Barbie

Barbie No. 1 in the striped swimsuit, 1959 The look that started it all: a strapless black and white striped one-piece with black open-toe heels, worn by the teenage fashion model doll Mattel launched at the New York toy fair in 1959. A swimsuit was a clever opening outfit, because it presented Barbie as a figure to be dressed rather than a character in a fixed costume. That figure is also where the criticism begins: her proportions have long been attacked as too tall and too thin, with an outsize bust and almost no hips. The 2023 film opened by putting Margot Robbie in this exact outfit.