Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. While I loved the newly added introduction exploring the recent impact of the Barbie movie on society, the rest of the book felt a bit dated to me (and was originally published in 1994), and I couldn’t get into it. I think it would be interesting if the whole book was retold through a more modernized lens.

Thank you to M.G. Lord, Dreamscape Media, & NetGalley for the audio ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book is so much more than just a biography, it's a deep dive into just how much of an impact Barbie has had on society since her debut sixty years ago! Barbie has become so much more than just a toy over the years, such as a symbol of femininity, feminism, and everything in between.

We all know Barbie as a huge success, so I appreciated the author including the less glamorous parts of her history, too. Not everything will work! While this book is undoubtedly very well-researched, it is a bit dry in some parts. Overall, though, this read offers a neat view into the economic, social, and emotional impact of one of the world's most iconic toys.

I enjoy reading about this history of popular culture, so this was right up by alley. Although the original content was a bit dated, an excellent new introduction brought it all up to date following the recent Barbie movie. Definitely worth a listen.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF - When starting this audiobook I didn't realize that the book was originally published in 1994, the year I was finally allowed to own my first Barbie doll (my parents wanted me to be able to change her clothes myself so they wouldn't constantly be doing it for me, so the rule allowed my fine motor skills to develop but it was TORTURE!!!).

The new preface was fascinating. It covered the recent history of Barbie gaining different body types and had a great tribute to Greta Gerwig's 2023 Barbie film, claiming she was Barbie's "new best friend." The first section of the book made me wonder if Gerwig had read it in her research. M.G. Lord shared themes included in the 2023 film such as Barbie's world being completely matriarchal and Ken being merely an accessory.

While the book had a lot of interesting history, some of the claims M.G. Lord made were too far-fetched for me. Comparing Barbie to ancient Egyptian burial dolls and claiming workout trends of the 90s were driven by the goal to have firm legs like Barbie...was just too much. Maybe it would have been different in print form with sources.

As the title suggests, this is a cultural history of the Barbie doll, its influences, and impact. This is a reprint of a 1994 book with a new introduction, but no part of it feels dated. It's well-researched and entertaining, and as relevant today as it ever was.

I’m a nonfiction nerd, especially on audio. REALLY enjoyed the forward focusing on the Barbie movie, overall though, this book felt aged. It was originally published in the 90s and some more modern updates would have been fun. Still super interesting, though.

This book started off strong with the new preface and I was so excited to get into it as a big Barbie fan (both as a child and as a renewed fan after the movie came out). After the preface though, I found it was a rollercoaster of interesting and boring information. That said, I think it was a “me problem” because I am not typically a nonfiction reader. To me, there was so much on how Barbie was created in the beginning and not nearly enough on her impact on society, which I think is the much more interesting side of the story. I know that this book was chronological, but man…it would’ve been such a smash for me if the society pieces were spread more heavily throughout the history pieces rather than just kind of popping up in the last minutes of each chapter. But, you can’t really go wrong with Barbie, so I still enjoyed this book enough and feel I know everything possible about her and her history.

This book provides an overview of Barbie's history, from its creation by Ruth Handler to its current cultural significance. While it offers interesting insights, it doesn't delve deeply into criticisms of Barbie, often dismissing them. Despite this, it remains an enjoyable read for Barbie enthusiasts, offering a light-hearted celebration of the iconic doll.

All in all, I enjoyed it!!! Barbie fans will love it for sure!!!

Love this book from the beginning to end love the audio to it love the story behind Barbie and the years in between and I love everything that the story offered about Barbie and the different types of dolls they offered and what they didn't and and reality and all this into that and how the Creator created a iconic Barbie that we still use today I highly recommend this book to anybody who would like Barbies and wants to know the story behind it this was an uplifting and I couldn't stop reading it and I loved it so much that I will probably read it again or listen to again in your future.

A witty and intelligent analysis of this history of Barbie, why the world loves (and loves to hate) her. From the first time her perfectly pointed toes touched down in Malibu, to the feminist critic of her impact on the psyche of the generations of the women and men obsessed with her.

Forever Barbie is more than Barbies "Unauthorized Biography," M. G. Lord discusses Barbie's impact on the world. Not just in the playrooms of girls for generations, but how Barbie has impacted styles, gender norms, feminist ideologies, capitalism, journalism, and gobal toy marketing, just to name a few subject. Forever Barbie proves that Barbie remains the doll that can do it all.

I thought this was an all-new book-- turns out it's a revised edition. I thought the new analysis about the Barbie movie was pretty on point, and the original text itself was very well-researched.

I loved so much about this book. The deep dive in to history. The unpacking of assumptions. The deep deep through studying and research that clearly went into telling this story.
It had all the makings of a perfect non-fiction book but it lacked the heart that I wanted from a book about Barbie. I think some of the takeaways were forced, some of the assumptions were left to fester and ultimately I just needed like 5% less facts and 5% more passion from the author. Which I totally get is an unfair ask in a nonfiction book, but I love when an author makes me care! And the opposite happened here. I went in fully invested and left caring less than I did to start.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This edition of the book officially publishes on 5/7/24!

For me, listening to this book was the way to go. As a fact-heavy non-fiction book, I could definitely see myself getting bored of it if read instead of listened, which likely would have impacted my rating. However, listening to this book gave it an almost podcast-like feel, which I enjoyed. While listening, I was mildly upset to hear that this was a re-release of an older book, and it appears that the facts in this book were largely comprised of information gathered in the 1990s and earlier with the exception of the first part. As a reader/listener, I definitely would have liked to hear if the contents of this book still apply in contemporary society or how it changed over time. Despite that, I would recommend giving this one a listen if you are a Barbie fan interested in her history!

I was expecting a breezy history of Barbie, but this book really includes some in-depth psychoanalytic theory and history. I appreciated the deeper look at Barbie's symbolism as a both a cultural object and an individual experience. It definitely feels uncomfortable to think of Barbie as something with connections to, for example, ancient fertility sculptures, but it was also helpful in placing her in a larger context of our views of the feminine vs. femininity vs. womanhood. This book made me want to pull my Barbies out of my parents' attic and take a closer look at them and remember how I personally played with them and dressed them and acted out their roles! A great read, especially if Barbies were a big part of your childhood toy buffet.

If you also watched the Barbie movie and couldn't stop thinking about it, you need to check this out. I read Forever Barbie as an audiobook, which I would highly recommend. This book follows the social, historical, and sociological context around Barbie. I seriously enjoyed this.

So grateful to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC!

Love her or hate her, we all know Barbie. With the movie catapulting her to the top of the zeitgeist last year, this nonfiction released a 30th anniversary edition with additional content.

Lord’s writing is a mix of intellectual and snark. The narrator, Robin Weigart, strikes the perfect balance, adding just enough personality to incorporate Lord’s dry wit but maintaining an even delivery that works for the more academic information. It occasionally gave me flashbacks to my sociology classes in undergrad.

The depth and breadth of it all was staggering. Lord dug deep to find both the history and cultural impact of Barbie and her friends. Being the unauthorized biography let Lord cover it all. Handler’s second career in mastectomy prosthetics? What got Handler in trouble with the law? Sex, art, body modification, race, politics? She covers it all.

Because the history hasn’t changed, it’s all relevant and interesting. I wish Lord had the time to give the last 30 years the same deep dive as the original text. It was fun, fascinating, and a little weird (Looking at you chapter 10).

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and to NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook.

This book was really fun and informative. Apparently, this is an updated version of the book that was originally published in int 1990's. With the surge of the popularity of Barbie (in large part due to the movie) this book was a fun read.

I listened to this as an audiobook and really enjoyed it.

Forever Barbie started off enjoyable and gave insightful and informative history on the iconic Barbie Doll. The preface was the only thing updated in this edition from the original 1994 publication. After the first third of the book, it got very monotonous and overwhelming. The delivery was dry and I found it tiresome trying to get through the rest of the overly in-depth research; it was too long and a lot of the information was unnecessary.

Narration by Robin Weigart was fairly smooth and she portrayed the author’s voice well.

I would recommend Forever Barbie to true Barbie fans that want a deeper, detailed look into her history.

Thank you Dreamscape Media, author M. G. Lord, and NetGalley for this Advanced Listening Copy.

This was 3.5 stars for me, rounded up to 4! After how much the Barbie movie blew up, I was curious to read about the history of the doll. I believe this was originally published in 1994 but is now being re-released with some changes. It seems to be a pretty comprehensive look at the history of Barbie and the way she has both influenced, and been influenced by, society over the years. Naturally not every aspect of that history is going to appeal to everyone-- I found the financial history of Matel particularly dull, and the talk of collectors and conventions wasn't interesting either. But I think there are some interesting insights into Barbie's intersection with feminism, for example the idea that mothers' reactions to Barbie have affected young girls' body images more than just Barbie herself. One thing I need to comment on though is that the actual Barbie movie was mentioned maybe one time in the introduction. It seems there's been a whole resurgence in Barbie's popularity that can be attributed to that movie, hence the re-release of even this book, so not including a discussion of that felt a bit like taking the easy way out of not wanting to comment on something current. I'm not quite sure what the point of this re-release is, if not to add commentary over a huge development.

I must admit, I stopped reading after getting throug the first 25% of the book. Not because it wasn't good and very informative. It just wasn't for me and turns out, Im not that investing in learning more about Barbie than what the first 20% was able to provide. That being said I would highly recommend the book. The tone of voice in the book was great and funny. It was easy to get through even the more technical chapters and the narrator was also great.
I liked the author taking a critical lense to Barbie and how they maintained a balanced narrative of the doll and the concept that Barbie has become. She explicitly discusses the feminist rhetoric around Barbie and weighs the pros and cons while trying to maintain a distanced and critical lense to the whole debate. I really appreciated that and she helped me reframe my own view on this massive phenomena that is Barbie.