Bridgerton's Shonda Rhimes releases Black Barbie documentary
Love Good Housekeeping and want more of our Triple-Tested recipes, home tips, fashion inspiration, essential consumer advice and so much more delivered to your inbox? Sign up to our FREE weekly newsletters, sit back and enjoy!
Bridgerton producer Shonda Rhimes has released a new documentary which charts a pivotal moment of Barbie history.
Black Barbie (which is available to stream on Netflix) looks at the people behind, and the moments which led to, the launch of the first black Barbie doll, as well as the cultural significance of the release. The white, blue-eyed, blonde-haired Barbie was created in 1959 but it was another two decades before the first black Barbie arrived in 1980.
Netflix bills the show with the description, "Discover the untold story of the first Black Barbie and the pivotal role three trailblazing women at Mattel [the company behind Barbie] had in creating a doll who looked like them."
Last year, Greta Gerwig's blockbuster Barbie was a runaway success and starred Margot Robbie in the title role as the blonde 'stereotypical Barbie'.
Ken was played by Ryan Gosling and the film also starred America Ferrara as a mother and Mattel employee. Barbie was widely praised for its portrayal of the female experience, particularly with a poignant monologue from America's character.
Since its release, the Barbie brand has seen a huge resurgence in popularity and the latest Netflix documentary taps into an important moment in the doll's cultural history.
Shonda Rhimes is the executive producer of Black Barbie as well as of the ever-popular Netflix period drama, Bridgerton. The latest, much-anticipated series follows the love story of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
Black Barbie is available to stream on Netflix now.
You Might Also Like
