Barbie’s Getting a Makeover From Beyonce’s Stylist

Share

Explore Our Galleries

A man stands in front of the Djingareyber mosque on February 4, 2016 in Timbuktu, central Mali. 
Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu on February 4 celebrated the recovery of its historic mausoleums, destroyed during an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and rebuilt thanks to UN cultural agency UNESCO.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SEBASTIEN RIEUSSEC / AFP / SÉBASTIEN RIEUSSEC
African Peoples Before Captivity
Shackles from Slave Ship Henrietta Marie
Kidnapped: The Middle Passage
Enslaved family picking cotton
Nearly Three Centuries Of Enslavement
Image of the first black members of Congress
Reconstruction: A Brief Glimpse of Freedom
The Lynching of Laura Nelson_May_1911 200x200
One Hundred Years of Jim Crow
Civil Rights protest in Alabama
I Am Somebody! The Struggle for Justice
Black Lives Matter movement
NOW: Free At Last?
#15-Beitler photo best TF reduced size
Memorial to the Victims of Lynching
hands raised black background
The Freedom-Lovers’ Roll Call Wall
Frozen custard in Milwaukee's Bronzeville
Special Exhibits
Dr. James Cameron
Portraiture of Resistance

Breaking News!

Today's news and culture by Black and other reporters in the Black and mainstream media.

Ways to Support ABHM?

By Angela Johnson, The Root

Barbie’s global Instagram platform will be lit up with looks today from award-winning costume designer and stylist Zerina Akers

Some of Akers’ Barbie designs debuted on Instagram (Mattel)

Since 1959, Barbie has always been synonomous with style. Who could forget the leg warmers in the 80s and the Totally Hair Barbies of the 90s. Now, nearly 65 years after she first hit the market, Barbie is joining forces with Emmy Award-winning costume designer and stylist Zerina Akers for another seriously stylish makeover.

Closing out Black History Month, the Akers-Barbie collab is an editorial-style series that celebrates representation and reflects Barbie as an icon through the lens of Black culture. The collection drops today in a series of posts on Barbie’s global Instagram platform @BarbieStyle.

[…]

[W]hile she’s worked with some of the hottest stars, the opportunity to dress the iconic doll, was like a dream fulfilled.

“Partnering with Barbie and getting to dress yet another icon is such a full circle moment for me—Barbie and Mattel were such a huge part of my childhood and are so nostalgic for me. I’m so excited to reimagine Barbie’s style and help inspire the next generation of fashionistas to dream big!” Akers said.

Learn more about the designer or check out the images.

Representation like this helps combat the micro-aggressions Black Americans face, a consequence of racism.

More breaking news ere

.

Comments Are Welcome

Note: We moderate submissions in order to create a space for meaningful dialogue, a space where museum visitors – adults and youth –– can exchange informed, thoughtful, and relevant comments that add value to our exhibits.

Racial slurs, personal attacks, obscenity, profanity, and SHOUTING do not meet the above standard. Such comments are posted in the exhibit Hateful Speech. Commercial promotions, impersonations, and incoherent comments likewise fail to meet our goals, so will not be posted. Submissions longer than 120 words will be shortened.

See our full Comments Policy here.

Leave a Comment