After the meteoric success of the Barbie movie last summer, we are super excited about Netflix’s Black Barbie documentary, which is out next month.
From Shondaland, the company that brought us Bridgerton and Inventing Anna, and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes herself, the documentary will explore the campaign for a Black Barbie and the journey so many women went on ensure it was made.
Looking at much more than just the impact of a doll on the world, it looks at the importance of representation in the workplace. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Netflix’s Black Barbie documentary about?
In short, it’s about the process that three women went through while producing and releasing a Black Barbie doll at toy manufacturer Mattel back in the 1970s.
According to a Netflix synopsis, it “explores the impact of three Black women at Mattel responsible for the Black Barbie debut in 1980: Beulah Mae Mitchell [the documentary’s director, Lagueria Davis, is her niece], Kitty Black Perkins, and Stacey McBride Irby.
“Through insider interviews and charismatic retellings of what went down at Mattel in the days leading up to Black Barbie’s debut, the documentary examines the importance of true representation—and how dolls aren’t just dolls, but childhood symbols that can be crucial to identity formation and imagination.”
Courtesy of Linlay Productions
Beulah’s campaign for a Black Barbie began in the early 1960s, a few years after she began working at Mattel. It took 20 years for her dream to be realize, after designer Kitty Black Perkins joined the ranks, who based the doll on Diana Ross. Next, Kitty hired doll designer Stacey McBride Irby to work on the project.
All three women in the documentary make clear the importance of representation not just in the world of dolls, and the impact this can have on children and who they grow up to be, but also representation in the workplace.
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