On Wednesday, March 20, the Honors College got all “dolled up” for Barbie Night, hosting an interdisciplinary campus-wide event during Rutgers Student Centers and Activities' annual campus-wide Geek Week program.
Domenic Nalbandian, Assistant Director for Student Support & Inclusive Communities at the Honors College said,
“This series of programs typically celebrates interests like Harry Potter and Star Wars, but this year we created Barbie Night to celebrate a female-centered character!”
According to Nalbandian, both he and the Undergraduate Intern for Honors College Traditions Initiatives, Sandhya Rajagopalan (‘24, SAS/HC), have been wanting to put together a Barbie-themed program since the movie’s record-breaking run in theaters last summer.
“With the massive popularity of last year's Barbie movie and the franchise's 65th anniversary this year, the Honors College took the opportunity to center our Geek Week program around the iconic fashion doll to bring a new flavor to a programming series,” said Nalbandian.
The lounges were completely decked out in pink decor, creating a vibrant and joyful atmosphere for all guests. The event also featured various activities for students across all campuses to partake in.
“Barbie Night is the perfect example of an interdisciplinary student experience across all parts of the university” said Krista Klein, Acting Associate Dean of the Honors College.
Across the seminar rooms, there were four guest lecturers speaking on a range of topics related to the world of Barbie. Included were talks by Kyle Bahl, "Barbie: Acting Plastic;" Ashley Codner, "Barbie Can Be Anything as Long as She's Not Me: A Black Feminist Perspective;" Dr. Jerry Piven, "The Barbarity of Consciousness;" and Dr. Kristen Syrett, "How to Have a Meaningful (or -less) Kenversation." Each of them addressed different facets of the Barbie brand and/or the live-action movie ranging from linguistic breakdowns of monologues in the movie to looking at the history of Barbie through a Black feminist lens.
In Druskin, participants could make their very own Barbie doll that looks like them, showing how Barbie can empower anyone! In the East Lounge, Greta Gerwigs’ iconic Barbie was showing. Other fun features included a variety of Barbie-themed crafts, a Barbie doll box photo booth, pink food, an interactive “Doll Hall of Fame,” and tons of giveaways!
When asked about the event, Nalbandian also said,
“It was incredibly rewarding to combine the fun elements of Barbie—the doll and craft making, pink decor, pink foods, movie screening, and overall upbeat vibe at the event—with academic elements—the faculty guest lectures and Doll Hall of Fame Museum—to bring a unique interdisciplinary experience to the Honors College and Rutgers community at large.”
“Our marketing efforts were also very fun to plan, including posters inspired by doll boxes, flyers promoting our guest speakers in the same vein as the Barbie promotional posters, and graphics turning the Honors College building pink,” said Nalbandian.
The entire event was a shining example of the intersections between learning and community.
“I love seeing students come together to learn in a hands-on, experiential way around a topic that they can get excited about,” Dean Klein commented.
It was clear from the laughter filled atmosphere and smiling faces that the event was just as iconic as the doll herself.
“We quite literally turned the HC pink on Barbie Night, and we hope that we can do something as equally fun and engaging for next year's Geek Week!” said Nalbandian.