I was a Barbie freeeak when I was younger. I’m not sure what it was exactly about those dolls. It certainly was not about the whole fashion, try her in a million outfits thing. Sporting some outrageously colored, polyestered, peter pan collared hand me downs and tinted glasses – while a victim of it, I was not very concerned with fashion. For me, I think my obsession was having a little adult that I could put into made up situations. It was about wondering what it would like to be a grown woman someday. And so I created these elaborate story lines about going on trips and meeting people and having a job with a real computer (a novelty back then) and doing grown-upish things.
Did I yearn to be the blond, unrealistically proportioned bean pole that she represented? Well. Not consciously. Do I think Barbie sets unrealistic body image ideals in girls minds? Um, yeah I do.
But I still loved playing with them. And the glorious imaginary world I created (and escaped into) with them was worth whatever mind melding she did to me. Yeah, I hate my baby belly and wished I could tighten up some and my chest is so far from the example she set for me… but whatever. Barbie was a blast!
And back then, my Barbie came something like this.
The other day I gathered my courage and braved Toys R Us. I rarely set foot in there. It gives me a headache. Too much plastic. Maybe its a BPA thing.
But it’s that time of year again (you know – the most wonderful time of the year?), so I headed in during a rare child-free moment. And. I will admit something. When I walked past all those aisles in Toys R Us, I slowed right down when I saw all the pink.
The Barbie Aisle.
I remember all of those wistful moments spent in the pink aisle of Toys R Us as a little girl, day dreaming about all the cool Barbies and extras and houses and cars and horses and fun I could have. So I couldn’t help but sneak a peak and see whats in there. Yes, even with the stupid body image crap that I so wish Barbie didn’t perpetuate, I would have bought Barbies for my daughter if I had one.
So there I was the other day. Checking out the goods, slightly wistful, at the ripe old age of 36.
And that’s when I saw this new Barbie being sold.
Um.
What the hell?
(And please note. She has been turned demurely here for the pic. The plunge is much “plungier” when seen full frontal, so to speak.)
Ok, so I could forgive the big boobs and wasp like waist before because Barbie was wearing clothes that actually covered up those distorted parts. For the most part. But this one? Wearing “a striking black dress with plunging neckline”???
Oh no. Not ok. Sorry Barbie. A dress cut down to your navel is not part of the Barbie world I come from. Nor should it be for any little girl. I just can’t push my feminist tendancies aside for this (must crack horrid holiday pun here… wait for it…) “Ho Ho Ho” look.
Just bad.
And so is the slightly oversized, Brat doll-esque head that gives the illusion that her strangely disproportionate body is even tinier than it was before. Yep, Barbie has slimmed down so much, her head – with hardly much substance to hold onto – may loll off its own body and roll away.
Don’t call this fashion. Don’t call this keeping up with your market. Don’t call this anything but a reeeeally bad idea. Oh. And you know what else I’d call this doll.
Ho Ho Ho.
Merry Christmas.
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9 comments ↓
Wow. I heard from a friend that Barbie’s boobs are smaller and I thought she was making progress. I guess not really. I wonder what she’ll look like in another generation? I shudder to think. I still have my mom’s Barbies. Alan and Midge whose knees and elbows don’t bend. And my old Pretty in Pink Barbie. THOSE were the days!
I like the Only Hearts dolls. They actually look like little girls, and there’s no plunging necklines or Bratz-like qualities.
I am a semi- Barbie fan as well, I am very picky about which ones Meg can play with.
I will note in all fairness that this specific doll and the collection it belongs to is a collectors edition, with the higher price point it is is meant more for the adult collectors then the child’s toy.
That being said it is still Barbie and I believe because a majority of their dolls are marketed to children they still have a standard to uphold. This doll does not meet my standard and will not be under our Christmas tree.
Susan – Great point that it’s a collectors doll. And some of the others in this collection aren’t as bad either (other than the big head thing). That being said, its sold with the rest of it so it’s hard to know that. I didn’t know that initially so a little girl going down the aisle, day dreaming about her Christmas list, might not either. I mean, are we going to have to start doing parental ratings on Barbies? Well, I think rather we do what you’re doing and just play a large role choosing which dolls are ok. :)
I saw Twilight Barbies too which is worth a post in its own right. They cracked me up.
Being a mom of boys has certainly shielded me from a lot of the Bratz and other inappropriate doll stuff it seems. While I stuck with my dreamy notions of Barbies from the late 70s, I’m thinking moms of most daughters today have probably seen this doll and even much much worse. The pink section just ain’t what it used to be.
You intrigued me with this so I checked the Mattel site although they don’t sell the “Basic ” collection with the regular Barbies, geared towards children, that doesn’t mean that is how it is sold at Walmart or Target because trust me I have been down the Barbie aisle more then once. I will be checking to see if my they do sell them with the regular Barbies.
I think what it is mostly is a “Brand” issue- if you are going to gear your brand toward children and advertise it that way as a whole then be respectful of that- I have to agree that above Barbie is a little too much.
I did see them selling the Twilight Barbies with the rest of their children dolls- which got my mama panties in a bundle and I can’t wait to read your take.
I saw a 6 year old wearing a “Team Edward” shirt at Nolan school the other day and I didn’t know if I was more appalled that a mother put that on her kid or that they made “Team Edward” shirts to fit 6 year olds.
Great post
At least she has human-sized boobs. Hell, her whole body applies to us scrawny chicks. Plus, she has darker skin without looking like a spray-painted Swedish girl.
This one is a collector’s doll, and these dolls are usually purchased by fashion-loving adults. I believe this might be from the same line as “Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken,” so there you go.
Ho Ho NO!!! What has happened to our demurely dressed dolly? The innocent pink cheeks have been replaced by cougar eyes! OY!
Is she modeled after someone who slept with Tiger Woods?
I’m a grandmother of 2 girls and 2 boys and I went to Toys R Us in Arkansas and Texas and they both had these disturbing dolls. In Arkansas, the manager was nice enough to agree with me and took them off the shelf. In Allen, Texas, the manager said it was the buyer’s decision and his hands were tied. Well, I’m ready to contact the media and let them know how Toys R Us operates. I have not seen this line of Barbies anywhere but Toys R Us. Shame on them and what can we do to stop this craziness?
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