Barbie, the Belo Girl

Or maybe it's Calayan. Or perhaps even Kanchanapoom (as in going to Bangkok where there are more, and admittedly cheaper, plastic surgery options). I don't know. I haven't asked her yet!

Just what do I mean? Well, this.

As you know, I'm currently working as an intern of this ad agency in Magallanes. One of their biggest clients is SM (For my international readers: SM is the biggest mall chain in the Philippines) and, in turn, Toy Kingdom.

This week, they were doing an ad campaign for the Barbie doll's 50th anniversary. It was a very lovely ad. It was elegant yet very cute for the 6-12 target market. But somehow, something distressed me about the ad. Like there was this sick feeling in my stomach as I stared at it to proofread.

And now, I realise why. You see, Barbie has gone from this:


To this:


If you notice, there is one thing that the new Barbie is screaming : fakeness. If you notice, she is more emaciated than the Barbie we've all come to love. Like if Barbie were human, she'd have dieted to get there. There's also the thicker, more Angelina Jolie-esque lips that if belonged to a human being would have been pumped with collagen. Gone is the warm smile that greets little girls from her box. It is instead replaced by a pout that says "I'm pretty! You're not!" There's also the heavier make-up.

So yeah, if you think Barbie looks fake then, well look at her now!

What was that? Isn't she just a doll? Why am I rambling on about her? Isn't she supposed to look fake because she's just a toy? Well, yeah, I guess. She is, after all, just a little girl's play thing.

But that's just the thing. She is a little girl's play thing.

To all the ladies out there: who was it that you wanted to be at 7 years old? Just whose clothes, pink Jaguar, and Ken did you want to have as a little girl? Just who did you want to emulate when you were little? I thought so too!

By making Barbie, still a role model for little girls globally, look Botoxed and anorexic, you are trying to say to little girls that they have to be Botoxed and anorexic to be like Barbie. You have to be Botoxed and anorexic to get that Jaguar and get a guy like Ken. You have to be Botoxed and anorexic to be beautiful.

Oh and need I mention that this is a product for little girls? Little girls who still probably accept whatever you feed them? Little girls whose values and opinions are still being shaped? Little girls who may carry the insecurities of "not being Barbie enough" well into adulthood?

Still don't believe me? Well, ok. But just how many reported cases were there of child anorexia before? And now? Yeah, thought so!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Barbie, as a public figure with millions of fans, must know her responsibilities. Like celebrities (yet another group that should know the power of their reach and its effects on people), she must know that every nip and tuck in her face makes people get those nips and tucks. She may be a doll but she's also a role model. She should know that.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, Barbie! You may still go to Belo if you want to. Just easy on the collagen!