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What do you think of the new black Barbies?

CNN is reporting mixed reviews on the new black Barbies. What do you think might be some pros and cons of the dolls? Overall, do you think they are a good idea or not?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/21/black.barbies.irpt/index.html
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demanda
demanda
Marked as Best! October 22, 2009 03:17 AM
I think they're great! I love the fact that they were developed by an African-American mother who wanted to create these dolls for her daughters and other children. If some people don't like them, then I guess they shouldn't buy them. However, if the dolls make a few little girls happier and more secure, then what's the issue? These are not the first "black barbies," but I think the new options are a good idea. I am all for diversity in any arena.
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starry_eye...
starry_eye...
October 22, 2009 02:14 AM
I think that the new black barbies are a good idea because I think that they will help give black kids a better self image and that they don't have to be white. When I was a kid I only had one black barbie, although to be honest I wasn't really one to play with dolls and most of my barbies were gifts from friends. I do however think that some black barbies should have more natural looking hair because it takes time for something as 'nonwhite' as African hair to be accepted as the norm. Having African hair on a barbie will help African hair become more accepted. When I lived in Hawaii as a middle school student I got so much pressure from students and even the occasion teacher to straighten my hair because it wasn't the cultural norm. Most of my classmates were Asian or white and had very straight hair. My natural hair was the oddball. Even most of my friends said (in my presence) that they would never date a guy with an afro. Having black barbies with a natural look will hopefull help another generation on their way to self and cultural acceptance.
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marisaupa
marisaupa
October 22, 2009 03:17 AM
If the new black Barbies were put on the market to fill a real demand in the market I say it is a wonderful idea. If they were placed onto the market only due to some sort of political correctness pressure then I would say that they send the wrong message, socially, and fiscally.
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vicgoodwin...
vicgoodwin...
October 22, 2009 03:26 AM
These Barbies are designed by a beautiful African american woman and they are just beautiful. They are not white barbies colored to look darker. they are totally different and they have been pretty well received in the black and white community alike.
there is a page all about them.
Source(s):
http://www.mahalo.com/barbie-so-in-style
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keepontryi...
keepontryi...
October 22, 2009 08:10 PM
cool page. Thanks for the link!
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tealmyster
tealmyster
October 22, 2009 07:03 PM
I don't see any problem with them. Bringing a Barbie of another race and making it as common as the white Barbies is a good thing. I feel it looks better for the company, it allows girls of all races find a doll that can somewhat represent them...I just feel it is a very positive step in the right direction :)
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bilza
bilza
October 22, 2009 07:33 PM
i feel that if they are used due to "racist" issues (saying that if there is white barbies, there have to be black aswell) is giving the wrong impression, it seems like they are making them ONLY because they have to. if its for demand, or because THEY wanted to make equality, then i think its a great idea, balancing things out, and giving coloured children a doll to style after themselves.
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indygo
indygo
October 22, 2009 09:03 PM
Coloured children? Really? Coloured? You are most likely one of the few remaining racist, no one has dared to utter the "coloured " word since the sixties! Do you have coloured friends? What color are they? Blue? Pink? Orange? Maybe forest green? How about Chicago Bulls Red?
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albanian
albanian
October 23, 2009 03:03 AM
Colored is still used. These words vary depending upon where you live.
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psionandy
psionandy
October 22, 2009 08:00 PM
A couple of months ago I wouldn't have paid these much attention at all. After all I don't remember the race or appearance of any of my toys being a major factor... Big red trucks that transform into robots don't really fit that profile.

However I was reading a book with my two year old daughter not long ago and something rather strange happened. It was a story about a teacher who took her on a field trip to see a castle. And one of the girls in the class looked very much like my daughter. Now I know that its complete coincidence, but way my daughters eyes lit up was amazing. We found this girl on every page and now little PsionHannah refers to it as the book that she's in.

The flip side of that however is that if a large group of children are excluded from a book range or toy range I definitely think its a problem. Am I a fan of Barbie? No. Do I think that there should be Chinese Barbies, fat Barbies, short Barbies, Indian Barbies? Yes. That would be a good thing.

Small children have a very strong sense of whats fair and what isn't. And in this case I think we should make the range of toys more fair...
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keepontryi...
keepontryi...
October 22, 2009 08:13 PM
Cool personal answer! thanks
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lgalatea
lgalatea
October 22, 2009 10:00 PM
It's a good start, but not enough yet. I have always been uncomfortable with the cookie-cutter like appearance of a line of Barbie boxes grinning at consumers. I wished they would make other versions like the Rosie ODonnel Barbie with curves. But Barbie has always been ethnically insensitive until lately. I've noticed several black Barbies with much better hair, a better sense of style, and a less than brown-painted blonde look. Let's face it, Barbie of the past was often just the blonde model with brown vinyl instead of pink. I'd like to see other variations of ethnicity worked into the models, especially the Hispanic, Native American, and Asian dolls. A few years back, it was revealed that girls just don't want Barbie any more. I think Mattel could change this trend by offering more than just a simple doll with different outfits.

Personally, I'm confused as to why Barbie has become more hedonistic and less of a career girl. Gee we all know Barbie likes to have fun. When I was young, Barbie could have been anything. Now, she's limited to different types of partying or a vet or doctor.
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albanian
albanian
October 23, 2009 02:59 AM
There have been black dolls of the same general sort for many years. I don't see what's new. Maybe just the particular brand but that's not really a big deal.

I remember buying an Oriental Barbie for my niece when she was little.
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omicron
omicron
October 23, 2009 06:57 AM
I thought there already were black Barbies, and that they'd been around for decades... no?

I think they need to make a Barbie with body proportions actually like what a real woman's are, with some natural variations along those lines to boot. Something like a semi-Rubenesque earth-goddess Barbie... or maybe one that's anorexic...

Hmm... actually... what the toy stores need are Barbie mechanical synthemats, where a girl can go to the store, punch in some value on a keyboard for height, weight, flesh-tone, hair color, hair type, eyes, nose, tattoos etc. with visualization software that will show the doll that's being designed, and when the girl is happy with her model, her mom swipes a credit or debit card, and then they wait a bit while the machine molds one out. That way every girl could have her own unique one-of-a-kind Barbie.

And if I was designing a machine like that, I'd make sure it could do green or purple skin and pointed ears... and different kinds of wings...
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