Julia Parrick
Pronouns: She / Her / Hers
BFA Graphic Design
Artist Statement
Critics of Barbie tend to point out the socialite standards that Barbie adheres to, rather than the ones she breaks. Obviously Barbie is a plastic doll, and yes, she does adhere to an unrealistic beauty standard, but she didn't invent that standard. Barbie is perceived and judged by society in a way that is similar to how women are treated in our current patriarchal system.
At her infancy Barbie was forced to follow these gender and beauty rules in order to be a sellable product. Over the years as the world has become more inclusive, and thus so could Barbie. The More Than a Doll exhibit is meant to make viewers question whether or not they have mis-judged Barbie and to answer the age old questions: "Is Barbie a good role model?" and "Is Barbie a feminist?"
View the More Than a Doll process here.
View more of Julia's work here.
IMAGE GALLERY: MORE THAN A DOLL
Click through to enlarge and view individual artworks from Julia's thesis project.
