Open The Dialogue

As a young child, my best friend and I played with a Barbie fashion designer computer game.  Every play date we had, we would rush to the computer and make a new hairstyle and color for Barbie as well as pick out her clothes.  Fast forward about fifteen years, and we can do the same thing for humans, and then purchase it.  In the past few years, this concept of “virtual mirrors” has become more and more prominent in the fashion industry.

I am very hesitant about purchasing things online; I want to be able to feel the material of the sweater, or be able to make sure that a watch fits my wrist correctly.  With online shopping, the tactile aspect of shopping is avoided.  Some people would argue that virtual mirrors have fixed my complaint about online shopping, while others would disagree.

Companies such as Adidas and Ray-Ban have you scan in a picture of yourself and then allow you to “virtually” try on products.  Yes, one can better visualize how the product would look on a person, but can this tool really make or break a sale?  Another company, Innova, has a step-by-step process in which the customer makes an appointment to get a “body scan” and then, they will virtually tailor your clothes for you based on the measurements taken.  While this concept is quite innovative (hence the company name), is it worth the time, effort, or money?  A picture of a product held up to a picture of a person can’t really determine if it will fit correctly.

While I’m not quite convinced that this is the future of shopping and tailoring, I did think of a really cool way that the virtual mirror concept could be used.  A program could scan in the barcodes from certain stores and an image of the piece of clothing or accessory appears.  From all of these scans the “closet has been built.” This program could appear on a computer (or even a television screen) along with an image of yourself, and essentially play Barbie fashion designer every morning (and could even be done from your bed!).

Image Via TechnologyExpert.com

Last month, toy manufacturer Mattel made waves with geeks everywhere with the announcement of Barbie’s newest profession. For the popular doll’s 125^th occupation, Mattel consulted over half a million fans. Through Facebook and Twitter, the public was encouraged to vote Barbie’s new profession. The public has spoken and Barbie’s newest career will be as a Computer Engineer.

“Coder Barbie,” much like her other high-heeled wearing counterparts, has not avoided the usual controversy that surrounds the release of modern Barbie incarnations. Last year alone, “Burka Barbie” and “Black Barbie” kicked up heated comments all around the blogosphere as critics questioned their political correctness. Many are wondering how a computer programmer who works with binary codes and numbers all day also wears hot pink high-heels with matching glasses and laptop?

Mashable’s Rebecca Zook – a female math tutor – points out that Mattel consulted the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering when designing the doll’s newest outfit. She also asserts that “women shouldn’t feel like they have to stop being feminine to work in technology.”

Critics have cited current gender inequalities that exist within tech fields. Most feel that a blue-tooth touting blonde with pink accessories will further accentuate these inequalities. Mattel hopes that the release of Computer Engineer Barbie will “inspires a new generation of girls to explore this important high-tech industry, which continues to grow and need future female leaders.”

The release of this Barbie has definitely been a step in the direct of raising awareness of the availability of tech-related careers for all genders. What do you think – is Coder Barbie one small step for gal-geeks everywhere or does it do more for deepening gender inequalities?