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25+ Years Of Fandom: A Millennial Retrospective

As I get ready to go to Disney World, I’ve been thinking about my path to becoming a professional fangirl. I’ve gone to the most meet and greets in Disney theme parks, so I have no doubt that’s where my interest in posing with famous characters and people came from. It goes back for so many years that my first meet and greets were not captured on a digital camera. After all, it was the early 90s!

I’ve also spent more than a year talking to super fans of Kim Kardashian and more recently, Taylor Swift, daily. This made me want to reflect on my personal history of relationships with pop culture icons. Let’s go back, shall we?

Barney

Before I built a personal brand as the girl in the red jeans, I loved all things purple. Between the clothes, videos and stuffed animals, I basically collected Barney products.

In middle school, I took on a new Barney project: re-selling new VHS tapes. I bought them at a phenomenal bargain price and sold them on sites likes Amazon and eBay. It was a challenging time to do this because VHS tapes were being phased out. I’m not sure how much $$$ I made, but it was a good way to learn about e-commerce.

January 27, 2018 by Sarah Prince

Barbie Dreams

When you’re young, Barbie dolls tend to be at the top of your wish list. Though there has been much criticism about the Mattel dolls’ proportions, in that they can potentially influence young girls to have misconceptions of what a beautiful body looks like, the brand is aiming to integrate social good into their marketing efforts, as evident in their Barbie I Can Be campaign.

On their new interactive website: barbiedreams.com, girls around the world are invited to share their career goals and aspirations. I know I had a dentist Barbie and Barbie versions of my favourite pop stars growing up, like the Spice Girls, so now the brand is engaging its consumers on the premise of Barbie’s multitude of career paths. The website is easy to navigate and is clearly integrated into their overall marketing strategy. Adolescence may be a time of innocence, but it’s nice to see Barbie encouraging young women to think seriously about the future. Likewise, it’s unnecessary for all campaigns aiming to empower young women to focus on body image. I commend Barbie for inspiring girls to consider their professional goals while browsing the web.

Remember, girls, it’s never too early to set up a LinkedIn profile, even if your profile headline changes from “Puppy Doctor” to “Public Relations Specialist” by the time you’re a college graduate.

Update (2025): This originally linked to barbiedreams.com, a YouTube ad and criticism about Barbie on Huffington Post, which are no longer available.

October 14, 2011 by Sarah