November 30, 2004
I'm too sexy for your toyshop
Byron Lars returns to a favorite theme to continue his acclaimed Treasures of Africa™ Collection. Inspired by the range and diversity of today's Africa - from towering modern cities to snowy mountaintops - Mr. Lars creates Nne™ Barbie® doll. Named for the Swahili word for "four", this fantastic doll is richly drawn from African motifs, but completely defined by fine couture. Nne™ Barbie® doll struts her stuff in a fitted brown jacket and skirt, faux fur hood and faux fur boots.
(link from Boing Boing).
And don't forget World Culture Barbie: a princess for every country. Though Queen Eliz. I and Renaissance Princess Barbie seem to be pushing it. Not to mention Marie Antoinette.
October 27, 2004
Follow-ups
Via Boing Boing: Pitcairn men accused of rape convicted but not yet serving time (registration required).
If any former sf students are reading this, get out your wallets. RE/Search will publish JG Ballard Quotes: Does The Future Have A Future? (also via Boing Boing).
Map of Dante's Inferno (via Plep).
Real Women Project: bronze sculptures the same size as Barbie but a lot more expensive (via Plep).
August 26, 2004
Pink and blue
The Jinker Boy has discovered the categories of "boy" and "girl," though he uses them with his own inflections:
Me: Is Phyllis a boy or a girl?
Jinker Boy: Gel.
Me: Is Lauren a boy or a girl?
JB: Barbie gel.
Me: What's a Barbie girl?
JB: Liddal gel.
Me: Is Daddy a boy or a girl?
JB: Boy.
Me: Is Mummy a boy or a girl?
JB: Boy.
Me: Mummy's a boy? Why?
JB: Because I love it.
Me: Because you love Mummy?
JB: Yis.
Me: But you love Phyllis and she's a girl.
JB: [pause] Yis.
Me: Is Mummy a boy or a girl?
JB: Boy.
August 24, 2004
I usually try to stay out of American politics
but this could not be ignored.
July 17, 2004
Boy, I've missed you guys!
Lots of funny stuff at Ancarett's Abode:
Legolas Ken and Galadriel Barbie.
Which Loreena McKennitt song are you? ("The Old Ways").
What Kind of Elitist Are You? (Book and language snob. Duh!)
What's my Pirate Name? (Iron Morgan Bonney. Sort of a rum-drinking tin-man with a ribbon.)
Graffitti archeology (from Bookninja).
Injured seagull given a Barbie leg (via Mirabilis). God, I love the internet!
Which generic smut novel character are you? (The Obscenely Wealthy Heiress, of course. Via Nalo Hopkinson).
And from the other end of the alphabet: found zen at web zen. Very cool links.
July 01, 2004
Free Barbie!
"Mattel loses to Barbie-mocking artist" (from The Washington Times via Detritus). And here is the Creative Freedom Defense Fund, set up "to defend artists who run afoul of the corporations that take offense at having their products used in socially critical ways." Here is my original post.
June 15, 2004
I'll take the pink astronaut suit in a 16
Mattel gears up to launch Barbie clothing line for adult women (via ms.musings).
June 02, 2004
Best Barbie site ever
No idea what's being said here, as it's all in Spanish, but as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words.
[Warning! Sensibility alert: entwining of various bits of plastic. Just so you know.]
(Thanks to Long story; short pier).
April 27, 2004
Beam me some
Liliputian Lilith, who likes Barbies herself, offers a link to Star Trek Barbie and Ken. Check out the site for other wonders, like Grand Ole Opry Barbie and Barbie as That Girl.
April 26, 2004
Barbies, from PC to ... not
Two Barbie links, one to the unexceptionable "Midwife Mary," complete with LaLeche league tee and herbal tinctures, and the other to Arsenic and Apple Pie, site of artist Paul Hansen and his wonderful drag queen Kens, as well as "Trailer Trash Barbie."
(Via Lillipution Lilith)
April 14, 2004
Today's Barbie link
"Anti-Barbie becomes Russian icon": the story of an average-looking young woman who was the popular favourite to represent Russia in the Miss Universe pageant. Via feministe.
April 10, 2004
Pre-school locker-rooms, Jesus on roids, and why Barbie really left Ken
Three posts from ms.musings:
A story pointing to Jill Storey's meditation on sensitive sons, "Act like a man" at Salon.com (sorry, subscription required, but the Ms. piece gives a good overview), and another on the hyper-masculinization of Jesus.
And, a young woman is awarded damages after being suspended from school for wearing a tee-shirt that read, "Barbie is a lesbian."
Update (14/4/04): Alas, a Blog has a thoughtful post on the Salon story.
March 26, 2004
Haven't had a Barbie post in awhile
so here is a cool site, The Distorted Barbie. Paintings, thoughtful commentary, and links. Mattel tried to shut them down in 1997, but the site is still up.
The Distorted Barbie is on detritus.net, "dedicated to recycled culture."
February 13, 2004
Splitsville!
This just in, via forty-something: Barbie and Ken, after 43 years, are calling it quits. Sources close to the plastic bombshell say that "Blaine," an Australian "boogie boarder," may be behind the break-up. Barbie is scheduled to be interviewed by Barbara Walters next week, and Ken is shopping around a proposal for a tell-all book. Coming soon: Back-on-the-Market Barbie, with "board shorts and a bikini top, [and] metal hoop earrings," and post-break-up Ken, complete with much younger new gal pal.
January 14, 2004
Barbie's back
After having read Tim Burke's post via Apt11D (who is right on about Hot Wheels), Harry at Crooked Timber asks whether dislike of Barbies is gendered. In his experience, men take a more active dislike, whereas women tend
to be much less judgemental (presumably on the ‘well, I played with her and she never did me any harm’ principle, though its not clear to me why they think they are the best judges of that).
Just for the record, this is not my experience: the women I know tend to be more critical of Barbies than the men, and the women generally have stronger opinions either way (as the ones damaged—or not—by them).
Tim Burke writes,
What really struck me, however, was just what a crappy doll Barbie actually is. She’s got minimal articulation, she’s stiff and horribly inanimate, she doesn’t stand up on her own no matter what you do, and in order for this particular [Baby Doctor ] Barbie to grip her neonatal medical instruments, they have to be jammed through a hole in her hand like a stigmata. If you actually wanted to play out a narrative of Barbie treating the two little babies that come with her, you’d almost be just as well off with a rag doll or a popsicle stick figure in terms of the resemblance between what you’re imagining and what you’re holding.
This badly underestimates the power of Barbies—not as cultural icons to be poached, as Tim allows (and see my earlier link, and here, and here, on this)—but as what, apparently and from my own childhood experience, little girls want. The question is why? Why do little girls, by and large, not want toys that move and do neat things, human figures that emulate some sort of physical reality? I can't believe I'm saying this but perhaps the appeal of Barbies is almost cerebral: they are a locus for fantasy and role–playing, but at a physical remove. The last part of Tim's quote, above, is telling: "you’d almost be just as well off with a rag doll or a popsicle stick figure in terms of the resemblance between what you’re imagining and what you’re holding." But this could be part of the appeal: the role the imagination is required to play in relation to this static Barbie object. (And perhaps this lack of verisimilitude explains, in part, some the extreme treatment many children give Barbies, as a need to make them flesh. Or at least, physically present. On the other hand, Barbies are tactile: that hair, all those outfits to sort and change, those little shoes.)
It is very difficult to explain the power of longing and desire associated with Barbie (and by extension, clothes, Vogue, and the list goes on). Not longing to acquire stuff, at least not for its own sake. And not for what it means, either, at least in terms of status, but rather, for what it means, or promises, or denies, about ourselves. Het men like to look at women; so do het women. Why? Because we are shaped to be shapeless, to take form from others' desires, others' images. We are shaped so that we cannot find the answers internally without a long struggle. I'm going out on a limb here, but, well, speaking personally, I'm not sure one can ever fully escape it. I long, long ago cured myself of my fashion magazine habit, haven't worn heels since my cousin's wedding fifteen years ago and almost crippled myself then. Am a feminist, have been for—well, I first identified as a feminist well before I overcame the magazine habit—and I have the activist chops to prove it. I've just started a "Writing by Women" course, fer cryin out loud. Down with the patriarchal structures that oppress us all! But yet—but yet... On a viseral level, I remember it all: the shiny pages, the pictures, the little turquoise high-heeled mules my first Barbie wore (which I promptly lost down a heating duct).
A related—and very old—question: do little girls get what they want? Or do they want what they are given?
Good thing I have a boy. Just have crappy Hot Wheels tracks to worry about.
January 04, 2004
Last Barbie entry for awhile, I hope
And there is a "worksafe" (!!) Barbie version of the Paris Hilton sex tape. Yikes.
[Thanks to Gothamist, via thinking with my fingers, for the link.]
Food Chain Barbie
Thanks to feministe for the following:
I found Thomas Forsythe's art, the artist who recently won the lawsuit against Mattel, in a series called Illegal Art.These artists use corporate imagery to make statements about consumer behavior and society. Every bit of it is beautiful and interesting, aesthetically pleasing and thought-provoking.
In the interests of Barbiology, I looked up Thomas Forsythe and his series of photographs, “Food Chain Barbie,” intended, according to the artist, to criticise "Barbie's embodiment of America's culture of consumption and conformism" and "skewer the stereotyping of women."
Here is a page from the ACLU archives about Forsythe, and other highlights from Mattel’s aggressively litigious history. Here is a news story from ABC, and here is an interesting article on Forsythe and other “illegal” art.
And here [drumroll] is Forsythe’s “Food Chain Barbie.”
I appreciate the issues here, and I’m glad that Mattel, who seem right up there with Disney in the “humourless corporations” category, lost the case. But...but...I can’t help being reminded of that Hustler cover that caused so much controversy years ago, with the photo of the woman’s legs sticking out from a meat grinder. Barbie is certainly a symbol of ... well, fill in the blanks: consumerism, stereotypical femininity, the anorectic ideal, the American Dream, etc. etc. But she is also a representation of a female body, however grotesque and distorted, and I for one find it uncomfortable to watch her being blenderized, mixed, barbecued, stir–fried, or rear–mounted by a giant mix–master, all of which happen in Forsythe’s series. Yes, I make a distinction between children decapitating, etc., their Barbies and these photos. Now, little tiny George Bushes or Donald Trumps undergoing the same indignities would be funny. Very funny. But I digress.
January 02, 2004
Rock on, Barbie
I’ve been thinking about Barbie®, with and without the trademark. Regular readers may remember that we read John Varley’s “The Barbie Murders” this past term in my sf class, which prompted me to link to Valkyrie, who remakes dolls, often Barbies, into various historical, fictional, or mythological characters, and to artist Simon Tyszko and his “Suicide Bomber Barbie.” (Re. Valkyrie: there seem to be lots of people out there who customize Barbies in various ways. Check out the links from her page. I like the goth Barbies.)
I’ve also been thinking about Barbie because a friend of mine was having a dilemma over whether or not to allow her four year old daughter to have one. She (my friend) is uncomfortable with the dolls but doesn’t want to make them even more appealing to her daughter by forbidding them. I told her about a conversation I had had with another friend about the subversive uses to which many little girls put their Barbies. She herself (friend #2) said that her Barbie used to be a waitress and Ken was a customer who stole her tips; she obviously had an extremely precocious class and gender analysis. I suppose that I must have as well, though in a less wholesome way, as my friends and I used to pretend that our Barbies were strippers (you try pole–dancing, even with those bendable knees. It’s not easy!). I also have memories of horrible haircuts with nail scissors, Bic pen tattoos, and my sister beheading her dolls and burying the evidence in the garden. These latter activities prompted a discussion with the sf class in which half the women admitted to similar Barbie mutilations and the other half were shocked and very disturbed. Later I posted a link to a site that describes how to decapitate a Barbie.
This type of head has no hooks or glue holding it in place. A hard plastic knob firmly holds the rim of the vinyl head. The head can be gently pushed or pried off. Heating the vinyl head with either hot water (which can also reset the hair) or a warm blow dryer (as described in the section on Beheading the Newer Barbie ®) will make the job easier.
One would think that last would have brought the topic to some kind of closure, but no. Various Barbie related links keep floating across my screen. Here, for example, is a photo–essay in which Barbie binges in the kitchen late at night, via the amazing Plep.
There once was a pretty, fair maiden who, after returning from a difficult day as doctor, pilot, race car driver, teacher *and* fairy, found herself alone in her chalet house with a bounty of binge foods.
Here, via Charlie’s Diary is a story about some fishermen who dressed up a lobster in Barbie clothes and put it in a buddie’s trap, as a prank, which contains possibly the quote of 2003:
"You try squeezing Barbie shoes on a lobster," [fisherman Chris Costello] said. "That was the most time-consuming thing."
The same story in Charlie’s Diary also revisits the Barbie Liberation Organization’s (BLO) direct action in 1993:
Astute afficionados of the weird may recall the Barbie Liberation Organization, who in 1993 carried out mass voice-box transplants on GI Joe and Barbie dolls in shops leading up to the Christmas rush. (The resulting epidemic of Barbies saying "dead men tell no tales" and GI Joes expressing a desire to go shopping triggered much clucking in the media, although the original grossly gender-stereotyped voiceboxes had caused no such fuss.)
Here is a link about the BLO. And here is another group of culture jammers with an interesting sticker campaign.
Then there is Barbie, the quiz:
You are Barbie of the Twilight Zone.
*Which Barbie Are You?*
brought to you by Quizilla
(Did anyone ever doubt it?)
And AdiosBarbie.com, “a body image site for every body,” with a section called “Barbiology” which includes such salient facts as:
Placed head to toe, all the Barbie dolls sold since 1959 would circle the earth more than seven times.
Then there is the very creepy Visible Barbie Project, more Ted Bundy than Naomi Wolf:
Check out Otaku Barbie, the anime fangirl with the double identity (and her buddy, Crossplay Ken).
Here are some excellent customized Barbies, with my favourite, Marilyn Manson Ken:
In the alternatives–to–Barbie–domination camp, there is Razanne, a doll designed for and marketed to Muslim girls:
Recommended site (except for the tasteless “AIDS Barbie” page):
The Decline of Civilization Barbie Page: “For the very best in Barbie satire!” Be sure to check out “Cyborg Barbie”
and “Barbie and Me”in which Michele Lloyd confesses:
When I was a pre-teen, my interest in Barbie revived. My friends and I drilled a hole into Barbie's pelvic region, and then drilled a similar hole into Ken, into which we inserted a short piece of plastic tubing. Then we all stood around while Kane, the mastermind of the idea, made the dolls do "it." Then we took turns mimicking the tabooed sex act.The transgressiveness of this activity was gratifying, but the sex left me cold. Somehow, I thought there would be more, even between plastic dolls. (Doll sex wasn't like people sex. Occasionally we'd lose the tubing when it slipped too far into one of the pelvic holes; you could hear it rattling inside of Ken's or Barbie's torso. Sometimes, when Ken dismounted, Barbie was left with the phallus). Still seeking je ne sais quois, my friends and I took Barbie out to the train tracks, tied her to a stick and burned her at the stake. She was difficult to burn, but we kept lighting matches and bringing twigs until she'd been reduced to a misshapen bubbly mass of pinkish plastic.
There is a site set up, savebarbie.com, which looked promising; it is ostensibly asking for money to help Barbie pay off her $52,722,82 credit card debt. But it seems to be a frontpage for advertisements for dietary supplements. Which Barbie no doubt takes. But still.
Finally, and possibly the most satiric of al—presumably unintentionally, as it is posted by Mattel—Barbie has her own blog. Here is a sample:
6/26/2003 Instant Tan
Mads invited the girls to hang by the pool at her dad’s club tomorrow and scope out cuties. I’m psyched to wear my new bikini, but – news flash! – I’m pale as a ghost. So I’m going to this new spa downtown that will spray self-tanner on you. Looks just like a real tan – without the sunburn!
For some analysis, here is a salon special supplement from 1997 called “what’s it all about, Barbie?” in anticipation of Barbie’s new, more “natural” look (I haven’t noticed? Have you noticed?). Links to interesting pieces, including an article by Sarah Strohmeyer, author of Barbie Unbound: A Parody of the Barbie Obsession, on p.c. Vermont parents who ban Barbie from playtime, and “The Littlest Harlot: a working girl pays tribute to her role model,” by Tracy Quan.
In the “speak for yourself” category, here is “Barbie: The Image of Us All,” a useful site by Kristin Riddick.
In technology news, Mattel has introduced Barbie OS, based on Linux, targeted at young girls tired of microsloth. There is even a Barbie wizard to help users do various tasks, such as partitioning hard disks:
And finally, here are some links (1, 2, 3) about Barbie Nation: an unauthorized tour, the amazing film by Susan Stern that covers the history and fan poaching of Barbie.
And don’t forget the Simpsons episode, “Lisa v. Malibu Stacy.”
Malibu Stacy has already gone on to be poached herself: she runs a message board, and stars in soft porn. But lets not go there. Ever since I stumbled across some Simpsons porn (really), I haven’t been the same.
I think I may have to start a page devoted to things Barbie. Or at least turn it into a category in this blog.
December 12, 2003
More Barbies
Came across a reference to artist Simon Tyszko's "Suicide Bomber Barbie," which, according to his website,
conflates Western commodification with Palestinian desperation. Religious and capitalist dogmas struggle within Barbie’s idealised form, in an artwork of potent incongruity. It is a work whose political stridency is tempered by a well placed humour.
Tyszko’s work might be described as being in the tradition of the long lost art of agitprop. ‘Capitalism defeats dissent and revolution’ Tyszko says, ‘not through direct confrontation, but through commodification.It sells back at a profit the signs, styles and symbols of revolution.’
It is difficult to keep all this in mind when looking at, well, her Barbieness:
November 14, 2003
Mondo Barbie
Students of Engl 3722: apropos of our discussion of John Varley's "The Barbie Murders," which led to those disturbing disclosures about how so many of us abused our Barbies when we were wee, here is a page that explains how to safely behead a Barbie.
And here is a link to Mondo Barbie, a collection of stories about Barbies, including Varley's.
"Man in Space" by Billy Collins
My colleague Robert Moore just gave me a copy of the following:
Man in SpaceAll you have to do is listen to the way a man
sometimes talks to his wife at a table of people
and notice how intent he is on making his point
even though her lower lip is beginning to quiver,and you will know why the women in science
fiction movies who inhabit a planet of their own
are not pictured making a salad or reading a magazine
when the men from earth arrive in their rocket,why they are always standing in a semicircle
with their arms folded, their bare legs set apart,
their breasts protected by hard metal disks.Billy Collins
[Here is an interesting site about Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate.]
 | I post this in fear and trembling, as I have the strong impression that some of the men in my SF class are at their breaking points—or in some cases possibly past them—with what they perceive as "male–bashing"—pause to swallow vinegary taste—in some of the texts we've read. So it is always a delight to find a male voice joining the chorus of Valkeries and harpies, so much so that I have posted this poem on the course homepage as well. (Though in retrospect, perhaps Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland—here is my student's Gilman site—followed so soon by Sheri Tepper's Gate to Women's Country, which has the distinction of being listed by "Heartless Bitches International," and Connie Willis's grueling "All My Darling Daughters,"* was a bit much.) |