It’s no surprise that Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world. Paris is famous for its food, wine and of course fashion. But it took until early 2016 for the most fashionable icon in the world to make a visit to the City of Light……..
Barbie, of course!
I stumbled upon this exhibition by accident when I made a visit to the Les Arts Decoratifs museum on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris earlier this year. An exhibition showcase of the evolution of Barbie, from her inception to now.
Born in 1959 the iconic doll was created by Ruth Handler who was inspired while watching her own daughter play with paper dolls. Young girls had been playing with paper dolls since the 19th century. But Ruth discovered that young girls now wanted a role model that could help them grow up to have a career not just as the traditional mother and wife.
So Barbie was born, a three-dimensional inspiring young career woman named after her own daughter Barbara. Barbie has since become an ageless fashion icon to young girls across the globe. Barbie has had many careers over her life including a student, nurse, fitness instructor, tennis player, business woman and flight attendant. All up the exhibition will show that Barbie has had approximately 150 career changes. She was even an astronaut before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon!
Over the years, fashion designers have fallen over each other to have Barbie model their designs. These include Dolce and Gabbana and Louis Vuitton.
The exhibition is a moment to step back in time and reflect on the different faces of Barbie and how she has inspired several generations of young women to pursue their dream career and live an independent life.
Of course, Paris is the perfect place to dream.
