#Issa Rae Says People Call Her “President Barbie” on the Street

Issa Rae‘s tenure as President Barbie didn’t end when the film finished production.

The actress stopped by The View on Wednesday during which she discussed the success of Greta Gerwig‘s record-breaking summer blockbuster that Rae starred in.

“People will call me President Barbie when I’m just out on the street,” Rae said on the daytime talk show. “I didn’t know how much that would mean to me. I’m like, ‘Oh, salute, yes!’”

The film hit theaters shortly after the actors strike began in July, so the cast wasn’t able to promote it as fully as they would have had their union not begun a work stoppage.

“We didn’t really get to celebrate the success, and I’m so honored to be a part of it, I’m so proud of Greta Gerwig and [star and co-producer] Margot Robbie,” she said.

In a Barbie special issue for People magazine that came out before the actors strike, Rae opened up about the impact the iconic Mattel doll had on her childhood, noting they were like sex education when she didn’t know what sex was.

“As a kid I just wanted to play and tell stories and make them kiss,” Rae recalled to the publication. “They were my opportunity to play God — Barbies were the Sims for me before I played the Sims.” 

She also explained that as a child, she was aware of the stigma associated with the dolls and how they depicted femininity and race in America.

“I felt like there was a lot of pressure, image-wise, playing with white Barbie dolls and my parents making sure I had Black Barbie dolls so I felt represented,” she said. “Barbies made me aware of race at a young age. There was so much held on Barbie’s shoulders.”