The Barbz Fandom

The Barbz fandom is an online fandom dedicated to the well known pop star and icon, Nicki Manaj.  The name Barbz derives from Nicki Manaj's girly pop alter ego and her fashion style (1). Pink, more specifically hot pink, is one of the most popular colors that signifies and represents the Barbz. Nicki Manaj describes herself as "Harajuku Barbie" to signify that she is the head of all Barbz(1).  The male fandom is known as Ken Barbz. This fandom doesn't only just listen to Nicki Manaj's fantastic music and go to her concerts, the Barbz fandom also participates in numerous other unique activities. 

Barbz History

The Barbz fandom has been around for quite a few years. The Barbz fandom all started in 2007 when Nicki Manaj posed as a barbie doll inside of a box for her debut mixtape Playtime is Over(2). After the debut, the name "Barbz." famously arose for Nicki Manaj's fanbase(2). In 2011, Mattel even came out with a limited edition Nicki Manaj barbie doll (3). The Pink Friday doll was so popular among the Barbz that it could be auctioned for the price of $4,855 (3)! 

Barbz wearing pink wigs

The Fandom Activities 

One of the iconic activities of the Barbz is fans getting their boobs signed, also known as signin' titties (1).  To get a boob signing by Nicki Manaj, fans need to buy VIP tickets to one of her performances, and get them signed backstage (1). Even Ken Barbz participates in this trend by getting their chests signed (1). Nicki Manaj has lyrics in some of her songs about this popular Barbz trend, such as the song "Hold Yuh"(1). 

Hold Yuh Remix by Gyptian ft. Nicki Manaj

Another thing that the Barbz are known for is their fun, hot pink logos. These logos can be stickers, posters, flags, clothing, pins ect. These logos are of various designs and sayings. Logos are a way that the Barbz show and display their loyalty to the fandom. The Barbz make and/ or consume these logos. Barbz make and purchase these logos on sites such as etsy. One of the most popular and my personal favorite logo is the "back the Barbz" logo with an American flag with a hot pink line through it. 

Back the Barbz flag available on amazon

Some Barbz express their loyalty to the fandom by creating artwork of many forms of their queen and head of all Barbz. Some of the Barbz have an incredible artistic talent that they use to draw portraits. One fan by the name of Peppe Dale created this masterpiece of a drawing of Nicki Manaj, and has gained a lot of recognition from the Barbz because of his talent(4). 

 

In conclusion, the Barbz are clearly a loyal fanbase to their queen, and it is rapidly growing. What I love about the Barbz is how unique they are in showing their loyalty, and how they stand out. Personally, I am living for and love to see the different styles of logos and amazing artwork that the Barbz have creatively come up with. I couldn't agree more with a quote from a fellow Barb, "They say we only use 10% of our brains, but Barbz use 90%. (2). 

1. Barbz. Nicki Minaj Wiki. (n.d.). In Wikipedia.https://nickiminaj.fandom.com/wiki/Barbz 
2. Greenwood, D. (n.d.). The internet belongs to the BARBZ. I. https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/akwxb5/nicki-minaj-stans-barbz-memes-tik-tok-vine 
3. Nicki Minaj Barbie doll. Barbie Wiki. (n.d.). https://barbie.fandom.com/wiki/Nicki_Minaj_Barbie_Doll 
4. Walters, M. (2014, April 1). Drake: Phase Two. Capital XTRA. https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/drake/lists/fan-art/drake-2/