Discussion for article #245282
“Couch-Potato Barbie”.
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Kelly Brownell was a Yale psychology professor when he concluded in a
1995 study that young girls notice the body shapes of icons such as
Barbie and translate them into unhealthy images. Today, as a dean at
Duke University, Brownell said the new Barbie "represents real progress,
not only by having additional skin tones but by beginning to correct
the wildly unrealistic body shapes and sizes of earlier days.
Really? You’re blaming Barbie–at least in the past–for the unhealthy images that girls notice? You can’t turn on the television or get on the internet for 2 minutes without seeing wildly unrealistic body shapes and clothing on real women. Even shows supposedly marketed to kids do that.
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Let’s be real…maybe they need an adjustable version, one that is inflatable, especially on a seasonal basis?
…boys OR girls, that would be more accurate.
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Barbie started as a Rockette with cleavage, morpehd into a full-on Playboy Bunny, and now she’s more than one body type.
Evolution? or just marketing?
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Smart marketing to be sure.
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There it is. Bovine Growth Hormone Barbie.
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Marketing. Always marketing.
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It’s everywhere on TV. I always chuckle at the cop shows inhabited by supermodel candidates. I’ve dealt with a lot of law enforcement types, and I’ve never seen one who looked like “The Closer.”
One thing I always liked about British TV was that the actors tended to look like real people. Unfortunately, the Brits seem to be going more and more in the American direction. I guess that’s what the international market wants.
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My eldest daughter was never interested in Barbies - never asked for them as a gift (received some anyways from well meaning relatives), my youngest has a tub full, but rarely plays with them preferring her Lego Friends instead (she does love fashion though). Anecdote ain’t data, but her friends aren’t into Barbies, but they too have tubs of them. It seems that it’s more important to the adults in these kids lives that they too know the joy of playing with these dolls than it is to the kids. Nostalgia marketing.
Mattel has to try something new (and since the Barbies can no longer share clothes, more outfits to buy), as I expect this market will slowly whither away.
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I have to say that I considered buying my daughter a Barbie at Christmas for this reason. It just seems like I should because I played with them. I realized that at the time and didn’t buy it. I think I’ll continue on until she asks for one.
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Barbie's manufacturer, Mattel, announced Thursday that the doll has three new body types — curvy, tall and petite.
To properly represent real life, clothes will continue to be made in petite sizes only.
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Those aren’t petite sizes, those are junior sizes.
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I am just reminded of the Carl Hiaasin novel, Sick Puppy
One of the “villians” has an actual barbie fetish…he keeps a doll in each pocket and strokes them when he gets stressed. He also basically “buys” two eastern european models to be his life size barbies…but they hook up with a porn film maker and go heavy goth…which just blows his mind in the worst possible ways.
Oh come on! I had barbie dolls and I never, not once, equated them to beauty or how I had to look. I was a child! I was always much more interested in their clothes anyway.
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Check this one out: Barbie was modelled on an adult comic strip from postwar germany! http://www.messynessychic.com/2016/01/29/meet-lilli-the-high-end-german-call-girl-who-became-americas-iconic-barbie-doll/?utm_content=buffer1aeb2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Mattel must have noticed Lammily, a more-realistic doll created by a guy named Nikolay Lamm in 2014. From the site:
What if Fashion Dolls Were Made Using Standard Human Body Proportions? This is the question I asked myself after comparing fashion dolls to typical body proportions. The project was featured by HuffingtonPost, Today, Time, LA Times, Good Morning America, CNN, CBS, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast, BBC Radio and many other news outlets. Many people were asking, “Where can we get a doll like this?”. On March 5, 2014 a crowdfunding campaign was launched to make dolls with typical human body proportions a reality. More than 13,621 backers, preordered over 19,000 dolls. The crowdfunding was covered by HuffingtonPost, Time, USA Today, Upworthy, and more. On November 19, 2014 the Lammily line of dolls went on sale and shipping to all backers began as well.
Support Lammily! She’s the only doll with accessories like Lammily Marks (featuring acne and other un-Barbie-esque stuff), and my favorite, Period Party. About Period Party:
On average, a woman between the ages of 12 and 51 spends a total of 6 years on her menstrual period. Yet, while being a huge part of female life, this perfectly healthy natural process is still surrounded with taboos. Let’s start an open and positive conversation about our periods.
Includes…
1 educational pamphlet
1 pair of panties, fits Lammily doll
15 reusable colored pads and liners stickers
1 calendar & dot stickers
This guy and his Lammily stuff are fantastic–check it out: www,lammily.com
Are the elbows bendable on those thing or is Black Barbie stuck in a perpetual hands-on-hips “Say What?” pose?
But Barbie has been at it longer. The others follow her lead.