>The Barbie Brouhaha
>To be honest, I am totally confused by Barbie.
I mean, how can the doll that’s held the titles of astronaut, veterinarian, and President of the United States turn around and make an appearance as My Bling Bling Barbie?
According to Amazon, My Bling Bling Barbie is for girls between the ages of five and ten.
Say what?
And that’s not all. Right now, this Little Red Riding Hood Barbie is on sale at my local Toys R Us…
Um, that’s not quite how I remember her from our storybooks.
My daughter is a huge Barbie fan, and for a while, I was able to contain her Barbie collecting craze to the 12 Dancing Princesses and Diamond Castle collections.
But now, a new Barbie is in town, one I have a bit of a problem with… And thanks to intense promotions from Mattel, my daughter is begging for it.
You can read about our Barbie brouhaha in this week’s newspaper edition of Suburban Turmoil. The full text of the column is below..
Tramp Stamp Barbie
“Hey, Mommy,” my 4-year-old daughter Punky squeals from the den. “Come quick! You’ve got to see this!”
I walk around the corner and stare at the television screen in mute horror. On it, a little girl is covering her smiling Barbie doll in tiny tattoos. Next, the child and her friends began inking each other. The words “Totally Stylin’ Tattoos Barbie,” appear at the bottom of the screen.
“I want her for my birthday, Mommy!” Punky shouts. “Oh, please! Oh please, please, please!”
“We’ll see,” I say, smiling weakly at my daughter before turning away and grimacing.
Tramp Stamp Barbie? What the hell, Mattel?
It was bad enough when Mattel came out with My Bling Bling Barbie a few years back. I’m not exaggerating when I say that if you saw a life-sized version of the doll on the street, you’d conclude from her barely there halter top, navel piercing, denim micro mini, and stiletto boots that she was either a hooker or a country music singer. Not surprisingly, Bling Bling Barbie hit the clearance shelves soon after her release.
Tramp Stamp Barbie has debuted with much greater fanfare, most notably the commercial my daughter has watched countless times now on television. I’m not one to ban age appropriate TV or toys — I figure since my kids have to live in this world, I’d rather teach them to be critical of what’s offered to them than try to hide it.
But come on, Mattel. Can’t you help a mother out?
Now I’m left wondering what the toy giant will put out next. Sexting Barbie? Fun with Oxycontin Barbie? Teen Pregnancy Barbie, available in a two-pack with Paternity Test Ken?
Not that I’m overreacting.
I mean, I was a Barbie freak once, too, back in the days when the doll was even more skeevy than she is today. My friends and I had legions of old school Barbie dolls with impossibly huge boobs and tiny waists. Our Barbies all owned flirty lingerie, skimpy mini dresses, and countless pairs of plastic stilettos. And all of us had a Ken doll, too, which was kept in the pack for one reason only — to make out with the Barbies.
I don’t know how many millions of Barbie-Ken make out sessions went on in little girls’ bedrooms in the ’80s, but it could easily be America’s No. 1 toy scandal, one that surely had a lot to do with Mattel’s eventual decision to break Barbie and Ken up back in 2004.
Nowadays, Ken dolls are about as easy to find in toy stores as Vic Lineweaver is in his office. And with the rise in popularity of people like Tia Tequila, I wouldn’t be surprised if Midge takes the fall next. I mean, we’ve all seen the way she looks at Barbie sometimes. Totally inappropriate, if you ask me.
Where was I? Oh. Tramp Stamp Barbie. Thanks to her, I got to have The Tattoo Conversation with my daughter, about 14 years earlier than I had planned.
“I don’t really like Tattoo Barbie,” I told Punky as we discussed her birthday wish list.
“Why not, Mommy?” she asked.
“Because getting a tattoo is a big decision,” I said. “A tattoo lasts forever, and when young girls like Barbie get them, they almost always regret it later.”
“But why?” Punky still wasn’t getting it.
“Well, Barbie might get a little ring of flowers tattooed around her belly button,” I said. “And then in a few years when she decides to grow a baby in her tummy, her belly will get bigger and bigger and the little ring of flowers will get all stretched out.” Punky’s eyes grew wide.
“And then when the baby comes out and her tummy gets smaller again, that tattoo will look funny and everybody will laugh and talk about it when mommy Barbie wears a tankini at the Maryland Farms YMCA pool.”
“Oh,” Punky said. She seemed confused.
“Or Barbie might join a sorority, like your babysitters,” I went on. “And she might get a tattoo of her sorority letters on her ankle, which seems like a good idea until she decides to be an attorney when she grows up and everyone sees those letters on her ankle at board meetings and in court,” I said. “And they might not take Barbie very seriously.”
Punky looked dazed. It was time to change tactics.
“OK,” I said, “if you could get any tattoo you wanted right now, and it would last forever, what would it say?” I leaned back, smirking, imagining the words “French fries,” or “My Little Pony,” emblazoned across her lower back.
“It would say, ‘I love my Mommy,’” Punky said with a proud little smile.
I bit my lip and looked down at Punky’s wish list.
Maybe Tramp Stamp Barbie wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
>Is that Little Red Riding Hood FOR REAL? Tacky, tacky tacky.
>When did they come out with Stripper Barbie and Balding Middle Age Man Fantasy Barbie?
>I just read your other article and – wow – someone really thought a tattoo barbie was a good idea? There’s a reason you have to be 18 to think about having a tattoo. I know they are just temporary tattoos, but still. Wow.
>I just read the article…yikes!! :((By the way, I love your writing style, and your blog!!)
>This makes me glad I’m not a mom – you ladies all have my sympathy having to deal with these types of things.”Age-appropriate” never seems to cross the minds of the people in these companies. Or they have no idea what it really means.
>I’m thinking perverted old men who like strip clubs are designing these dolls and “outfits”. My daughter knows better than to ask for something like this. Someone bought her a trashy doll like the 1st one you have pictured. She was 3!!! That doll ended up in the garbage when she wasn’t looking. Momma pug you are hilarious!
>Oh and one more thing. I hate it when parents say “it’s no big deal” and “your making a bigger deal out of it than you should”. Thank GOD there are still responsible parents out there!
>Seriously- we have to draw the line somewhere. Sure, the little girls in the product testing sessions probably thought these looked “so pretty”, much to the delight of the middle aged pervs who likely dreamed these up over a 2 martini lunch at a “gentlemen’s club”. I we as moms are going to allow crap like this and say it is no big deal- then when is it OK to say something is a big deal when everything leading up to it wasn’t?
>Yikes! That is seriously scary. Pole Dancer Barbie next? I don’t have kids but doe have a 6 year old niece and the fact that she get bombarded with this sort of stuff really does annoy me.
>Is there a March Madness Barbie?
>I’m not sure what to think. At first I was appalled, but then I thought about the temporary tattoos that I remember all of us kids wearing – whether it came in a box of cereal or w/ a hotwheels car or whatever. I certainly don’t like the slutty aspect of it all though.
>I don’t have a problem with my daughter sporting the temporary tattoos. The problem I have with Totally Stylin Tattoos Barbie is that Barbie is presented as the adult that little girls want to be some day. Adults aren’t wearing a temporary tattoo of Snow White on their forearm. They’re getting the real thing. And I don’t want it to be presented to Punky as something that a beautiful young woman would do. Y’know?I’m not opposed to well thought out tattoos for adults. But most of them that are gotten at “Barbie’s age” aren’t well thought out at all, and are generally regretted later.
>With an answer like that, I’d take back what I said about Tattoo Tramp Barbie too!
>Your article was great! I must admit, I do have a tattoo…and a 4 year old to explain it to. She thinks its great and she’s also seen the tramp stamp barbie. We’ve talked about it, but the only think I’ve found to deter her from her enthusiasm is to tell her it feels like a whole bunch of shots at the same time for a long time. Suddenly, she didn’t think they were cool after all.
>Wow what is up with Barbie and her friends? Like you said Barbie used to be something that represented integrity with good a head on her shoulders. Kinda like a role model. Well I don’t need a Barbie dressed as a hoochie Momma to be something I want my daughter to aspire to dress like. Barbie has gone to hell and I don’t plan on letting her take my innocent daughter with her!
>Looks more like an adult halloween costume than any Barbie-appropriate attire, supposed to be played with by little girls!
>And this would be why my daughter will not get to have Barbies. Yep, I’m going to “that” mean mom and be totally ok with it.
>Can you imagine the reaction if they came out with a Katy Perry “I Kissed a Girl” Barbie?
>All I have to say is, OH. HELL. NO.
>Barbie is mostly unrealistic – having all boys I do not have to deal with her or Bratz – Congarts to Lindsay, she’s on the front page of iVillage!http://www.ivillage.com/
>Ha ha! Thanks for letting me know!
>Okay, I swear someone in high school came to school in that Little Red Riding Hood Outfit I also think she was sent home by the principal to change into something more suited to wear in a school setting.
>They are trying to compete with Bratz – which I never allowed my daughter to have. Barbie was the sweet one. Makes me sad that they are going after that market too.
>And a whole NEW line of Barbies are getting set to hit the “runway” shortly, too (like a “How’s THIS for economic recovery Barbie”, and “Economically Stimulated Barbie”, etc. Tattoos may prove the least of your worries here 😉
>I recently purchased a Barbie, that came with instructions no less, that pictured what looked to be a thong on Barbie.I was tempted to take my sharpie and fill in what was missing for my 6 year old. That or explain what a wedgie was all about.I love what you called her “tramp stamp barbie” – hilarious.
>Little Red Riding Whore is more like it.
>It was only a matter of time before they made a “Hooker Barbie” … I guess “Little Red Riding Hood” was just a little more pc, namewise.
>I’m a regular reader of your blog (really enjoy it!) and I hope I can give you (and your readers) my opinion without getting torn to shreds for it. My daughter is 6 and has seen this commercial and of course, wants Tattoo Barbie. Here’s the rub: I have several tattoos myself (no “tramp stamp,” however!). I am also 39, and work as an administrative assistant for a very large national retailer, in their corporate office. I’m a legal assistant, so all of my previous jobs have been at law firms in a large urban city. I think it’s a teeny bit unfair to say that a tattoo is not something “a beautiful young woman would do.” I’m not advocating tattoos or anything like that – but I don’t think that a sorority sister getting Greek letters on her ankle is such a horrible thing. Also, I easily covered my ankle tattoo when I had to at work – it’s really not a big deal. I’m sure you’ve found this out with your kids too – the bigger deal YOU make out of it, the bigger deal THEY make out of it. When my daughter said she wanted that, I said, wow, that’s pretty cool, we’ll see – and dropped it. She can ask for it a million times – she’s not getting it (not because of the tattoos, because I don’t like Barbie in general). She likes temporary tattoos – and that’s fine. I don’t care about that. Oh, and Bling Bling Barbie and Little Red Riding Whore Barbie? Right up there with Slutz….I mean Bratz. No way. I agree with the other readers – those are middle aged men’s fantasies. I’ll stick with the Disney Princesses!
>I honestly don’t have a problem with tattoos when they are well-thought-out and chosen by mature adults. The problem is that what I would have chosen as an 18-year-old would be a bit embarrassing today, and certainly not what I would have chosen as a 33-year-old mom. I’m sure there are people out there who are happy with the tattoos they chose at 18. I’m sure there are just as many people out there who aren’t happy with the tattoos they chose at 18. I’d rather my daughter not get a tattoo when she’s in college (although she might and I’d have little control over it), and I’d rather Mattel not glamorize that option. I feel the same way about sex. 😉
>Whispering Writer… if only Barbie had a principal that could send HER home to change! BTW- where are Barbie’s parents anyway- these are the kind of outfits that usually get smuggled out of the house in a backpack and put on long after mom and dad aren’t around to make you take them off! Maybe they’ll make a “Jail Bait Barbie” complete with fake ID!And whoever called Bratz, “Slutz”… love that- I mean really- someone once gave my 4yo at the time, daughter a “Baby Bratz”… it was wearing a belly shirt that said, “Bad Girl”, Daisy Duke shorts, black fishnets and thigh high boots… what pedophile dreamed that one up? Somehow it accidentally disappeared shortly after she got it…
>Tramp Stamp Barbie…I love it. And now I know what to tell my mom to get me for my birthday this year! (she’s always saying she misses the days of buying me toys….)
>Is there nothing sacred anymore? Is the innocence and purity of our daughters not sacred? Is THIS what we want our girls to aspire to? UGH! I want my daughter to aspire to be a mom, doctor, coach, teacher, etc… not a hooker.Maybe this can become a good teaching experience for you and your daughter. A chance to talk about what should be appropriate. Allowing your daughter to openly discuss the good and bad of these two Barbies might bring her to a place where she doesn’t want them anymore.It is sad how hard it is to protect our children from filth. Shame on Mattel!Kelli
>PTL my 4 y/o isn't into Barbie just yet. So I can't so for sure if I would get it for her or not. I do have a few tattoos my kids know about. My kids know that just because mommy & daddy do it/have it doesn't mean it's for them. A simple example is soda or coffee. Mommy & daddy drink it….they DON'T. I've talked to them about a tattoo being forever and will talk to them again & again.
>My nieces are too young for Barbies so I had no idea that these were out there. It is hard to believe they are real.I was watching a show on TV where New York socialite mom takes her tween daughter to try on a pair of patent leather stiletto boots. What does a 12 year old need with a pair of stiletto’s? Can’t help but think she may have been playing with Bling Bling Barbie a few years ago.