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BY LILY FEINN
Most of us have fond memories of playing with Barbie and having in-depth imaginary conversations. But with the newly released Hello Barbie, we don’t have to imagine anymore. This Barbie is actually programmed to communicate with its users and can you guess what would happen when (finally) women ask Barbie questions about feminism? Barbie with her bright eyes and permanently arched feet has held down a lot of careers over the years—she probably has a lot to say about the patriarchy, right? BuzzFeed got their hands on the new doll and asked it a few hard-hitting questions.
Hello Barbie isn’t your average talking doll where you pull a string and it says a few pre-recorded phrases. This Barbie is programmed to engage with users by way of mobile app. This high-tech toy retails for $74.99, and is WiFi-enabled. She picks up the questions, which are then processed through speech-recognition software, and replies using one of her 8,000 pre-programmed responses. With so much to say, surely Barbie must have some insight on the glass ceiling or leaning in! The smart ladies at BuzzFeed gave it a whirl and were less-than-satisfied with Barbie’s conversation. Barbie is almost 57-years-old and it seems all she wants to gab about is fashion, breakfast, and dream journals. What about the wage gap, Barbie? When asked, Barbie excitedly replied, “I love it!”
Sigh. (Or maybe the sarcasm is just that strong.)
So what are some of Barbie’s other thoughts on these hot-button issues?
When asked about “second-wave feminism”
Not quite the answer to the question. But it’s no surprise Barbie wants to talk about cereal—did anybody think to feed this poor woman before the interview?
When asked what she thought about the fact that we’ve never had a female president
I know Barbie, I know. It’s hard for me to believe, too.
When asked if women can have it all
To check out the entire experiment and all of Barbie’s insights, see the full video below. I, for one, think Barbie needs to be programmed with a few more phrases about gender inequality!
More from Bustle:
- The most used word on Match in 2015 was…
- How many married people think about divorce
- This is the most body positive calendar for 2016
Image via charmschoolbarbieclose/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
