Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on what Barbie's shoes tell us about women's choices

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

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10d ago 3:59

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What do you get when a group of podiatrists team up with a Barbie doll collector? A research paper published in the journal PLOS ONE that looks into 65 years of Barbie history.

The idea started when one of the authors was watching the 2023 Barbie movie. In it, there was a scene when Barbie steps out of her high heels and her feet flatten for the first time. For those of us who grew up with Barbie, we know that her feet used to be in a permanent tip-toe position. The researchers found a Barbie collector and analysed 2750 of their Barbie dolls from her debut in 1959 to June 2024 with a specific tool designed to measure foot posture of the doll.

They found that over the decades Barbie has moved from a world of endless stilettos to one where flats are more common, especially when she’s on a job.

Just like many women today, Barbie now 'chooses' her shoes based on what she needs to do. If she's skateboarding, working as an astronaut, or heading to a medical shift, it's flats all the way. But when it's time to party, those heels come back out.

In the 1960s, all Barbies stood on tip-toes, ready for a night out. But by the 2020s, only 40 percent of Barbies had that high-heel-ready posture.

That change aligns with Barbie’s expanding résumé. From being an astronaut in 1965 to a surgeon, Barbie has boldly entered fields once dominated by men.

As women gained more workplace rights and opportunities, so did Barbie. In fact, by 2024, 33 percent of Barbies represent real-world jobs. And with that shift came new footwear more functional, more stable, and more diverse.

The study found that Barbie’s foot posture reflected more than just job roles. It mirrored broader changes in representation and inclusion.

For example, Barbie dolls with prosthetic limbs wore flat shoes to reflect stability, but intriguingly, some dolls in wheelchairs still wore high heels, reminding us that fashion and function can coexist, and that breaking stereotypes isn’t always about ditching glamour.

The topic of high heels often comes with warnings - about bunions, knee pain, back problems. But here's the twist: these issues are also common in people who don’t wear heels. And most research into high-heel risks involves people who rarely wear them or wear them during high-impact activities.

There’s a lot we don’t know about the long-term effects of regularly wearing high heels. What we do know is this: they slow your walking pace and challenge your balance. But risk varies depending on heel height, shoe design, and individual lifestyle.

Ultimately, Barbie reflects us. She's not just a plastic fashionista, she's a cultural mirror. Her shift from stilettos to flats isn’t about turning her back on glamour. It’s about making purposeful choices.

Barbie wears heels when she’s feeling fabulous, and sneakers when she’s saving the world. And maybe that’s the real message here: women can and do make thoughtful decisions about their footwear based on comfort, identity, and function.

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