo: Getty
Karen Mulder, Cindy Crawford, and Eva Herzigova in Hervé Léger, spring 1996. Photo: Getty
Paris Hilton, 2001 Photo: Instagram.com
Miley Cyrus in Moschino, 2014. Photo: Instagram.com
Moschino, spring 2015 ready-to-wear
Moschino, spring 2015 ready-to-wear
Moschino, spring 2015 ready-to-wear
Rihanna in Giambattista Valli, 2015. Photo: Instagram.com
Moschino, fall 2019 ready-to-wear. Photo: GoRunway
Kacey Musgraves as Barbie in Moschino at the 2019 Met gala. Photo: Getty
Originally published in Vogue.com
