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Ever Wonder Where All Those Barbie Memes Are Coming From?
Building buzz ahead of the film
Warner Bros.’ upcoming Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, hits theaters on July 21.
Two weeks ago, the second teaser trailer came out. It features a slew of cameos, and, notably, multiple Barbies and Kens of diverse ethnic backgrounds and predilections.
The drop celebrates the hundreds of dolls that have come out since the toy’s 1959 release, while bringing a touch of nostalgia and universal relatability to the live-action film. In other words, it’s been social media catnip.
Here’s where you can generate your own Barbie and Ken memes like all the cool kids. The site automatically adjusts language and release date based on your region, so we got to be Italian Barbie for the day!
As an aside, it’s hard for us to talk about Barbie without mentioning her weird source of inspiration, who had one specific job (not hundreds). Lilli was a call-girl comic strip character in Germany; dolls were made as a sexual gag gift for men. Later, little girls started wanting Lillis too. The earliest Barbie was basically a Lilli clone.
None of this is meant to be a knock on Barbie or Lilli. The doll we know best has come a long way indeed. As lifetime Greta Gerwig fans, we can’t wait to see all those Kens beach each other off.
Angela Natividad is the European markets editor at Muse by Clio. She also writes about gaming and fashion, and whatever else she’s interested in, really. She’s based in Paris and North Italy, so if you’re local, say hi. She might eat all your food.
