Barbie movie smashes box office records – but we reveal her true look

But while Robbie is 33, the real Barbie would now be 64. She was created in 1959 by Mattel Inc’s Ruth Handler, who’s played by Rhea Perlman in the movie. And while the film is being widely celebrated for its diversity, 75-year-old Pearlman, along with narrator Dame Helen Mirren (77) and Will Ferrell (56) are the only over-50s in the main cast.

In a recent survey, 78% of over-50s told us that their age group wasn’t fairly represented in the media, showing there’s a long way to go until over-50s feel their age group is properly given its due on screen. 

So, with Barbie and Ken now enjoying life in their sixties, we’ve used AI technology from Midjourney (shown above) to reimagine what they would look like if they were being shown at their real age. The results are pretty exceptional, reflecting the energy and vitality that comes with being in your sixties.

The 2023 Oscars were hailed as a breakthrough moment for age representation, with 60-year-old Michelle Yeoh winning the best actress award for Everything, Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh inspired the audience with her acceptance speech, in which she said: “Ladies: don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime.”

Sandy Lancaster, a color analyst and personal stylist who specialises in helping people over 50 reflect how they feel in how they dress, told Saga Exceptional: “When I think about my mother and my grandmother, they got to a certain age and they became almost invisible, and I think women now aren’t ready to do that.

“In fact, we never are. We have this vitality and vibrancy that we want to own. It’s not about anti-ageing, it’s about being seen as a valid person.”

Cinemagoers have embraced the Barbie trend, with many wearing pink to see the film, and Lancaster sees no reason why we can’t all channel a little bit of the pink plastic icon at any age.

“I went to see the Barbie movie with my husband, who’s 69, and I thought it was fun, it was frothy, it was feminist,” she says. “Not all of us can wear the same shade of pink, we might need a warm shade like a coral or flamingo.

“It’s all about not looking too frothy – you don’t have to be top to toe in pink. Try a great pink lipstick, an elegant scarf or a soft sweater. Give a nod to the trend without looking like you’ve stepped off the film set. Invest in your wardrobe, rather than jumping into the trend.”

We might still have a long way to go in terms of big-screen representation, but film-makers need to catch up because a report earlier this year showed that it’s the more mature movie stars such as Tom Cruise, George Clooney and Julia Roberts who are drawing in audiences. 

“While it’s heartening to see actors Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser winning Oscars earlier this year, the movie world is still very much obsessed with youth,” says Jayne Cherrington-Cook, Senior Editor for Saga Exceptional.

“It’s great to see Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford headlining big blockbusters this summer. However, we rarely see the same representation for women of the same age in big money movies. 

“We need to challenge these stereotypes that movie-goers only want to see younger actors on the big screen. That’s why these AI images are truly wonderful, as they prove you can still be amazing whatever age you are.”