Barbie World - Jezebel

posts about #barbieworld more →
Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
Mattel Throws Barbie Under The Bus
A Doll's House
Valley Of The Dolls
Silly: Don't You Know Barbie Can Have It All?
"Miss Plastic Hungary" Takes Pageants To The Next (?) Level
50 Years Of Barbie Couture
Barbie Battle: Babble-ing Parents Face Off Online
XXX! Sex Secrets Of Barbie And Ken

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HidingInCanada
10/27/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
Erm.... why does 9 have blue eyes?

How many people of color do you know that have blue eyes?

Oh god, I'm being too nitpicky. #loannehizoostlie
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lodown
10/27/09

@HidingInCanada: Vanessa Williams, Joe Jackson, Aishwarya Rai are a few 'people of color' with light-colored eyes.

There are probably more that I can't name off the top of my head. But my point is, Caucasian people aren't the only ones who have genes for light-colored eyes. Especially in the U.S. where there's been so much racial amalgamation. #loannehizoostlie
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divinelioness
10/27/09

@lodown: LOL. All of my family has blue, green or light brown/hazel eyes. All of them, regardless of skin color, which ranges from Grace Jones chocolate to Alicia Keys honey colored. I'm the only one with grey though!! :D #loannehizoostlie
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roxythekiller
10/27/09

@HidingInCanada: Some interracial people look like that, especially if you go down to Israel or Brazil (technically, though, all of us are interracial in one way or another. Not all of us are lucky enough, though, to have blue eyes with dark skin!)

In Israel, I saw a lot of dark-skinned people with light eyes. I've also seen people from Iran who look almost exactly like that doll, except with green eyes. I've seen some Brazilian girls who look like that, too. Of course, she could always be Native American (but I don't see many of those here that look like that.)

Plus, there are always contact lenses... for those of us who get bored with what nature gives us. #loannehizoostlie
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lodown
10/27/09

@divinelioness: It totally bugs me when people assume that certain physical features are exclusive to one 'race'. It's usually the result of a narrow, distorted view of genetics and race. Light-colored eyes and hair may be more common among people of northern European descent, but they're not exclusively Caucasian traits. I found out last year that blond hair is fairly common among the Aboriginal people of Australia and New Zealand (especially as children). #loannehizoostlie
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Ri_L
10/27/09

@roxythekiller: Yeah, there's no such thing as standard traits when you get a person of mixed race. Mr. L. looks like his Japanese mom, but his eyes are green. #loannehizoostlie
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Elaken
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
Every single one of these dolls are adorable - but I tend to think that about most of humanity too.

I do have to say though, they are really making me lament my lack of cat eyes and luscious lips. #loannehizoostlie
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madeofawesome
10/27/09

@Elaken: Psh, it's just makeup. You should see the dolls without it... #loannehizoostlie
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Cunning_Linguist
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse

Does anyone else think that #4 resembles Audrey Tautou? #loannehizoostlie
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theotherhepburn
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
She made a Ron Weasley!!
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prettycool
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
How about a Barbie with a big nose? #loannehizoostlie
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LatoyaPeterson
10/26/09

@prettycool: There are a couple on the site. I flagged one but got too tired to put it in. (I'm sick today.) However, I warn you - there are over 300 mods on that site, so it could be quite a hunt.

Specifically about the modder, I think that for someone who isn't creating the dolls, altering the nose would be kind of difficult. It seems like she is able to flatten the noses a bit, but there were only two with noses that we large or elongated. Maybe it's the material? #loannehizoostlie
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Wenchette
10/26/09

@LatoyaPeterson: It's easier to shave down the plastic/resin than it is to build up the facial features. There's a book that's very interesting for details on doll mods called Fashion Doll Makeovers for sale on Amazon. #loannehizoostlie
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Superrrdupa
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
Here's to hoping my hairdresser doesn't laugh so hard that she cuts my face when I bring in a picture of a doll for an example of "what I want." #loannehizoostlie
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la vie en hypnose
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
As a avid Moesha fan i have to say: Fuck you Mattel for not releasing that Brandy doll. #loannehizoostlie
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Wit is periodically disensouled promoted this comment la vie en hypnose was starred

Wit is periodically disensouled
10/26/09

@la vie en hypnose: Er, they did release it, though. You can get her on ebay for about $10.00 - $20.00. #loannehizoostlie
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la vie en hypnose
10/26/09

@Wit is periodically disensouled: Oh. note to self; reading comprehension: it's a good thing. #loannehizoostlie
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Cher_Horowitz
10/26/09

In reply to Dear Mattel: This Is How How You Make Barbie More Diverse
Love these. Next plz: a full-figured or medium-figured version of Barbie - then to infinity, and beyond! #loannehizoostlie
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Alwaystheangel
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
I don't understand this whole argument about Barbie being an unrealistic pressure on young girls. I know that most Jezzies said they just ripped off the heads and limbs, chopped off their hair, mutilated them and put them in compromising sexual positions. None of my friends felt like they were negatively impacted by Barbie either.

I feel that people are putting to much power in the hands of Barbie as an external pressure to be a particular (unachievable) shape. I think she has just become a tangible symbol of unrealistic expectations without actually really doing any real damage. I am perfectly open to being corrected here.

Did any of you Jezzies feel like Barbie directly had a negative impact on your self-perception? I am genuinely curious to hear if anyone has had any personal experiences with Barbie impacting you negatively. I would appreciate you sharing your story too. #sis
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cirocco
10/23/09

@Alwaystheangel: I never thought Barbie was meant to be representative of a real woman, in much the same sense that I knew Bugs Bunny was not supposed to be a real rabbit. With those storklike legs, bore-holes where her earlobes should be, and hair that burst from her head in sprigs, she just wasn't realistic enough to engender any kind of confusion about whether I should grow up to be like her. Of course I shouldn't. I liked being able to bend my elbows.

Mine lived in her camper-van on the beach, by the way. American Girl ain't got nothin' on me for homeless dolls. #sis
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jburnaway
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
Honestly, I like the doll. She's definitely a step up from the black Barbie of yesteryear, which had the same features as white Barbie, but just a different skin color. Seattle Slim has it all wrong. While the features are definitely not as black as she'd like them to be, if they were to be exaggerated any further, Mattel would be accused of stereotyping and people would view this as blackface Barbie instead of just black Barbie. The only problems with the doll are the problems with all Barbie dolls: her body, beautiful face and perfect hair represent an "unrealistic ideal of beauty." That term is used in almost every feminist view of Barbie I've seen and I'm actually starting to get a bit tired of it. A Barbie doll is not going to have nearly the impact on a young girl as fashion magazines and TV and movie stars will. When you're a kid, you still understand that the doll is plastic. You also understand that those gorgeous stick figure models and celebrities are very real. Compared to that, Barbie is barely a blip on the radar. #sis
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jenrobe
10/22/09

@jburnaway: I've been saying this to people for ages! At no point as a small child did I believe I would grow up to look anything like Barbie, in the same way that I knew real horses didn't look like My Little Ponies (although that would be kind of awesome). If a kid is drawing all their body image knowledge from a doll, then you need to get them out of the house more often. #sis
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XxAmandaxX
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
jst gt my prd nd m ttlly mnstrtng. GRL PWR W CHCKS NT DCKS!

bnch f lsbns #ss</s
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza! promoted this comment Edited by hortense at 10/22/09 10:23 PM XxAmandaxX was starred XxAmandaxX was unstarred

Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
10/22/09

@XxAmandaxX: Oh noes! Somebody made a site on the internet where ladies like to talk to each other and no one cares whether or not I think they're fat or want to fuck them! Wahhh! You're why I can't get a date! Women are horrible, I wish there was some way to just live with guys and have sex with them and never have to deal with mean mommies and evil teachers again!!! #sis
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Lady Skittlehattington
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
Barbies aren't an accurate representation of anyone, black or white. They are permanently on tippy toes. Hawaiian Barbie and Chinese Barbie are the same doll, and she looks like Catherine Zeta-Jones. #sis
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RiloKilo
10/22/09

@Lady Skittlehattington: Thank you, this is exactly what I was thinking. Where is a doll that looks like me? - pale, above a size 0, under 5'9", chubby thighs, frizzy brown hair.... yeah, there isn't one. I mean, I understand that a black Barbie is, in a sense, a good thing, but maybe eliminating Barbie from your kids' toy chest altogether is even better. #sis
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sirsnarksalot
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
Honestly, I couldn't care less about the supposed "message" little girls are getting from this new barbie. What concerns me is the message they are getting from the black celebrities about what constitutes beauty and what is realistic for them.

Do you think after watching a Beyonce video or seeing airbrushed photos of Halle Berry in a Maybeline ad makes the average black girl feel great about herself and her hair, skin tone, features? What message does it send when she see's the RHOA out there and the dime a dozen skank shakin' it in a music video? These are the images that scare me, not some damn doll. #sis
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ambitious
10/22/09

@sirsnarksalot: Is the theory here that dolls are less of a factor in shaping self image than other inputs? I'm not clear on why one can't care about an airbrushed Halle Berry or . . . RHOA as well as "some damn doll."

I guess I don't quite understand where the dismissiveness is coming from. #sis
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embarcadero13
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
"The dolls come with activator and a weave. Both! Even Régine on Living Single didn't go this deep and she was checking for a Chocolate Ken!)"

I'm sorry but I laughed at this until I cried! #sis
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LatoyaPeterson
10/22/09

@embarcadero13: Mission accomplished. That means at least two of you on the thread knew who I was referring to. I'm so mad I couldn't find the "but she has five interchangeable wigs!" scene on YouTube. #sis
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Red-headed bookworm
10/23/09

@LatoyaPeterson: I laughed, I loved that show. I still watch it when I catch it on one of those channels that run older shows. #sis
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Zulkey
10/22/09

In reply to New Black Barbies, Same Old Controversy
"But are the dolls going to be an adequate representation?"

No. Of course not. It's Barbie. #sis
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