A reflection, an immersive Barbie World, & a Contest
I’ve always been obsessed with the Barbie website. Peak internet. I have a core memory of designing a dreamhouse on one of the games on the website, different from the computer game (cd rom I THINK) where I could give a more 3D Barbie a makeover and send her to some party.
I remember choosing wooden floors and a beach-y window, thinking how exotic it felt compared to my carpeted life in Kansas.
I was a Barbie girl alright, but I was a computer Barbie girl the second I was back in my room and could sit down at my desk. There is a moment in G00D G1RL inspired by a memory on my drive to compete in Miss Teen USA.
I was going into the gas station to change. As I came out of the bathroom, seventeen and all dolled up, this woman looked at me and goes “you look like a Barbie.”
This made me giddy, at seventeen. Barbie was beautiful, glamorous, American, and a week or so later, I’d go onto win Miss Teen USA. When I returned to Kansas later that year for my homecoming, my state director got me a giant cake built around a Barbie made to look like me.
Now, I live in New York. I wake up every day excited to put on a new outfit. I have wooden floors, even though I don’t have a beach view ( I don’t enjoy driving enough to live in California (yet)).
I write. I also work in tech. Something about getting a PC at 5 and spending hours in front of it will make you work in tech. I run a digital (and irl) community. Every time I redesign the Hot Literati website, I am always thinking of the Barbie website.
Barbie sort of taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do, be anyone I wanted to be.
And now, at 24, I am finally going to an irl Barbie dreamhouse, or rather the Barbie Streamhouse ₊✩‧
(Verizon, I'm basically Barbie Literati, can I have my own streamhouse? If you can make it rent controlled I'll have my wedding in your FiDi Office and let page 6 take a picutre of me taking a picture of my wedding cake with a Verizon powered iPhone).
Barbie has wifi.
So do you.
You can be anything.
You can make anything.
Welcome to the 21st century.
The streamhouse is powered by Verizon. It will be interactive, and I’m going to a private press preview before it opens ( it will be open to the public Dec 12-15).
HOT LITERATI BARBIE CONTEST
I’m looking for one reader to come with me.
I’ll be picking a winner December 4th at 8pm ET.
TO ENTER:
Write a >500 word reflection on your relationship to Barbie, or create a >90 second video. Tag us on Substack or Instagram. Use the hashtag #barbieliterati on both platforms so we can find it!
TERMS AND CONDITIONS …
By entering the Hot Literati Barbie Contest (“Contest”), participants agree to the following terms and conditions. This Contest is organized by Hot Literati, a division of Pulchritude Media LLC (“Organizer”), and hosted by Hailey “Hailo” Denise Colborn.
1. Contest Overview
The Contest winner will have the opportunity to attend a private press preview of the Barbie Streamhouse powered by Verizon, accompanied by Hailey “Hailo” Denise Colborn, on December 11, 2024. This experience offers exclusive access but does not include travel, meals, or other expenses.
2. Eligibility
Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry. Contest is open to residents of [eligible regions; e.g., the U.S.]. Employees, affiliates, or immediate family members of Pulchritude Media LLC or Hot Literati are not eligible to enter.
3. How to Enter
• Submission Guidelines: Write a reflection (minimum 500 words) on your relationship to Barbie, or create a video (minimum 90 seconds). Post your submission on Substack or Instagram, tagging @HotLiterati and using the hashtag #barbieliterati to ensure visibility.
• Entry Deadline: All entries must be submitted by December 4, 2024, at 8:00 PM ET.
• Each participant may submit only one entry.
4. Selection of Winner
Entries will be evaluated based on creativity, originality, and how well they reflect the Contest theme. The winner will be selected by Hailey “Hailo” Denise Colborn at her sole discretion. All decisions are final and not subject to appeal. The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any entry that violates the submission guidelines, is inappropriate, or does not align with the Contest’s purpose.
5. Prize Details
The winner will receive access to the private press preview of the Barbie Streamhouse with Hailey “Hailo” Denise Colborn on December 11, 2024.
• Exclusions: Travel, accommodation, meals, and any other associated costs are not included and are the sole responsibility of the winner.
• The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or other alternatives.
6. Event Cancellation or Changes
The Organizer is not responsible for cancellations, postponements, or changes to the event that are outside its control. If the event is canceled, no alternative prize or compensation will be provided.
7. Legal Liability
By entering the Contest, participants agree to release Hot Literati, Pulchritude Media LLC, Hailey “Hailo” Denise Colborn, and any affiliated parties from any liability arising from participation in the Contest or attendance at the event. The Organizer is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage incurred during travel or participation in the event.
8. Publicity Rights
By entering the Contest, participants grant the Organizer the right to use their name, likeness, and submission (essay or video) for promotional purposes related to the Contest, without additional compensation.
9. Privacy
Personal information collected for the Contest will be used solely for the purpose of administering the Contest and notifying the winner. It will not be shared or sold to third parties.
10. General Conditions
The Organizer reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Contest at any time without prior notice. The Organizer retains the right to veto entries or choose not to declare a winner if submissions do not meet the desired standard or if unforeseen circumstances arise.
Acknowledgment of Terms
By participating, entrants confirm they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.
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