 |
| I don't know how I feel about my doll's brows |
Given all the hoopla about the Barbie movie, NPR put together a great biographical sketch of the Jewish woman who invented the doll and built up the brand for Mattel Corporation. Her daughter was Babs (Barbara). There are many insights in the program, the biggest being that the original prototype was based on a sexy German doll sold to men based on Bild's
Lilli comic strip. (Then there was that story we uncovered recently that Hitler wanted to provide Nazi sex dolls for German soldiers to keep them from contracting venereal diseases/STD/STIs from prostitutes).
 |
| Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo dolls? |
One
International Women’s Day (March 8th), Mattel announced its new “Inspiring Women Series,” which featured Barbie dolls made in the image of accomplished women like director Ava DuVernay and pilot Amelia Earheart.
But the doll that was featured most prominently on Mattel’s promotional images and whose face looms largest on the home page for the new series is a doll inspired by the late
Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907–July 13, 1954).
 |
| Would-be "Mexican Barbies" can spend eternity in vanity pink coffins. |
 |
| There are many "Mexican Barbies" on the market (Amazon, eBay...) |
Mattel states on its website that “Barbie is committed to shining a light on empowering role models past and present in an effort to inspire more girls.”
But many found the selection of German-Mexican, radical, bisexual, body-dysmorphic, early feminist Frida Kahlo not only uninspiring but downright offensive.
An acclaimed author tweeted: "Sorry but I Have Big Feelings about queer, disabled, Marxist Frida Kahlo, who spent her life rejecting whiteness, [North] America, and commodified femininity, getting turned into a damn barbie doll.
—
Summer Brennan (@summerbrennan) March 18, 2018.
No comments:
Post a Comment