Think pink! Barbiecore – the newest trend of the summer – has us dipping into the depths of our wardrobe to find our all-pink outfits, (the hotter the better). This is in lieu of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which hit cinemas on July 21st (in case you missed it).
The film has swept social media, with Barbie’s genius marketing team collaborating with several brands including fast food chain Burger King and footwear brand Crocs. All of them have a common denominator – the iconic Barbie pink!
Not only that, the cast of the Gerwig film have been feeling their pink Barbie fantasy in their press tour. Notably, Margot Robbie, who plays the iconic Mattel doll, has been wearing nearly identical recreations of iconic outfits from the doll.
Barbiecore On Set
On set it seems like Robbie herself has been dipping into the Barbiecore trend. In a recent interview with People, Ryan Gosling said that Robbie instilled ‘pink day’. On the set, everyone had to wear pink on Wednesdays (derived from the iconic mean girls quote – on Wednesdays we wear pink). If the cast members failed to show up to the set dipped in pink, Robbie would hand out ‘fines’ to them and donate the money to charity.
Gosling said: “Margot had this pink day once a week, where everyone had to wear something pink. And if you didn’t, you were fined,” he said. “She would go around collecting the fines, and she would donate it to a charity.”
At these premieres, cast members and celebrities have looked like they’ve walked out of the Malibu Dream House. Barbie album artist Dua Lipa dressed in a multi-colored, glittery Versace dress. Chicken Shop Date Amelia Dimoldenburg dressed in a recreation of 2011 news anchor Barbie at the London premiere of the film.
Although the actor’s strike ended the press tour early, the cast of the film joined the SAG – AFTRA actor’s strike which effectively ended the promotion of the film. The looks from the press tour have fulfilled our dream Barbie fantasy.
According to Architectural Digest, Barbie production designer Sarah Greenwood said that “the world ran out of pink” as the construction caused an international run of the magenta shade.
Barbie isn’t the only one to blame for our recent love of all things pink. Pink was 2022’s hottest trend. Valentino sparked the love for pink on the runway with its Pink PP Fall/Winter 2022/2023 collection. This collection was entirely pink and black and it was designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Barbie’s History
So why is pink so significant for Barbie? Why is pink synonymous with the Barbie brand?
Taking you back in time, originally Barbie didn’t have the all-pink marketing that we know today. In the 50s and the 60s, the Mattel doll was pushed towards adolescent girls. In the 70s, Mattel marketed the doll to young girls and pink was used as the brand’s identity. Barbie Pink was born! Mattel even has a copyrighted shade: Pantone Barbie Pink.
The doll is marketed to have a perfect life. She has the perfect car, the dream house and – of course – Ken. For many years Barbie was criticised for placing a standard on women and conforming to the male gaze – all the girls want to be her, and all the guys want her vibe. However, Gerwigs take on Barbie is said to have more of a feminist standpoint.
For most, Barbiecore is nostalgic. Barbie has helped us tap into our playful, inner child, fun self and it hasn’t come at a better time. Post-pandemic is all about injecting light and escaping the nuances of life. We’ve seen this recently with the dopamine dressing trend which is all about dressing for your own happiness. Barbiecore is following suit!
Barbiecore’s Popularity
The trend gained 621.7 million views on TikTok with various videos showcasing the fashion, beauty, nails, and hair inspired by the movie. Many fans and influencers have taken to social media to showcase what they’ll be wearing to go see the movie. TikTok user off-trend has a video on how to get the Barbiecore look.
@offtrendhq It’s Barbie’s world, and we’re all living in it ? ✨ #barbie #barbiemovie #barbiemovie2023 #margotrobbie #emmamackey #gretagerwig #barbiecore #trendprediction #aesthetic #trendforecasting ♬ som original – jules
The trend isn’t a new trend, our Y2K mothers like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and the mean girls cast were donning the trend back in the 00s. And with Gerwig’s film, the buzz for Barbie has resurged.
The trend is all about adding pink to your wardrobe. Yassifying your wardrobe in a fun playful manner with pops of pink accessories or pink makeup. So don’t worry you don’t have to be serving iconic recreations like Margot Robbie, a pink top or pink boots will suffice! The trend is about feeling the fun and playfulness and feeling good!
Many high street brands have brought out their own Barbie lines, with the Barbie logo and the hot pink hue of course! Zara namely has brought us a Barbie line. Moreover, with the collaborations from this movie, It is clear that there is something for everyone to celebrate Barbie and feed into Barbiecore.
