When I first got an e-mail about the new doll, Busty Barbie, I just knew this just had to be an Internet hoax. It would soon turn out that this was a fake controversy fueled by some fool in the basement with Photoshop. Looks like I was wrong.
Mattel has launched a new line of Barbie dolls called "Back to Basics (pictured below)," which features several dolls, white and black, in (what I can only term) "after-5" wear: There are off-the-shoulder dresses, strapless minis and plunging necklines. The whole thing is absolutely freaky. It's like some odd soft porno featuring call-girl dolls.
The worst offender in this travesty of a doll line is No. 10, oft referred to in the press as "Busty Barbie." This is an African American doll with a plunging neckline that exposes substantial boobage. Worse than that, though, her breasts look like those perfectly round fake-looking breasts that low-budget porn stars and all of Tiger Woods' mistresses have.
This new Barbie Basics Collection, which hit the stores in the United States, has become quite popular with kids. Quite naturally, today's mothers are very worried about its effect on their children. The suggestive wear, low-cut skirts and visible cleavage of Busty Barbie and the other dolls in this line have highly angered parents. Mothers say that they do not want their daughters to emulate the dressing patterns of the Barbie.
Andie Whitaker, a woman featured in an interview on WPTV NBC, said "What parent would buy this for their kid? Is that really an appropriate image you want to display for young women?"
Yes, this is awful, and no one should buy it, BUT the issue is a little deeper than these trampy dolls. Are the dolls really that shocking in a culture that made Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton stars? They have nothing to offer but sex appeal and sex tapes, and we can't get enough of them. Girls idolize women like Kanye's arm candy Amber Rose and Tiger's trashy mistress Rachel Uchitel, because they're attractive and they hooked up with famous men. Is it really surprising our little girls think that sexy equals successful?
When we have shows like 'Basketball Wives' that showcase attractive women whose only achievement in life has been to pull a baller and his babies, are we really that surprised when our daughters equate the potential for their lives with their sexiness level?
These dolls are just the symptom of a larger problem we have: We dropped the ball long ago and are now seeing the real effects of elevating half-hookers to star status. We failed to define what womanhood is to our daughters and instead gave the job to television.
Busty and all her other quasi-hooker friends are available at Target for a cool $19.99. Frankly, I have no problem with Mattel; it's a free market. Please don't use your precious time and energy organizing some dumb ass recall campaign or major boycott. This is America, if you don't like it, don't buy it. Done deal.
Your time would probably be better spent keeping your eye on your little girl.
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OK I'm sorry but, the first Mom that was talking about the busty barbie and how the neckline was too low and she didn't want her daughter to think she had to look like that, um yeah that Mom's neckline was crazy low, so what the hell is she talking about?
The basics line is designed for the adult Barbie doll collector. She has 10 of the top Barbie doll heads(Mackie head, Steffy head, etc.) - each different and with different hair styles - and is wearing a LBD (Little Black dress) that is meant to be accessorized or not. There are 4 different accessory kits. Yes, Mattel should do a better job at differentiating their target audience. I always assume the pink box dolls are for children, the black and silver box dolls are for adults. And yes, I have all my original Barbies from the 1960s and I still collect Barbie dolls.
I totally agree with the writer, if you don't like the dolls don't buy them. I don't think the dolls are aimed at children I think they are for the teen/adult collectors. They have those sculpted bodies that are not made to bend and move like regular barbies, I know this because I collect this set of barbies. Secondly, get off of the black and white issue, the style of the dolls has nothing to do with race, I get tired of the race card being pulled everytime there is disapproval on something in the world, own up to your own problems and stop blaming the race, and I'm a black woman.
Stop confusing collector Barbies with those intended for child's playtime.
Back to Basics Barbie has a wide range of ethnic features from which to choose. There is a rather limited number of accessories for purchase to augment the basic little black dress.
The doll and its accoutrements are collector's items and not little girl shocking pink Barbie-can-do-anything-while-Ken-pays-the-bill toys.
Barbies have always been about as fake as a blow-up doll. None of the dimensions have ever been anywhere close to accurate for a real person. The "Busty Barbie" and related others in "hooker" clothes are simply a sign of the times. On a different note, I'm sure the older of us remember the "anatomically correct" Micheal Styvyck doll from All In The Family. On a parallel course, take a look at recent Disney movies. The Disney female cartoon stars have been getting more and more cleavage in recent years. Gone are the "girl next door" squeaky clean portrayals, and here to stay are the "more interesting" versions. Let's face it, sex sells, even in doll/cartoon land.
This barbie being black or white doesn't matter. It is wrong to give children the idea that this is what a woman should look like. I'm a "white normal middle aged" woman who wish I had ta ta's like this but....Noone in this world is born naturally like this...noone! Why would mothers buy dolls for their children who look like this anyway? Because they don't have confidence in themselves or have character enough to say "no not this doll sweetie, let's find another barbie..." I am not against Barbie, but Mattel stinks for doing this! I do choose what my daughter plays with and say "no", to what she "should not" play with. I do want my daughter to have values and confidence in being a real woman someday, no matter what she looks like. Some make it hard enough already to be normal. We don't need to have a low cut dress with unnatural boobs to be "beautiful" and "accepted". People think about what this message sends to our girls or ignorant adults. Why would Target or other stores present this in the children's section in the first place....put her in the adult section! If it should be an adult doll or for a collector, tell Target or other stores to put it in the adult section! Think about it before buying her. Buy another barbie, black or white doesn't matter, but not this one! It will be a while before I buy one again...Mattel is going to far...
I REALLY DONT THINK MATTEL IS BEING RACIST. I JUST BELIEVE THAT THEY DIDNT THINK AT ALL. NO MATTER WHAT COLOR THEY MADE THE DOLL IT WAS VERY BAD ON THEIR PART. IT IS DISGUSTING TO HAVE DOLLS LIKE THIS ON SHELVES TO BE BOUGHT FOR LITTLE GIRLS. WHAT AN IMAGE MATTEL IS SHOWING CONSUMERS.
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Comments: (303)
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By: ablacksafari on 5/26/2010 7:59AM
You is a fool :)
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By: jimbarry1946 on 5/26/2010 8:04AM
If the mothers are upset, they SHOULDN'T BUY THE DOLL for their daughters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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By: Mel on 5/26/2010 8:05AM
OK I'm sorry but, the first Mom that was talking about the busty barbie and how the neckline was too low and she didn't want her daughter to think she had to look like that, um yeah that Mom's neckline was crazy low, so what the hell is she talking about?
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By: Kara on 5/26/2010 8:06AM
The basics line is designed for the adult Barbie doll collector. She has 10 of the top Barbie doll heads(Mackie head, Steffy head, etc.) - each different and with different hair styles - and is wearing a LBD (Little Black dress) that is meant to be accessorized or not. There are 4 different accessory kits. Yes, Mattel should do a better job at differentiating their target audience. I always assume the pink box dolls are for children, the black and silver box dolls are for adults. And yes, I have all my original Barbies from the 1960s and I still collect Barbie dolls.
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By: Allie on 5/26/2010 8:10AM
I totally agree with the writer, if you don't like the dolls don't buy them. I don't think the dolls are aimed at children I think they are for the teen/adult collectors. They have those sculpted bodies that are not made to bend and move like regular barbies, I know this because I collect this set of barbies. Secondly, get off of the black and white issue, the style of the dolls has nothing to do with race, I get tired of the race card being pulled everytime there is disapproval on something in the world, own up to your own problems and stop blaming the race, and I'm a black woman.
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By: juilengf on 5/26/2010 1:04PM
Thank you! Well said!
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By: JVL on 5/26/2010 8:10AM
Stop confusing collector Barbies with those intended for child's playtime.
Back to Basics Barbie has a wide range of ethnic features from which to choose. There is a rather limited number of accessories for purchase to augment the basic little black dress.
The doll and its accoutrements are collector's items and not little girl shocking pink Barbie-can-do-anything-while-Ken-pays-the-bill toys.
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By: Gerald on 5/26/2010 8:11AM
Barbies have always been about as fake as a blow-up doll. None of the dimensions have ever been anywhere close to accurate for a real person. The "Busty Barbie" and related others in "hooker" clothes are simply a sign of the times. On a different note, I'm sure the older of us remember the "anatomically correct" Micheal Styvyck doll from All In The Family. On a parallel course, take a look at recent Disney movies. The Disney female cartoon stars have been getting more and more cleavage in recent years. Gone are the "girl next door" squeaky clean portrayals, and here to stay are the "more interesting" versions. Let's face it, sex sells, even in doll/cartoon land.
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By: deb on 5/26/2010 10:15AM
This barbie being black or white doesn't matter. It is wrong to give children the idea that this is what a woman should look like. I'm a "white normal middle aged" woman who wish I had ta ta's like this but....Noone in this world is born naturally like this...noone! Why would mothers buy dolls for their children who look like this anyway? Because they don't have confidence in themselves or have character enough to say "no not this doll sweetie, let's find another barbie..." I am not against Barbie, but Mattel stinks for doing this! I do choose what my daughter plays with and say "no", to what she "should not" play with. I do want my daughter to have values and confidence in being a real woman someday, no matter what she looks like. Some make it hard enough already to be normal. We don't need to have a low cut dress with unnatural boobs to be "beautiful" and "accepted". People think about what this message sends to our girls or ignorant adults. Why would Target or other stores present this in the children's section in the first place....put her in the adult section! If it should be an adult doll or for a collector, tell Target or other stores to put it in the adult section! Think about it before buying her. Buy another barbie, black or white doesn't matter, but not this one! It will be a while before I buy one again...Mattel is going to far...
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By: HEYJUDE on 5/26/2010 8:14AM
I REALLY DONT THINK MATTEL IS BEING RACIST. I JUST BELIEVE THAT THEY DIDNT THINK AT ALL. NO MATTER WHAT COLOR THEY MADE THE DOLL IT WAS VERY BAD ON THEIR PART. IT IS DISGUSTING TO HAVE DOLLS LIKE THIS ON SHELVES TO BE BOUGHT FOR LITTLE GIRLS. WHAT AN IMAGE MATTEL IS SHOWING CONSUMERS.
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