What Happened to Barbie

In a feminist blog, I recently read something that caught my attention. For her fiftieth birthday, Mattel has given Barbie a makeover that some find as a completely negative thing. The doll now comes with stickers that children can place on the doll that resemble tattoos. The blog states that these stickers can be used to make Barbie look like their hero's, which include Amy Winehouse. Mattel claims that these stickers are merely meant for children to express themselves. The author of the blog has a picture of a Barbie with a sticker on her lower back, which is pretty effective for her argument.

She claims that this new style of Barbie is sending the wrong message with her lower back tattoos and short shirts that bare her midriff. This is what the children will aspire to become and we may have a generation of girls with what people have named "tramp stamps." The author claims that these tattoos and trashy clothing aren't the epitome of female empowerment or beauty, and I agree with her. The author claims that her mother let her grow dreadlocks when she was 16, and that she let her daughters express themselves but did not let them act too grown up. Her sister got a tattoo when she was 16, but her mother went over with her what was OK and not OK (lower back tattoos being not OK). I agree with this blog and think Mattel should rethink what their selling.