Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Barbie.
Summary:
Barbie’s popularity is skyrocketing, driven by record-breaking box office receipts and widespread online debate.
The new Barbie Personality Test, developed by Individual Differences Research, pinpoints which Barbie is most like you.
The test covers diversity and different aspects of identity, emphasizing that each person’s identity changes over time.
Barbie’s popularity continues to rise thanks to a new online test. With a box office debut of $162 million and the biggest day off for a female director, Barbie took the world by storm. The lengthy online debate leading up to and following the film’s release played a significant role in its success, as Barbie continues to be at the center of pop culture conversation during its second weekend in theaters.
Part of that conversation is a new test created by Individual Differences. Based on the answers to 35 “agree or disagree” questions, the test determines which Barbie is most similar to the user. Choices include Margot Robbie’s stereotypical Barbie, Issa Rae’s president Barbie, Kate McKinnon the gymnast Barbie, Dua Lipa the mermaid Barbie, Emma McKee’s physical Barbie, Alexandra Shipp’s Barbie writer, and Emerald Fennell’s Midge. Here are some of the most popular Twitter reactions to the test:
Twitter user @GoAstroMo concluded that Barbie’s test is “incredibly accurate”.
In the meantime, @Abbykl1 asked others to share the results of Barbie’s test.
@LVDJEFFY didn’t look too happy that he ended up with a stereotypical Barbie instead of President Barbie.
While @squid7000 says she needs to “seriously analyze” her scores, which include high scores for writers, stereotypical Barbies and mermaid Barbies.
What this barbie popularity test reveals:
Barbie is a study of personality. The seemingly utopian Barbieland is first disturbed when Barbie Robbie begins to ask tough questions about her personality and life in general. It was originally prompted by America Ferrera’s human character Gloria, who struggles with her conflicting emotions and has an identity crisis. As soon as Robbie’s Barbie starts asking these questions and goes into the real world, Ryan Gosling’s Ken also has his own identity crisis that has always lurked under the surface. These characters and their crises ultimately influence the personality of all Barbies and Kens.
Barbie shows how everyone, even those who seem to be living the perfect life, struggle with their identity and the expectations that come with it. Barbie also notes that questions about personality remain unanswered. By the end of the movie, Robbie and Ken Gosling’s Barbie have made significant headway but are still figuring out who they really are. The Barbie Personality Test is an extension of this concept, showing that no one is just one Barbie and that each person’s personality is made up of different aspects that continue to evolve over time.
In a way, the test is a new version of the various quizzes that rank people in their Hogwarts houses. Rather than limiting someone to one Hogwarts based on their personality traits, the Barbie Personality Quiz includes six different Barbies (and Motes) to better capture many aspects of personality. The characters chosen for the test offer a positive representation of diversity, representing Barbies of different races, ethnicities, and body types, as well as their different abilities and interests. With her colorful style, originality and positive messages, Barbie’s popularity looks set to last.
Source: Study of Individual Differences.