Barbie’s new body
January 30, 2016 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Comments Off
Click photo to enlarge
NEW YORK — At 57, Barbie is getting a major makeover.
The iconic plastic doll, whose small waist and long legs have been criticized for creating unrealistic expectations for girls, will soon be sold with three new bodies — curvy, tall and petite. Barbie will also be more diverse, coming in seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.
Mattel has been searching for ways to recharges sales of Barbie, which fell 4 percent in the most recent quarter as “want lists” from girls increasingly include iPads, smartphones and electronic toys. The company hopes more kids will be able to relate to the new dolls.
The body transformations have been in the works for two years, Mattel spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni said on Thursday.
The doll has changed in some ways already. New skin tones and looks were added last year. And Barbie’s foot was movable for the first time, allowing her to kick off her heels and wear flats.
The El Segundo toy company said it will still sell the original 11.5-inch Barbie. The new versions will begin arriving on U.S. store shelves in March and will roll out globally after that. They are available for preorder at shop.mattel.com, and will ship in February.
Whether the new models will be a hit with children remains to be seen, though Chidoni said previous changes were “positively received.”
Virgie Tovar, a San Francisco body image expert, said it represents the extent to which body positive and fat politics have made “incredible headway culturally.”
“Barbie has long been a symbol of ideal femininity in the US — blonde, busty, cheery, and impossibly narrow waisted,” she says. “Barbie represents a litmus test when it comes to the state of gender norms, and I’m excited to see this change.
Chrystal Bourgon, owner of San Jose’s San Jose’s plus-sized lingerie shop Curvy Girl, was a bit more guarded in her praise. “I still do not see my body though,” she says. “Not all curvy bodies are hour-glass-shaped. But Mattel set a very low bar with the original Barbie: a body with proportions that could really only be obtained through surgery and augmentation.”
Still, she notes, it’s start.
Marketing experts said more will have to be done to return Barbie to her former glory.
“The look of the dolls is great,” said Marc Rosenberg, a marketing consultant in Chicago who has worked in the toy industry for 25 years. But in order to connect with kids, the new dolls need to show up in Barbie YouTube videos, apps, shows and other content, he said.
Worldwide sales for Barbie have fallen every year since 2012. Mattel will release 2015 sales figures next week.
The company sells other dolls, including Monster High and American Girl brands. But Barbie remains very important, bringing in about 27 percent of Mattel’s total revenue in the most recent quarter.
It is hoped that the new models will reinvigorate sales by bringing back into the fold the parents who had grown tired of the familiar blonde doll.
“One size doesn’t fit all,” said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM, a toy review site in New York. “This gives people different options when choosing a Barbie for their child.”
However, labeling the dolls as curvy, tall and petite bothered some on social media. And Rosenberg said he was surprised by the labels.
“Why does Mattel need to use physical attributes to describe the doll?” asked Rosenberg, who said packaging should instead focus on the doll’s career or education.
“I think the use of the word ‘curvy’ is misguided,” he said. “I don’t think it’s necessary to use the word.”
While Barbie may look different, she’s still not shying away from the spotlight.
The doll is on the cover of Time magazine, which first reported the changes to the doll. Barbie’s new curves are shown in shadow on the cover, next to the headline, “Now can we stop talking about my body?”
It’s a stark contrast to when Barbie showed up in the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue nearly two years ago. Back then, the doll wore a black and white swimsuit, black heals and had white sunglasses tucked into her blonde hair.
Staff writer Martha Ross contributed to this story.
Share and Enjoy
Heidi Klum on the Perfect Lingerie and Makeup For Valentine’s Day
January 30, 2016 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Comments Off
PS: The three beauty things you take in your clutch on a date?
HK: Well, I always have my phone, money and blotting paper because I kind of sweat a lot — or maybe I just have really oily skin, I don’t know. I keep blotting instead of powdering. I don’t carry a lot of things with me.
PS: The blotting paper is a great trick actually — I always go straight for the powder and sometimes it’s too much . . . Do you have a tip for making your makeup last all night?
HK: You just have to find a great makeup, some last longer than others, and I also think blotting is great. I mean you said it with powder but then don’t over powder, I would just keep blotting. Do they blot a lot in Australia?
PS: I have never tried it myself but now I have too!PS: And one last thing, which is
your favourite piece from the collection?
HK: This one [points to red lace
triangle bra], the A Corps Perdu Demi wire bra because I love the soft style.
HK: You should stop downstairs and grab some . . . you want to see one? You should see one! Like here, just do a test on your nose. [Heidi reaches over and blots my nose]
PS: Oh my god! I can see the grease!
It’s like putting fish and chips in newspaper! It soaks up the oil. [Heidi’s PA]
HK: But, you have to get the ones that don’t have powder on them. Some of them have powder and those are too white, so stay away from those ones.