Even Sir Robert McAlpine has caught ‘Barbie’ fever, as pictures emerge of ‘Construction Site Barbie’ online

“Barbie” fever doesn’t just seem to be confined to the realms of entertainment and fashion, at least not for family-owned building and civil engineering company Sir Robert McAlpine Limited. The company has shared some footage of the 2023 cultural phenomenon on-site at one of their current constructions. 

The short film posted on social media has been generating mostly positive reactions since its release on LinkedIn, with some calling it  “a stroke of genius, well done to the team who put this together”  and “brilliant guys.” But sadly there are also detractors unhappy with the social media clip.

“I thought the construction industry was already for everyone. What on earth has a doll got to do with the construction industry?” remarked one LinkedIn user, while another wrote “We talk about breaking down stereotypes within the construction industry yet all this video is doing is strengthening the stereotypical view of women in construction as ‘Barbie’. 

“If the billion-pound movie hadn’t been released and this video was made there would be an uproar that strong independent women should be seen as ‘Barbie’ in the workplace. I think the video is very good and funny btw but it’s breaking down all the hard work which has been done to allow a realisation that men and women should be treated as equals within the industry.”

However, the group have taken the praise and criticism in their stride, going on to subsequently comment on the clip going viral and asking in the comments section “Who says construction can't be fabulous and fun?”

“Barbie” is on track to become the biggest release of the year, with box office figures closing in on the $2 billion USD mark since it arrived in theatres, and has sparked a pink revival termed “Barbiecore” in the process.