Twenty-two-year-old Sofi Yazachew tried the Barbie ponytail months before the craze over the film started. “I’ve always been a mega fan, so whenever I do my hair it will always reflect something to do with her,” she says.
However, some are slightly newer devotees. With the new Barbie film – starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig, hitting screens next week – Barbie-inspired style has boomed. From collaborations with Crocs and Aldo, to searches for “Barbie-inspired outfit” up 600%, magenta mini dresses and rose-coloured heels are swishing firmly into the spotlight.
But it’s Barbie’s hair that is most interesting, at least to me. High, slick Barbie ponytails have evolved over the years with small tweaks, but their inspiration is still very much focused on the original doll – and mostly on caucasian hair types.
The first Barbie doll, released in 1959, featured a ponytail with bumped ends and a mullet-like fringe (pictured above). Margot Robbie was shown in one trailer with a revised version of the original look: a sleek half-up, half-down do and a braided low ponytail with a Barbie twist. “The Barbie ponytail we are seeing now is a playful look on a classic up-do, so the tail itself has a bit more swing,” says celebrity hairstylist Pete Burkill, whose clients include Kylie Minogue.
Since the trailer was released, searches for “Barbie ponytail” have shot up, according to Pinterest’s Tom Spratt. Data from the image-sharing site from January to April captures the demand, with searches of “Barbie ponytail” increasing by 190%.
Elsewhere, videos with the hashtag #barbiedollponytail on TikTok have had more than 410m views, while celebrities such as Lizzo and Millie Bobby Brown are championing it, both on and off stage.
This hype has caused the Barbie ponytail to inspire new variations. These include the side-swoop pony (where hair is parted to the side in an arch like shape, framing the face) a tightly slicked-back pony, and another with dramatic edges with baby hairs styled artistically around the hairline.
“The most popular look for summer 2023 is ensuring to flick out the ends of your hair for full Barbie effect,” says Burkill.
But is this an inclusive trend? Throughout the years, Barbie has grappled with accusations of promoting a lack of diversity, andpushing unhealthy societal stereotypes about desirability. (In response, manufacturer Mattel released a line of Barbies in 2016 that represented society today. Its chief brand officer at the time, Juliana Chung, said: “We changed Barbie’s shape. We changed her look. But we wanted Barbie to be reflective of society, so that all girls around the world could relate to this character.”)
Rihanna with a high ponytail. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
Meanwhile, hair segregation and discrimination has historically been a universal proble in a fashion industry that is often focused on models of European origin.
As for the Barbie ponytail, it is typically easier to recreate on caucasian hair because it’s easier to mould, with fewer curls. However, many women of colour have decided to try it nonetheless. TikTok user Jaymme Lassey decided to get a Barbie ponytail for her 23rd birthday party. “I wasn’t sure if the ponytail would look nice or damage my curls as I have 4c hair [the tightest curl type],” she says. “But when I searched the hashtag on Twitter I saw so many Black girls getting it done, so I was sold.”
Lassey advocates for TikTok as a positive force for changing stereotypes about the versatility of certain hairstyles. “I always thought if I had to straighten my hair it would get damaged and so I automatically excluded myself from what I thought were Eurocentric hairstyles. But the Barbie pony taught me that this wasn’t the case”.
As brand Barbie enters into a new era of championing inclusion (the film features “dolls” of many different races and body types), the hair trend has followed suit. Specifically, embellished and creative spins on the Barbie ponytail by Black users have gone viral on TikTok.
Of course it isn’t the first time that Black celebrities have sported similar styles (at a Fenty Beauty event last year, Rihanna paired her pony with a custom Coperni outfit which celebrated her baby bump), but it does feel significant that it is part of a wider hair trend from which Black hair may have once been excluded.
The hair stylist and forecaster Tom Smith says the look has surged thanks to its simplicity. “When something incredibly simple and practical becomes fashionable it is massively attractive for many,” he says. “So often, following fashion trends or self care routines mean extra work and learning new skills – for the vast majority, a ponytail is doable.”
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