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The Austin Rhodes Show

The Austin Rhodes Show

I’m A Barbie Girl In My Own Barbie World

Author Michelle Mitchell
Christmas at age 7 meant lots of Barbie dolls!

We all have toys that we look back on fondly.  For me it absolutely has to be Barbie.  I had many well loved dolls over the years and in many ways they shaped who I am today!

In honor of International Women’s Day this week Mattel is making it all about the girls! And what do ya know? This week also marks a milestone birthday for Barbie, the iconic doll is celebrating 65 years of inspiring little girls to live their Barbie dreams! It’s no coincidence that the company chose this week to roll out their celebrity role model Barbie’s.

Stars like Viola Davis, Shania Twain, Helen Mirren and Kylie Minogue were just a few of the influential ladies that got their very own one of kind Barbie’s in their likeness this week. Although the celebrity dolls won’t be available to the public, how cool is it to have your very own Barbie?

I’m a Barbie Girl

I have my own history with Barbie. Being raised an only child left me with a lot of time to entertain myself, in fact it demanded a great deal of imagination. Barbie was perfect for just that. I wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse so bad! But when the Dreamhouse didn’t happen I set to work with a pile of concrete blocks that my grandpa gave me and I made my own Barbie Dreamhouse!

In a Barbie World

From using carpet samples for rugs to painting the walls and sewing little curtains, I ended up with a much bigger and cooler house for my dolls than any other girl I knew. Sure, there were lots of hours of playtime there but there was also a lot of time and effort spent decorating and redecorating that enhanced my creativity. I only really understood how good it was for me after I became an adult. So maybe my experience with Barbie is a little different than most.

While we all want our kids to have better than we did, there is definitely something to be said for leaving them to their own devices to problem solve and boost creativity.  I wouldn’t give anything in the world for my hours of fun in my home made dollhouse!

8 Women Musicians Who Are Fashion Icons

Fashion is a way of self-expression, but for these eight musicians, fashion is life. These musicians have adopted fashion into their legacy in a powerful way.

Jennifer Lopez’s Iconic Dress Is Why We Have Google Images

If there is anyone who deserves a place on this list its Jennifer Lopez. The singer and actress is the reason why Google Images exist. “At the time, it was the most popular search query we had ever seen,” Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Google, wrote about the creation in 2015.”But we had no surefire way of getting users exactly what they wanted: J­.Lo wearing that dress. Google Image Search was born.”

So what is even more interesting about Lopez’s green Versace dress is that while she popularized it, she was not the first to wear it. It was the reason why she almost didn’t wear it to begin with. In a conversation with Vogue earlier this month, the singer said that her stylist tried to convince her not to wear it.

“My stylist was like, ‘Please don’t wear it. Somebody else has worn it.’ I was like, ‘Well, you bought it, and it looks the best, so I’m going to wear it,'” she said in the video.

In 2019, Lopez wore a recreation of the dress again for Milan Fashion Week. The dress she wore in 2019 is vastly similar to the one she originally wore in 2000. It had the iconic plunging neckline, jungle print pattern, and high slit, just like the 2000 version. The main (noticeable) difference is just that the newer version is missing the sleeves.

“20 years had gone by, and I think for women, knowing you can put on a dress 20 years later — it resonated,” she said of wearing the dress again in a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair. “It was like, ‘Yes, you know, life is not over at 20!'”

Take a look at eight musicians whose fashion goes beyond their iconic discographies:

  • Cher

    While Cher’s music and acting careers have made her a legend, her fashion sense has always been a topic of discussion. Her leather jackets, mini dresses, and sheer bodysuits were ahead of their time. In the clip above, the singer’s outfits from the 1970s are featured. In that era she was known for wearing extravagant two pieces and her long dark hair straight with a middle part.

  • Rihanna

    Rihanna is an example of a modern fashion girl as she has her unique style on display on red carpets, street style and designer campaigns. She was the first Black ambassador for Dior in 2015. The singer has continued to work with luxury brands over her career such as Louis Vuitton, Chopard, and more. She’s also had fashion collaborations with Armani and Puma. The Barbados-born singer was the first Black woman to lead a luxury brand for LVMH, which is home to Givenchy and Louis Vuitton. She opened Fenty (fashion house) in 2019 and stopped operations in 2021 to focus on her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty.

  • Dolly Parton

    The country icon is widely known for hits such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You,” but is amused when fans recognize her fashion sense. “I always laugh when I get called a fashion icon,” Dolly Parton told Vogue last year. “I’m more of an eyesore! Only because I overdo it.” The singer is known for her big blonde wigs, tight dresses, and heels so high that they should come with a warning label. She spilled to the publication her six fashion rules that keep her in check each time: being unapologetic, inspiration stems from everywhere, refusing to follow trends, dressing to your strengths, wigs hold power, and that heels are better when they’re very high. Parton released a book last year Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones. Lipscomb University in Nashville held a fashion exhibit for the singer in honor of the book celebrating her iconic looks.

  • Madonna

    Madonna is the Material Girl for a reason. The pop icon’s ’80s fashion was unmatched as she donned lace gloves, leather jackets, and corset dresses. In 2013, there was a fashion exhibit in which the pop icon chose pieces from her apparel over the years for Madonna’s Fashion Evolutions in Macy’s in California. The first fashion brand created using her likeness was Material Girl (named after her 1985 single) which was targeted towards 13- to 25-year-olds in 2010. Her second brand, Truth or Dare by Madonna for women in the age range of 27–50 that focused on apparel. She has also had collaborations with H&M (M by Madonna) and has been in campaigns for fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton and Versace.

  • Tina Turner

    Tina Turner’s fashion moments were simply the best. The late rock legend is known for her sparkly outfits that put her long legs on display. She previously spoke about how she felt about her legs in her childhood in her 2020 book Tina Turner: That’s My Life. “When I was growing up, I always thought they were too long and skinny. I felt like an awkward pony, so I never wanted to show them off. When I wore short skirts onstage it was for a practical reason — they gave me the freedom to move, and I really like to move.” The rock icon died in 2023.

  • Beyoncé

    Beyoncé has had many fashion highs in her career starting with Destiny’s Child. The outfits are credited to Beyoncé’s mom and late Uncle Johnny. When accepting CFDA’s Style Icon Award in 2016, the Renaissance creator thanked them for dressing her, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LaTavia Roberson, and LaToya Luckett. “Starting out in Destiny’s Child, high-end labels didn’t really want to dress four black country curvy girls (referring to herself, Rowland, Luckett, and Roberson as the starting four), and we couldn’t afford designer dresses and couture. My mother was rejected from every showroom in New York. But like my grandmother, she used her talent and her creativity to give her children their dreams. My mother and my uncle, God rest his soul, made all of our first costumes, individually sewing hundreds of crystals and pearls, putting so much passion and love into every small detail.”

    For her latest tour, the Renaissance World Tour, she blew fans away as she wore custom made designs from Iris van Herpen, Jimmy Choo, Fendi, Versace, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, and more. According to Vibe, she has more than 140 outfits during the 52-stop tour. Over the years she has created fashion brands such as Ivy Park (which she wore on tour) and House of Deréon.

  • Jennifer Lopez

    Imagine being so fashionable that there was technology created after you? Well, that’s Jennifer Lopez. The singer and actresses’ green Versace gown is the reason why we have Google Images. In the video above, Lopez walked a recreation of dress once again on the runway in 2019. She originally wore the infamous dress at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
    Ever since then, Lopez has been a fan favorite to watch on the red carpet.

    In 2003, Lopez started her own clothing line, JLO, which was sold at Kohls until 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

  • Lil' Kim

    Lil' Kim 1999 MTV Video Music Awards

    (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)

    When it comes to hip-hop fashion, Lil’ Kim is never out of the conversation. Her fearless and unique approach to her fashion is just another component that complimented her confident lyrics. She had a lot of daring looks throughout her career but one of the most infamous outfits she wore was to the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The “Not Tonight” rapper wore a purple one-piece that infamously had her right breast exposed with a matching pasty that covered her nipple. She committed to the look with a matching purple bob. Fans can look forward to the rapper’s memoir, The Queen Bee, which will touch on her relationship with fashion. It is slated to drop this year.

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Author Michelle Mitchell
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