Black Canary Barbie
Mattel® has come out with a new Barbie® doll called the “Black Canary“. It appears to have some individuals up in arms and it’s being dubbed “Bondage Barbie” and “BDSM Barbie” and “S&M Barbie”.
Of course, Mattel hasn’t designed an actual bondage Barbie doll for kids. She’s based on the DC Comics super heroine Black Canary - including her leather jacket, fishnets, and boots. For the comic book fans out there, this is a collectors item. And I’m sure many of you are excited to purchase this doll for your collection. But for some parents and religious folks, this Barbie is sexually suggestive and irresponsible. They are even going so far as to call it “filthy” (see the article in The Sun).
Here’s my two cents: Barbie has always been somewhat offensive to me. She has a perfect body (that no woman can live up to). She’s white, which doesn’t appropriately embrace all skin colors, including all of our various black & brown baby girls out there who play with her. She has straight, long, silky (usually blonde) hair, which can make us brown, curly haired folks feel like Bozo the Clown. But in the end, none of this should matter. What should really matter is that we love ourselves and that we teach our children to love themselves. We are parents. We have to teach our kids to think for themselves and love themselves as they are no matter how big or small they are or what skin color they are or what they are wearing or whether they have curly hair or straight hair. For the most part, our kids will believe what we tell them (until they hit puberty and start spouting off their own opinions) and will play with the things we buy them (although sometimes they just want to play with the wrapping paper and boxes). If we don’t want them to play with a Barbie doll dressed like a slut, then don’t buy it for them. If we teach our kids properly, it won’t matter what type of Barbie doll Mattel comes out with, whether it is the Black Canary Barbie or other Barbie dolls out there that look equally slutty: 80’s Cher Bob Mackie Doll, Cabaret Dancer Barbie® Doll (Blonde), Cabaret Dancer Barbie® Doll (Brunette), Cabaret Dancer Barbie® Doll (Redhead), Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie® Doll, Tout De Suite™ Barbie® Doll…
Plus, these Barbie dolls are kinda cool for us adults…
They give us plenty to talk about. 
What is your opinion?
Victoria Hanson responds:
Posted: November 12th, 2008 at 1:37 pm →
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