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6+ Works 407 Membros 8 Críticas

About the Author

M.G. Lord is an acclaimed cultural critic and investigative journalist, and the author of the widely praised books Forever Barbie and Astro Turf. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the Times's Arts Leisure section, and her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Vogue, mostrar mais the Walt Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, Newsday, the Hollywood Reporter, Artforum, and many other publications. She teaches at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles. mostrar menos

Obras por M. G. Lord

Associated Works

The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty (1999) — Contribuidor — 105 exemplares
We Wear the Mask: 15 True Stories of Passing in America (2017) — Contribuidor — 90 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
female
Educação
Yale University

Membros

Críticas

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Liveright) for promotional purposes.

What an insightful look into the world of Barbie!

This book was originally published in the 90s, but this edition has a new preface which does discuss the Barbie movie. In the preface, the author also discusses that she left the book unchanged so it’s a large reflection of the 90s.

The title states this book is an “unauthorized biography,” however, only the first few chapters feel like a biography. If you are looking to read a comprehensive history on Barbie, this book isn’t it. This book offers a lot of commentary on Barbie and people’s complicated relationship with her. Some of it feels a little out there (like The White Goddess chapter that discusses how Barbie is similar to ancient fertility idols), but there were a lot of interesting ideas presented (I really liked the discussion on Barbie and class mobility). The book also discussed things I never knew about like the Barbie board games, books, and comics from way back in the day.

I liked that this book had a concluding chapter. I always hate it when nonfiction books don’t have one. My biggest takeaway from this book came from this chapter. The author writes, “People project fears and prejudices into her; when a person talks at length about Barbie, one usually learns more about the speaker than about the doll” (pg. 264). That is so true. Barbie has never been the enemy, people just project their owns ideas and feelings onto her.

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re looking to explore Barbie on a deeper level and don’t mind the 90s influence.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
oddandbookish | 4 outras críticas | Mar 12, 2024 |
Pop culture and unintentional sexuality keep this book moving along. Or maybe it was intentional, the way the doll was first made with a submissive "down and to the side" glance on her face, then changed to Barbie looking straight ahead.

I never had any such thoughts while playing with my Barbies. I enjoyed them; wonder what that says about me?
 
Assinalado
kwskultety | 4 outras críticas | Jul 4, 2023 |
What a joy to read. M.G. Lord takes on Barbie reflecting on her own experiences with the doll in childhood, the feelings it continues to inspire, and talks to key figures in the creation of Barbie, Mattel, and fandom. She delves into sensitive subjects, but, if anything, the doll gets off light in the end.

No matter. All I needed was her vicious read on Barbie's best friend Midge and her "competition", Tammy, to give this book all the stars.
½
 
Assinalado
ManWithAnAgenda | 4 outras críticas | Nov 9, 2021 |
This is not a monograph, a thick tome dedicated to polysyllabic theory. Nor is it a gambol through fan-mag chaff masquerading as a serious thesis. This is a way of looking at the work of a woman best known in her time as lascivious and heroically loyal, as wanton as she was generous. At its best, it is a refreshing way of seeing the "place" of this woman and women in general during Elizabeth Taylor's life and a fascinating re-examination of her films. (An interesting subtext is the reaction of some women readers who - presumably because of Taylor's beauty, fame and body of work - feel she is unworthy of being thought of as a feminist.)… (mais)
½
1 vote
Assinalado
Lemeritus | Jun 10, 2021 |

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Associated Authors

Estatísticas

Obras
6
Also by
2
Membros
407
Popularidade
#59,758
Avaliação
½ 3.7
Críticas
8
ISBN
18
Línguas
1

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