Today I've been listening to another episode of WNYC's Studio 360 and this particular programme, on Barbie, is part of an American Icons series.
Not being much of a Barbie fan myself, I was curious to hear how others feel about this pseudo girl toy. I was not surprised to find that as well as passing public opinions the programme features sociological points of view too.
As with many of WNYC's audio shows they have the quality, editing and content down to a T.
"If you haven't seen Mattel's newest addition to the Adult Barbie Collector line, it's an appalling creation they're calling 'Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken.'
This week brought news that the doll is, in fact, a real product the company is really selling to real adult collectors (and really warped, seriously outcast children). A Mattel spokesperson explained to the New York Post that the doll's name (Sugar Daddy Ken) has nothing to do with a cash-for-sex-style relationship like you might have guessed."
via New Times
Further explanation for the name choice and confirmation that this is actually, really, unbelievably infact a real doll:
" 'The 'Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken' is actually part of the adult Barbie Collector Line,' a Mattel spokeswoman said. 'It is targeted toward adults.'
'The little dog's name is actually Sugar,' said the Mattel spokeswoman. 'That's where the name comes from. He's Sugar's daddy, as a reference to the dog.'
A Mattel spokeswoman has indeed confirmed the doll as 100% authentic, and explained the horrible, depraved story behind the toy's name to the New York Post, as quoted above.
Obviously, instead of giving money to teenage girls for sex like a normal sugar daddy, Palm Beach Ken has gone the more twisted route of fucking a dog and then raising the resulting puppy as his own. As twisted as that is, the most deviant aspect is that he calls the dog "Sugar." No wonder Barbie never seems to hang around him anymore."
The childhood Barbie and Ken doll have seriously seen the makeover of the century! I couldn't believe it when I saw someone post the photo. I thought, surely this is a misplaced April Fool's joke? Wait, its almost holiday shopping season. Now waiting to see the urban Ken Doll version since Mattel seems to be playing with different designs.
Day two at LG Fashion Week was much lighter in terms of covering actual shows for my blog. I was mainly onsite to review Jason Meyers’s S/S 2010 collection and afterward take the opportunity to sit and enjoy the evening’s shows by David Dixon.
Overly hot (in terms of temperature) and overly crowded is how I would characterize the night. Crudely constructed paper fans were made from the shows’ program handouts as people tried to cool themselves off. Crowd control was non-existent as attendees squeezed and pressed into the seats, aisles and everywhere else in between.
5:00 p.m. Jason Meyers
I heard 680News interview Meyers over the radio who said the inspiration from his latest collection came from the 1955 film Summertime; a love story that takes places in Italy and stars Katherine Hepburn, a unhappily married woman on vacation who engages in a love affair with a handsome Italian shopkeeper.
Upon hearing this what came to mind is chic Italian style, tailored garments, clean cuts, accessories and soft colours. Meyers said “I wanted to make this very accessible, very wearable, very versatile and very affordable” (Lauren La Rose, CP).
He stayed true to his statement by presenting a variety of colours, cuts and shapes across the board. The collection bounced back and forth between the styles of the 1950s, 1980s and today’s form fitting trends. Models were outfitted in shorts, high waist pants, exaggerated ruffled dresses and abstract prints. At one point the show got a little R-rated when a model’s nipple peaked out of her dress – remember folks this is fashion and nipples popping out do tend to happen (see picture eight).
One garment that stood out for me was a knee length, silver and cobalt blue over the shoulder dress made out of muccia taffeta. I like its geometric shape and how it encircled the model’s left shoulder and back (see image nine).
Tweets from Canada’s fashion editors and journalists provided constructive feedback for Meyers’s collection. Lisa Tant, editor-in-chief of FLARE magazine tweeted the following during the show:
“Prints are always tricky. Pick them carefully and use as an accent not an afterthought.”
“Lesson 2: hire a stylist. An experienced eye acts as a designer's compass. New talents always benefit from training wheels.”
What I appreciate about Meyers’s presentation is he has a bevy of creative ideas and he distributed pamphlets to the audience outlining the price tag and fabrics used for each piece of clothing – rarely seen at any of the shows I’ve attended thus far. This helped me to get a better understanding of his product, the fabrics used to construct each garment and the customers targeted.
I made a brief stop to check out the Barbie reception where models wore David Dixon creations to celebrate the iconic doll’s 50th anniversary. Iced cupcakes were stacked for media to munch on and models coyly smiled and posed for pictures.
6:00 p.m. Barbie by David Dixon
My friend Renee and I managed to squeeze into the stands to see the Barbie by David Dixon S/S 2010 collection. Transitioning from Dixon’s own line to the Barbie show the song “Think Pink” played from the American musical Funny Face(1957) to set the mood for the crowd, a precursor to the collection that followed. Everything was very pink, very girlie and thus extremely well focused and true to the Barbie line.
Have you seen this video? It's a Japanese girl transforming into an American Barbie doll with cosmetics.
The video is extremely well done. I guess it's a bid for how to look like Barbie for Halloween, but it's still a bit shocking to me. When it comes to appearance, I spend very little time on myself. I use a pair of Wahl clippers to cut my hair, which takes about 15 minutes in my shower and saves me the $20. Whereas girls like this one know how to do advanced cosmetics techniques and change their entire image. They can even use items like Beverly Johnson wigs to become a whole new person. I think it's neat how much of a transformation there is, but there is something in me that also just makes me feel a bit sad. It seems like girls are trying to become women way before they need to. The need to have men's attention on them is such a craving that they will do anything to be looked at. Shouldn't girls be worrying more about stuff like this then looking like Barbie. I think they should be playing with dolls instead of trying to look like them. I don't know. Crazy world.
This blog post is long overdue but as they say, better late than never.
I purchased a copy of VogueItalia’s July 2009 issue from the soon to be closed Page Books in downtown Toronto, and as you can tell from the accompanying pictures this was no ordinary issue. This edition of the magazine came with two supplementary features, a compilation of the fall/winter 2009 prêt-a-porter shows and the Barbie Issue.
Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief, Franca Sozzani, VogueItalia published its July 2008 edition featuring only black models. This year, Sozzani and her staff took a different approach to celebrate ethnicity by replacing human models with black Barbies, and by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic doll.
I thoroughly read the Barbie Issue and was impressed with the range of images in which black Barbie was depicted and analysed representing 50 years of style. She was shown in various personas, such as the haute couture model, the sophisticate, the diva, the athlete, the urban woman with street style flavour and even the dominatrix. Seeing Barbie in these characterizations represents a turning point in which the doll has gone from being the fantastical image of feminine beauty and perfection to the woman of the times that is multiracial, educated and empowered thereby bringing the doll closer to the human condition – after all they did widen her waist and took her down a cup size.
In the Barbie Issue, Carlo Ducci interviews Richard Dickson, senior vice president of Mattel who expresses his sentiment on the evolution of Barbie;
“‘I want to develop her status as an icon, a reference, a canvas for social and cultural considerations… In reality, unintentionally that’s what she’s always been. Just look how she’s been used over the years by all the artists who have plainly drawn inspiration from her, and those who have flipped her around or dissected her to take what she represents to an extreme.’”
Barbie fascinates people because she embodies all the things little girls and women dream about becoming; she can do anything and be anyone she desires without judgement or hindrance. Yves Saint Laurent said it best in 1984 when he was asked to dress Barbie for her 25th birthday, “I hope that by playing with these dolls, children can find the road to their truest vocation.’”
I applaud VogueItalia’s efforts to break the mould of how beauty is defined and look forward to when fashion embraces ethnicity and the real modern woman.
