Barbie Unbound: A Parody of the Barbie Obsession, written by Sarah Strohmeyer and featuring photographs by Geoff Hansen, humorously portrays the Barbie doll as a modern American woman. The book parodies Barbie in various personas, including Safe-Sex Barbie, Barbie Antoinette, Anita Hill Barbie, Marie Curie Barbie, and for her 40th anniversary, Hot Flash Barbie, who comes complete with miniature estrogen supplements.

Published in 1997 by Orchises Press, Denise Duhamel's poetry collection, Kinky, envisions Barbie as a "real" character, exploring scenarios such as Barbie in therapy, Barbie as a religious zealot, and even delving into the question of why Barbie and Ken don’t wear underwear.

Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole’s anthology, Mondo Barbie, brings together poems and stories centered around this American icon, many narrated from Barbie's own perspective.

Early Grrrl: The Early Poems of Marge Piercy, published in 1999 by Leapfrog Press, features many of the poems that were instrumental in establishing Piercy's career as a feminist activist and writer.

Edited by Ophira Edut, Adios, Barbie is a collection of first-person narratives where young women examine the interplay between body image, race, ethnicity, and sexuality.