A Barbie styling head — is it any wonder that the hair is not natural but straight? I think Mattel are making social commentaries without even realising it with each Black Barbie they produce. The first one pictured is one that subtly touches on the stereotypical image of black women as sexual products yet the second one touches on the belief that black girls have straight hair that needs to be styled. I think that essentially dolls such as those made by Mattel have played a large part in skewing the image of beauty. Beauty is not homogenous but mainstream beauty is homogenous because that is what sells. Now that is a reality that is as tough as chess game with a computer.
Have black recording artists like Beyonce, Ashanti, Amerie become victims of the barbiesation of the music industry? In their music videos, long hair, tight skimy clothes are a must and they do not seem non-negotiable. Is this a choice that they make or are all beauty choices for black women made subtly with a touch of eurocentrism?
Black Barbies and Music Videos are a pair that cater to what we think and like. Sometimes I have bouts of weakness and I find myself thinking that I do need to have straight hair because supposedly this is what is beautiful when people make hurtful and insensitive remakrs. Then I come back to earth and remember the strength of natural hair and alternative forms of beauty. Beauty may be one-dimensional on our televisions and on toy boxes but on the street, it is fluid.
I have yet to see a “Black Barbie” with an Afro or Dreadlocks so until then, Mattel are on my disinterested list.
I understand where you’re coming from. Really, I do because dolls are a huge part of shaping what a young girl will find beautiful. But there are two reasons for why Barbies are the way they are…
1. Black Barbies are sexual objects because white ones are too. Have you ever seen a Barbie that wasn’t rail thin and didn’t have big boobs? I think if Barbies were real, they would not be able to physically stand up because their boobs would be so big. This is a valid criticism since it is very disturbing what we force our daughters to find attractive.
2. From an economics standpoint, Mattel needs to put out a product that will sell. White Barbies were hugely successful, so they simply made Barbies for the Black market (sorry about the juxtaposition of those words) that were clones of the whites with a different skin tone. Culturally, it is a travesty, but Mattel isn’t out to teach black girls about their heritage; they’re just out to make a buck. And they need to provide a doll that Black girls will buy and that they can do everything that their white friends can do with their dolls. You can’t exactly style a fro…