UWC2101F: Writing & Critical Thinking: Aesthetic Transformation

Norliza Sharifuddin
UWC2101F GP2 Paper 2
Dr. Julia Gardner
23rd September 2002

Blonde, blue-eyed and with a figure to die for, Barbie has transcended time, competition from other dolls and has become an icon. She is easily the most recognizable and most popular doll in the world. She is also a commodity that is loaded with ideology; Barbie's beauty raises questions on femininity, sexuality, racialization and consumerism. With that in mind, we can see Tan Pin Pin's "Microwave" as more than just a reaction against cuteness; more significantly, it can be viewed as a reaction against the ideology that Barbie perpetuates.

With the help of Lori Merish's article, "Cuteness and Commodity Aesthetics: Tom Thumb and Shirley Temple", the connection between Barbie and issues like racialization, femininity, sexuality and consumerism becomes even more apparent. In her article, Merish uses Shirley Temple, who was a well-known child star, as an example to illustrate these points. In some ways, Shirley was a real-life Barbie doll. Her popularity can be attributed to her halo of blonde curls, her blue eyes and innocent demeanour. Yet her cuteness cloaked issues regarding race, consumerism and sexuality and makes us question the functions of cuteness.

In her article, Merish quotes Toni Morrison who claims that "cuteness is a culturally-marked aesthetic: specifically, the 'cute' is an aesthetic marked by race, class, and gender, as well by sexuality." (185); Barbie is a perfect example of this; her appearance shows us the link between her beauty and the issues brought up by Morrison. Racialization is clearly seen in her blonde hair and blue eyes which are features of a Caucasian woman. Her perfect figure enhances her sexuality (as opposed to the desexualization or regulation of sexuality in other cute objects) and has set impossible standards for real women to follow. She is also a model of femininity: she has long hair, a perpetual smile on her face, wears 'girly' clothes and juggles a relationship with her boyfriend, Ken, while being a successful career woman. Barbie is the embodiment of the ideal woman- beautiful and successful while retaining her femininity.

The Barbie doll that we see in "Microwave" exemplifies and further highlights all of the above (racialization, sexuality and femininity) as we are treated to two and a half minutes of watching Barbie slowly melt in a microwave. In the film, Barbie is placed in an unnatural position- she sits on her thighs with an arm up, as though she is waving hello. This position serves to emphasize her plastic nature (that is, she is a doll that can be easily manipulated into acrobatic positions). The unnaturalness also shows us that all that Barbie embodies is impossible. Her expression and the position of her arm are reminiscent of a beauty queen, again highlighting her plastic nature as Barbie remains smiling and her arm remains in that position throughout the flim. Barbie's unnaturalness links to a point that Merish brings up in her article: the connection between "cute" and "freak". Part of Barbie's appeal lies in her 'freakishness'; she is life-like in form but there is an unnatural edge to her naturalness. The same can be said for Shirley Temple: although she was young, she behaved as though she was older. As Merish comments, "there was indeed something 'freakish' about Shirley Temple's prodigious capacity to absorb, apparently without effort, what her roles required." (191). Merish also observes that Shirley's "films flirt with illicit sexuality" (195) and thus, argues that "cuteness is thus a realm of erotic regulation." (189) However, with regards to Barbie, I would disagree with her claim. Dressed in a skimpy, colourful bikini with her long blonde hair (emphasizing her racialization and femininity) flowing behind her, Barbie exudes sexuality. The 'bimbo' stereotype immediately comes to mind as she looks like one of the overly-buxom, constantly smiling, brainless women on the television show, "Baywatch", which is basically a flesh parade.

"Microwave" can thus be seen as not only a reaction to Barbie's beauty but also to these afore-mentioned issues. Tan's aim is to resist the ideology of femininity, sexuality and racialization that Barbie personifies. When we see Barbie melting, we are reminded of the transience of beauty. The melting symbolizes the purging of the idealized form that Barbie is, both physically and in her representation of the woman who can have it all. Tan is emphasizing the fact that Barbie is a fantasy and that reality is not as wonderful as the world she lives in.

Other than the issues raised above, "Microwave" can be seen as a stance against consumerism. Barbie's target audience has always been female, be it young girls for whom Barbie is an inspiration or the older women who use Barbie as a means of escapism and to project their own dreams and wishes. Barbie's many clothes, accessories as well as the countless versions of the dolls (in different occupations, time periods or as characters from fairy tales etc.) incite desire in her collectors and feed the frenzy surrounding her. Barbie's elevation to icon can certainly be attributed to consumerism, in particular female consumerism. As Merish points out:

Indeed, the emergence of cuteness as a commercial style in the second half of the nineteenth century activated a structure of feminine spectatorship and identification and helped constitute a feminine consumer public. (188)

For the entire duration of the film, we are riveted to the 'action' as there is nothing to distract us; we only see Barbie slowly spinning around with the hum of the microwave as the only sound. This is very effective as we can watch every moment and slowly observe Barbie's transformation. Hence, the changes that happen before our eyes have a strong visual impact. By the end of the film, Barbie is literally half the woman she was. It is her waist and hips that melt, and eventually her top half falls over. Yet, her smile is still present, and her beauty queen wave is still there. This makes us question exactly how much Barbie has transformed by the end of the film and how effective the film is in conveying its messages.

The last shot of the film lingers on Barbie's transformed body and leaves a lasting impression, especially since we can clearly see her still-present smile and wave. So, although "Microwave" succeeds as a reaction against Barbie's brand of femininity, her smile and wave seems to indicate the continuation of such ideology, despite efforts to change the status quo. This shows us that the resistance to ideology, such as the ideology related to sexuality and gender that is embodied by Barbie, is futile. Other than the charred area at her waist and hips, Barbie remains the same; notions of femininity and Barbie's representation as the woman who has it all still remains although women do all they can to change that notion. Also, we must take into the account the fact that although Barbie is an example of the racialization of cuteness, her popularity and subsequent ubiquity renders our aesthetic response to her universal; Barbie is acknowledged as beautiful around the world. She has become such a household commodity that we no longer view her as Caucasian; Barbie has crossed cultural lines. Her transcendence makes "Microwave" and its transformation of Barbie all the more powerful. "Microwave" is an effort to make a stand against the ideology that Barbie represents. By using such a recognizable commodity, their stand is made stronger since everyone knows what Barbie is. Although it seems like these views regarding femininity and sexuality are still prevalent today, I feel that "Microwave" is a good representative of the changing views on these matters, showing that ideology can certainly change over time.

Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body. Ed. Rosemarie Thomson et al. New York: NYU Press, 1996. 185-202.

Microwave. Tan Pin Pin, 2000.