Barbie gets ink -- good or bad?

1. 78

   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   New Fashionista Barbie is out (just in time for holiday shopping -- although already sold out).
   Neck tattoos and fashion forward sassy attitude.
   
   Note that I learned about this new Barbie on "The O'Reilly Factor."
   Bill O'Reilly made it clear that people with neck tattoos will NOT get a job on his show. He has an image to uphold, don't you know....
   
   So is this new Barbie
   a) reflective of the times and NBD?
   b) a positive role model for independent-minded young girls?
   or
   c) over the top and in poor taste?
   
   

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Barbie's been controversial since the day she was born.  So why not?  This is just another iteration of Barbie's many lives.  I like this one.  I guess it's only understood by Barbie collectors or those interested in dolls.

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      brandasaurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There is no good or bad, right or wrong. It depends on the way of thinking of each individual. I will never get a tattoo, but i admire those tattoo artist who can do amazing masterpieces

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   3. 0

      Daniella Lopezposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Inked up Barbie is a collectors doll and I don't see many parents buying a collectors doll for their kids to play with. On the other hand, I see no problem with it really. I have tattoos which my kids will be able to see, so what's the difference in Mommy having tats and Barbie having tats? Would I buy this Barbie for my kids? No, but that's because I find her to be a little too expensive and not because of her tattoos.

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2. 70

   Cagsilposted 12 years ago

   B, if it matters.

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   1. 78

      Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Of course it matters, Cags.
      I wouldn't have asked if I didn't sincerely want to hear people's opinions.
      I really like this new Barbie. The pink hair is hawt!
      The tats are rad!

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      1. 70

         Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Tats are just a person's way of expressing themselves. It's when they go overboard with them is when it becomes obnoxious. I can understand why some employers don't like, this country is still religious majority ruled, until such time that "majority" rules no longer apply. However, I don't see enough of the religious minding their own damn business for it not to apply. But, on the other hand, I will most certainly do what I can to make sure those specific people learn their place in this world.

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3. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

   tatoos site:.gov
   
   The above google image search results surprised me with what the majority of the pics were. But in retrospect it was obvious...

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4. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   It's a collector's doll.  I doubt many people are giving a doll that pricey to a kid.

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5. 89

   Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

   Inking  would look better on Biker Barbie..
   
   

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   1. 61

      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think it's reflective of B and C. It appears that neck ink might sell, she needed to be both revived and reinvented. Gone is the girl from next door.

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      1. 61

         Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Sorry, not B.

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      2. 79

         schoolgirlforrealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         um..wow...not apporpriate this one, for tiny kids...not my little girl anyway, if I had one....maybe 12 and up?

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            2uesdayposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Re/ at 12 up I do n't think they want dolls as presents any more, mobile phones maybe

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   2. 79

      schoolgirlforrealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      omg!

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6. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   That's Black Canary, she's a super hero.

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7. 89

   Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

   Better?
   
   

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8. 88

   mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years ago

   I think my Mum would have a coronary if I showed her this doll MM. lol. I suppose pierced Barbie is next followed shortly after by lesbian Barbie!!!

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9. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   My barbie was already lesbian. Not that it makes much different given the equipment Ken doesn't have.
   
   I think it is sad people het up bout stockings and tattoos, but no media/morality police outcry about cat burglar Barbie who is actually breaking the law. Messed up priorities IMHO.
   
   http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/60586

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   1. 88

      mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Good Heavens, I never knew about this one either. Best not mention her to Mum either lol

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10. 0

    Emile Rposted 12 years ago

    First, I'm not sure how a doll is a positive role model; but if there are ones Barbie is not one of them, in any box she comes in. Barbie has always been a sex symbol.
    
    I'd have to go with a combo of a and c.

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11. 73

    diydivaposted 12 years ago

    Barbie is not a good role model, but I loved loved them as a child.  I was also smart enough and taught by my parents to know that Barbie was a play thing and that it was in no way a role model or life like.  I think tattoo barbie is fine, if you want to get it for your child just make sure they know it is a play thing and not a realistic figure.

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12. 79

    mega1posted 12 years ago

    Barbie, as a commercial corporate way of capitalizing on youthful trends has always made me barf.  The people who create and manufacture this doll probably would not even allow their own kids to have tats, but they'll gladly make money on a current trend.
    
    I think young people are simply taking their own skin as their territory, their place to express what they like, who they are, who they love, etc. Much the way my generation did with our hair. And some of those tattoos are really beautiful.  My kids were surprised, but I support tattoos on anyone who wants them, when done responsibly and with health cautions.
    
    Barbie is a doll who represents profit and capitalism at its worst and would not be allowed in my home just becuz I don't like that toy company, or the suggestion that women should accept her as a model.  I didn't even buy my own daughter Barbies.  Barbie is a joke and people who invest in that kind of collecting are rather simple minded, in my opinion.  I know this would piss off several of my friends, especially the ones who still love high heels.

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    1. 0

       Stevennix2001posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there, as you definitely bring up a lot of valid points.  Barbie has always capitalized on whatever youthful trends that have been popular throughout the ages when it comes to young girls.  As for Barbie representing capitalism at it's worst, I tend to think that's debatable as the same can be said of almost any toy franchise out there though.  Hell, if you watch many of the behind the scene interviews of the original animated "Transformer" series, the animators even admitted that the sole purpose of the cartoon was just to sell toys.

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13. 60

    Chaotic Chicaposted 12 years ago

    If the base of the debate regarding this Barbie's level of offensiveness is it's ability to shape an impressionable young child then I say this one is better than pregnant Barbie.  In many places around the world tattoos are used as measurements of maturity, pride, or even beauty.  Getting a tattoo for the sake of it makes no sense, if you're gonna get one it should be meaningful to you, but then again people do a lot of things that make no sense to others.  Of all the shocking things that are going on around the world today, a plastic doll with ink barely registers on my scale.

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14. 70

    Alecia Murphyposted 12 years ago

    I really think that tattooed Barbie shouldn't affect parents outlook on how to talk to their kids. Tattoos are among the least of the problems facing their children. I think if you're a responsible parent and your child for one reason or another wants one, you should explain if they have questions but to be honest I think it's a non issue.
    When I was a kid, I was barely aware of collector Barbies and barely had any interest in the ones I did know. Parents shouldn't make issues out of things that their kids aren't facing like I said getting them through everyday life is challenge enough.

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    Disturbiaposted 12 years ago

    I have tattoos, so why can't Barbie?  Barbie shouldn't be a role model, she's a toy.

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       mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I have tattoos too, but feel that the difference is I was well into my 20's when I had them and understood what a tattoo meant in terms of 'not' being able to simply 'rub it off' when going for a job interview or attracting a lad I really liked. If this version of Barbie is intended as a 'toy' then it is aimed at children, and they don't have the maturity to know the significance and permanence of a tattoo (although with expensive treatment they can be removed). This could very easily make it appear as a 'cool' thing to do, because Barbie Dolls are seen to be a stereotypical 'role models'. That is the problem from my point of view.

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       1. 60

          Disturbiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          I get what you're saying, I really do, but I just don't think tattoos are any big deal and people have been decorating themselves for thousands of years.  Also, I'm not exactly seeing little girls lined up around the block at the local tattoo shop.  I don't know about anywhere else, but you have to be 18 where I live to even get a tattoo.  Of course you could probably do it yourself if you were really desperate to get one... OUCH!
          
          I do see more young girls with piercings than tattoos.  Good thing Barbie doesn't have a nose ring.  But then, that might be the next step, Barbie with nose and navel piercings, or worse.

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          1. 88

             mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

             You are right that in most places tattoos are only legally performed on over 18 year olds so naturally the queue of young girls around the block at the tattoo shop is not there. However, under 18 years old have been faking ID's for years in order to get underage drinks etc, so I am sure if they really wanted a tattoo they would find a way to get one. At least if your daughter turns up at home with a piercing you can make her take it out and it will heal up, or if you don't mind her having a piercing at least she can take it out for work or job interviews etc. What do you do if your underage daughter turns up at home with a tattoo? That said I am glad Barbie has not yet got piercings as certainly nasal, lip and eyebrow type piercings I would think were in pretty bad taste on a doll.
             
             Edit: Thinking about it another way too, whilst you don't see the big deal in tattoos, and many will agree with that point of view (as I said I have tattoos, three in fact), we live in a society where employers in many of the better quality job sectors do tend to have a problem with them. If an employer interviews two candidates for a job, and both have equal qualities, but one has tattoos, the odds are he will judge the person with the tattoos, and will offer the position to the other candidate. This isn't particularly fair, but in our culture tattoos are still tend to have negative associations, rightly or wrongly.

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                Disturbiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                misty, you make some very good points and I have no issue with anything you say.  Personally, I wouldn't want to work for an employer who would have a problem with my tattoos, or my piercings for that matter, and luckily, I won't ever have to.

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                   mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

                   You are lucky you don't have to Disturbia, and for what it is worth I also have a small element of piercings, as in ears and my navel. I guess it depends on what type of job you go for as to if your employer will be bothered by tats or piercings. Lorry and bus drivers no problem, office PA big problem. I have done the office stuff and the bus driving, but I have tats where they are hideable easily which helps with the office type jobs

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16. 78

    Shadesbreathposted 12 years ago

    I think the only thing it proves is how clever they are as marketers. Gen Z is not tattooing themselves, and it is unlikely that whatever the kiddies of this decade do, it wont be following the fashion choices of their mothers and grandmothers. So, a barbie with tats is strategic marketing meant to appeal to older women who begin to regret the drooping green blobs that their once cute tats have begun melting into under the sun of time. A fresh, iconic Barbie "with ink" is not speaking to little girls, it's speaking to full grown women with credit cards who could use some aesthetic validation as they march towards middle age... and towards a gift giving holiday for their little girls.
    
    

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       mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       LOL Shades, trust you to come up with a very interesting alternative viewpoint none of us had considered. One point I will comment on though, is modern inks allegedly are far better quality and do not 'blur' over time like they used to. I will let you know if that is true when my colourful leg dragon tattoo has been on my leg a few more years. Right now it has been there about 6 years and looks like it was done yesterday, so we will see if that stays the same.

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17. 58

    Frogletposted 12 years ago

    I thInk it's a fantastic idea when all the young "ladies" of today have their tramp stamp tattoos on their lower back. Will Barbie have a thong peeping out of her trousers too? Chavez Barbie

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    forbiddenkittenposted 12 years ago

    I think it is a very good idea. It really opens up the child's mind. There are people out there that like all sorts of things. And a lot of people stereotype people with tattoos. This is good to show that not all people with tattoos are bad, cholos, etc.

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