Barbie and HR | Lessons in leadership from the original 'girl boss'

If you haven't seen any of the preview to the Barbie movie we're not sure where you've been. 

Aside from the complete pink takeover of everything from clothes and merchandise to billboards around the globe, there are clear HR and leadership lessons to be learned from Margot Robbie's new role.

"Barbie has been an influential figure in many girls' lives, including my own. To be able to portray her in a live-action movie and showcase her as a woman in leadership is an honor," Margot Robbie has said. "Barbie's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and breaking barriers. I hope our movie inspires young audiences to believe in themselves and their potential to achieve anything."

It's not the first time (although it may feel like it!) that Barbie has hit the headlines as a woman in the workplace. In 2019, HR Grapevine wrote about how Mattel, the makers of Barbie, created a doll who was a judge. As part of the launch for Judge Barbie, Mattel also raised money via a GoFundMe page for female-led non-profits. And, in 2015, an advert for Barbie showed girls they could do any job they chose, with actors working as a female football coach, a professor and a museum curator.