Barbie is the first woman to appear in a Google image search for 'CEO'


It's true — Barbie is apparently the most notable female figure paving the way for women in the workplace:
The worst part of that already-bad sentence? This CEO Barbie is not even a real Barbie; the image is actually from a 2005 Onion article, as The Verge points out. The article "sarcastically observed that 'women don't run companies,' they just 'work behind the scenes to bring a man's vision to light.' Ouch. Ten years later, that hits a little too close to home.
The observation comes in the wake of a study by the University of Washington that suggests gender representations in Google image searches can affect users' worldviews. The study concluded that women were significantly underrepresented in several jobs, including CEOs; only 11 percent of search results were women, whereas 27 percent of CEOs are female. Women were over-represented in the search for "telemarketer," however.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
So much for a crack in the glass ceiling.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Stephanie is an editorial assistant at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Modern Luxury Media.
-
Five of the best luxury watches for women
The Week Recommends From iconic heritage designs to bold contemporary reinventions, these elegant timepieces stole the show at Watches and Wonders 2025
-
Bad news, alpha males. You likely don't actually exist.
Under the radar Most primate communities are egalitarian
-
Sudoku hard: July 14, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read