With almost half a million followers on Instagram Trophy Wife Barbie is changing the way we think and talk about this iconic doll. The brainchild masterpiece of South African born Visual Artist, Annelies Hofmeyr, is far removed from the idyllic image of perfect beauty that has characterized Barbie for over half a century. Hofmeyr’s, perpetually menstruating, pimple popping, pot smoking, beer gulping, and unapologetic antler wearing Barbie is layered with meaning—the symbolic antlers represent the experience of being viewed as a hunting trophy because of one’s physical appearance, gender, sexuality and age.
She is a firm believer that art disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed; A powerful mindset that has allowed the artist to defy taboos and challenge the oppression of labels through the exploration of gender issues and the modern female identity.
TWB invites us to consider what might happen if we focus on the things we have in common, rather than fear the things that make us different. Precisely because of how much we share in common we approached Hofmeyr to collaborate on some fun visuals. We got the opportunity to chat with the artist and discuss her creative process, censorship and the role of toys in developing identity.
Trophy Wife Barbie started as a visual pun – I had mounted a Barbie head like a hunting trophy and started thinking about how women are seen. For the Instagram project, I wanted to highlight the limitations of labels and question what might happen if we focused more on what we have in common than what makes us different. Visually, this is done by giving a typical blonde Barbie antlers – a physical representation of a label imposed on her based on her appearance – and putting her in everyday situations to make her more relatable.
I think the main role of toys should always be to facilitate play. We learn through play. Expecting toys (or TV or social media) to provide the structure for the development of healthy self-image is not healthy or realistic. Identity is complex and nuanced. We learn about it in our family environment and the society we grow up in. I do, however, believe toys can offer the opportunity to facilitate interesting discussions. They have also long been used in various therapies.
I see tremendous value in being able to laugh at something – it means we’re able to look at it objectively, a healthy way to deal with anything.
For me the difference lies in being clear about who it’s for. Being provocative for the sake of attention but lacking any depth seems like an ego-driven activity to me. When you’re clear about the idea you want to spread, it’s generous to do it in a way that is thought-provoking because you’re giving your audience something to consider, and if you’re lucky, something to talk about with others.
When a parent says do as I say without there being room for discussion, a child quickly learns to hide the punishable activity. I think censorship has forced people to be more creative in how they express their ideas. To me, being shut down has always highlighted what topics still make people uncomfortable and therefore need to be talked about more.
Keep doing what you’re doing! What a privilege to have your message in people’s houses, facilitating interesting discussions. I can’t wait to see what you get up to next!
All images courtesy of Trophy Wife Barbie
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Unexpected stories about genis told by neudies.
Unexpected stories about genis
told by neudies.
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