Barbie has just been wilding out over these past few years, huh folks? I’m not mad at it though. While the Mattel doll has always been pretty controversial, over the years, things have become a bit too real for some people. She’s had pregnant friends, had a tramp stamp on her back, inflatable boobs, and now, she’s covered in ink! On top of that, the edgy Barbie also has a pink bob (is that Nicki’s wig??) and wears Hot Topic-esque clothing with a side of leopard print.
The doll costs about $50, and according to Mattel, is marketed at adults who are fans of collecting the miniature women. As the brand said in a statement, “Barbie has been dressed by more than 70 fashion designers over the years. Many of Barbie’s most pop-culture couture outfits have been designed for the adult doll collector.” While the doll may seem cool for older people, many parents are NOT feeling this new look for a doll that will be seen by their kids. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Queens father Tom Gurry said he would lay the smack down on his 11-year-old daughter if she tried to come home with a tattoo, or the doll:
“I’d kill my daughter if she came home with a tattoo. Barbie’s supposed to be a role model for young girls, right? I don’t want my daughter looking up to someone like that.”
Another parent, mom, Tiffany Newkirk, said that now that her own teenage daughter is bothering her about getting a tattoo, she really doesn’t think a doll like this is a good idea to put out there for kids to view:
“I don’t think that’s an appropriate toy for a young girl. You don’t want your kids to think tattoos are a good idea at such a young age because they last a lifetime.”
Okay. The sensitivity level out here is getting waaaay too high.
No disrespect, but there are way too many conversations going on these days about society-at-large’s responsibility to swaddle children and shield them from the things they’ll most likely see when they walk home from school everyday. Last month, it was a T-Shirt that was deemed too negative because it allegedly promoted being pretty over being smart. Now it’s this random plastic Barbie, who aside from a few tattoos is actually a well-covered up and cute doll. And before both of these things, there were a string of other products that adults deemed toxic to their children’s psyche and self-esteem. My response to all of these rumblings is…DON’T BUY THE CRAP!
Seriously, you don’t have to pick up a tattooed Barbie, or the Barbie with the plastic fetus belly or that ugly shirt from JCPenney, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are women out there on the streets covered in tattoos, young women walking around pregnant and others celebrating their beauty over their brains (why, I don’t know). Taking a shirt off of racks or dolls off of shelves doesn’t change any of that. To me, it just gives off the vibe that if you took the time to protest or write letters about this issue out of all the bigger issues going on in the world that are of more importance, well, then you need to re-prioritize.
Same goes for the amount of crap grown celebrities get for wearing what they want and doing what they please. If a popular singer wants to roll around half naked in a video, feel how you feel because you’re tired of seeing her without her clothes on, not because of the effect it will have on your kids. The TV in your house? You bought it. The cable on there that allows them to know what a “guido” is and to watch scandalous music videos? Uh, you’re paying for it. Parents have more of a hand in what their kids see and are exposed to, and unless little Jenny comes home wearing daisy dukes because of what she saw in a specific person’s video, we all know it isn’t society’s job to shield your babies.
If you base what your child’s mental health and wellness will be off of what a Barbie looks like or what some products say, then you need to get out of WalMart and go sit down somewhere. Talk to your kids about these images and issues rather than quickly going from level 0 to 10 because, in most cases, your opinion means more to them down the road than public or popular opinion. Therefore, I say, let this doll be sold to the adults who collect them, and as always, if your child asks you to get a tattoo after hearing about this Barbie, then you know, and they should already know the answer: HELL NO!
But I could be wrong. What do you think?
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