Unlike most Fictional Female Fridays, I didn't choose Barbie so I could shower her with praise. Actually, I have somewhat of a bone to pick with Barbie (as does Ken, I'm sure...that's what she said...).
I read an article on CNN this morning about the controversy behind the release of the new black Barbies. According to the article, some are happy with Mattel's recognition that leggy blondes aren't the sole occupiers of the world while others are upset that the black Barbies still have largely caucasian features, such as light brown, straight hair.
In the CNN article, an African-American iReporter says that she doesn't mind Barbie's straight hair because she straightens her hair every day, and that's a part of who she is. The black Barbie's black creator, Stacy McBride-Irby, is also pictured in the article with straightened hair.
Well that's great, except straight hair is one of the many features curly-haired women pursue to fit the caucasian beauty ideal which is promoted by almost all of the commercial elements of our society. Mattel is not only a part of this, but probably guiltier than almost everyone else except maybe Hollywood.
The thing is they still embody everything that is wrong with the original dolls. They're disproportionately slim and all bear a striking resemblance to Beyonce Knowles (not that the originals do--they're more like Heidi Klum).
To me, the black Barbie dolls are really just a way of saying, ok, we told you what white women should look like, here's what black women should look like (basically the white woman that only like 1 percent of the white population resembles but with darker skin). Beyond the racist undertones, it's just sort of mean to all women regardless of race.
I read somewhere once, probably on one of those e-mail chains, that if Barbie were expanded in her original proportions to the height of an average woman, she would topple over because her breasts are too large and her waist too small.
I don't know if this is true or not, but it's kind of a nice image. Death of Barbie by breasts. Or maybe, Breast Reduction Barbie, complete with hospital gown and scalpel? Maybe they can put some of that extra plastic around her waist or hips. We wouldn't want to be wasteful.
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