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Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll |  | Author: M. G. Lord
Publisher: Walker & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $13.00
Buy New: $4.01
as of 2/9/2010 05:56 CST details
You Save: $8.99 (69%)
New (32) Used (26) from $2.95
Seller: horizonbb
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 308160
Media: Paperback
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0802776949
Dewey Decimal Number: 688.7221
EAN: 9780802776945
ASIN: 0802776949
Publication Date: March 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Since Barbie's introduction in 1959, her impact on baby boomers has been revolutionary. Far from being a toy designed by men to enslave women, she was a toy invented by women to teach women what-- for better or worse-- was expected of them. In telling Barbie's fascinating story, cultural critic and investigative journalist M. G. Lord, herself a first-generation Barbie owner, has written a provocative, zany, occasionally shocking book that will change how you look at the doll and the world. M. G. Lord is an author and critic. Since 1995 she has been a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the New York Times Arts & Leisure section. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and ARTnews. She lives in Los Angeles. Since Barbie's introduction in 1959, her impact on baby boomers has been revolutionary. Far from being a toy designed by men to enslave women, she was a toy invented by women to teach women what—for better or worse—was expected of them. In telling Barbie's fascinating story, cultural critic and investigative journalist M. G. Lord, herself a first-generation Barbie owner, has written a provocative, zany, occasionally shocking book that will change how you look at the doll and the world. "Lord shrewdly uses the evolution of Barbie as a touchstone to chart the evolution of our modern culture."—People "Fascinating . . . compelling . . . A seriously wry, thoroughly researched and totally enlightened look at the doll that most of us either love or love to hate."—Newsday
"Scathing, hilarious . . . consistently informative and amusing."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Its mix of social history, psychoanalytical insights, and the Mattel marketing schemes that evoke them is told with wit, curiosity, and wry photos."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Terrific . . . A book that was dying to be written . . . A crisp, often witty love story of American pop culture."—The Boston Globe
"The author's enthusiasm is infectious and she writes with considerable wit . . . Her subject inspires passion."—The New York Times
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
 Some are writers, and some are *good* writers February 20, 2009
Billie Rae Bates (Washington, D.C.)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Though I read the book because I was interested in the subject matter and was doing research for a writing project of my own, what really struck me here was the talent of the writer. M.G. Lord is a rare combination for a writer. She has both the mechanics and the heart down-pat: She can construct a sentence or turn a phrase like nobody's business, AND she digs into and presents the most relevant content with good judgment. The broad array of cultural references at the tip of her consciousness alone is quite impressive. I enjoyed the book, and even laughed often at the edgy humor.
This Book Changed My Attitude About Barbies December 31, 2007
An Unfashionable Woman (San Diego, California)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I grew up thinking that Barbies were evil dolls that were part of the Establishment's plan to keep women in their place. I never had a Barbie and I only gave one to a child who specifically requested it. After reading this book I realized that I had been too hard on Barbies. They were part and parcel of our culture, not part of a plot. Just recently I read a "Best Toys for Children" review that still recommended dolls for girls and toy trucks for boys.
The author covers a tremendous range of Barbie-related material, and the book seems to have been well-researched, with many good references.
I began to wonder what it would have been like to have had a Barbie (instead of a working toy cannon), so after finishing the book I went to Toys R Us to see the current Barbies. Then I went to a thrift store.
There were dozens of Barbies at the thrift store, most of them hanging feet-up, naked in plastic sacks. I bought one of the few of them that was dressed and took it(her?) home. She (I haven't named her) has been sitting on the edge of the sofa all week. I am trying to get a feeling of what it is to own a Barbie doll. I look at her, but she just stares into the distance. I could not tell you if she is dreamy or disdainful. I get absolutely no "velveteen rabbit" emanations.
All I can think of is a poem I read long ago - Keat's "Ode On a Grecian Urn"*.
"She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
Forever will thou love, and she be fair!"
She is, I guess, what you make of her, and still reflects our culture.
*I looked it up.
A very good book for a rainy day May 16, 2006
Snapdragon (Someplace secret)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I know you think I am a little young for this book but trust me it's great! It's so good! I never looked at a Barbie the same way again! This is a must-have for Barbie fans! I like how she talked about how Barbie made African-Americans and American-Asians feel undermined what with not a lot of ethnic Barbies being sold now. I loved loved hearing about the collector things and the weird people who think Barbie is the most fabulous thing ever. She also covers feminism, society's messages towards women, anorexic stars, and rituals that seem to be incorporated into Barbie play. And she gives some neat background dirt on Mattel. He, he!
I did not like how she said the pregnant Midge doll was "icky". This book is cool with lots of photos and stories of interesting people and disturbing artists as well as the acessories made to make up for Ken's groin loss (lol) and the secret messages implanted in Barbie's accessories. I will never see Barbie as a cheap piece of skinny plastic anymore. Now, she is society in doll form. Believe it!
Wamina!
 Impressively skewed. September 29, 2005
Bart King (Portland, Oregon)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
On the one hand, this is an impressively researched book written with humor and intelligence. I'd love to see a new edition tracking some of the more recent developments in Barbie's empire. But some of Ms. Lord's arguments drift unpersuasively far into psycho-sexual realms. When she used an obscure 43 minute 1987 documentary as her three-page focus for the conflicting causes of eating disorders, she completely lost me.
Great book! May 20, 2004
Sorren Thujle (Cackalacka del Norte)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book isn't the next _war and peace_ nor was meant to be. Just like that dude J. Alfred Prufrock, it's good for swelling a crowd, and giving you something less-embarassing than watch television to do when you want to just relax. Analyzing pop culture, learning obscure facts about something I am vaguely ashamed of myself for being interested in in the first place . . . mmmmmmmm, pass the oreo ice cream, please. The author definitely shares my sheepish fascination with Barbie. His/her(?) text explores many aspects of our relationship with Barbie - as children, parents, adult women, queers, artists, etc., as well as a lot of very interesting background info on how she was created, the company who has promoted her over the years, and the toy industry in general. Holding my interest *without* getting so serious that I wished the book had come with a discussion section that met once a week, _Forever Barbie_ was like a long, interesting cultural-analysis chat with an amusing girlfriend. I would read it again in a few years or recommend it to friends . . .
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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