17 Nov, 08
Oh No Barbie, Not Tattoos and Leather
Barbie, the world’s most infamous celebrity blonde is approaching 50; and like many of her middle-aged friends, Barbie is desperately trying to reinvent herself as a celebrity bad girl with tattoos.
Barbie has lived an ageless life since she first graced us with her presence in 1959. Her savvy fashion trends, fabulously long golden blond hair, and an unrealistic fit, trim body are some of her attributes that earned her celebrity status as America’s everything girl icon. But it seems the years are catching up with Barbie and she is discovering she is not nearly as cool and hip as she used to be. Barbie, now older, tattooed, and less of an icon is extremely nervous about her future celebrity status.
But all of this isn’t making Barbie become a girl that retreats to her Dream House to soothe her woes; no Barbie is working hard, perhaps too hard to get back in with the cool crowd.
Barbie Millicent Roberts is one girl who is not afraid to change. Over the past 49 years, Barbie has had 75 careers including rock star, astronaut, and presidential candidate. Barbie is one Baby Boomer who has definitely experienced her share of highs and lows.
1997 was a particularly hard year for Barbie in terms of celebrity media and controversy. Then in her 40’s, Barbie got a butterfly tattoo on her stomach, as an attempt to stay hip and cool.
But it didn’t take long for Barbie’s tattoos to take off and brand her name (the word Barbie) as a derogatory term meaning girl or woman considered shallow. The term “Barbie” exploided as an Urban Slang word with the release of 1997 pop song “Barbie Girl.”
In 1999, rumors spread of Barbie’s intentions of hanging out with new friends with trendy tattoos, nose rings, and extra body piercings. Then the peer pressure got to Barbie, and as a result she underwent plastic surgery transformation. Barbie had her waistline increased in size in order to have a less perfect figure, that others would view as a more realistic, average body shape.
Barbie became an outlaw in part of the World in 2003. Denounced as a symbol of depravity of the perverted West, with her revealing clothes, tattoos, and shameful postures Barbie was banned by Saudi Arabia’s religious police and forbidden from the kingdom.
The 2004 announcement of Barbie’s split with Ken; longtime boyfriend of 43 years came as a shock to many, but like other celebrity couples, their Hollywood romance had come to an end. And while Barbie admits the breakup was a painful time of great heartache, she also jokes about being glad she decided on a butterfly tattoo instead of a tattoo of Ken’s name. Apparently having to go through tattoo removal to remove a tattoo of “Ken’s”name would have been much more painful than the breakup.
In 2006, Barbie ranked as No. 43 on the list of 101 “Most Influential People.” Among the list of fictitious cultural icons in myths, legends, television, and movies that have impacted, shaped, and changed society were Buffy the Vampire Slayer (No. 44), Batman (No. 60), Cinderella (No. 26), Santa Claus (No. 4), Luke Skywalker (No. 85), Mickey Mouse (No. 18), G.I. Joe (No. 48) and Barbie (No. 43).
But the more Barbie seems to slip in popularity, the harder Barbie searches for ways to reinvent her self before turning 50 years old.
Barbie has always been the responsible, smart, girl-next-door type. The popular cheerleader, prom queen or farmer’s daughter any boy would be proud to bring home to meet his parents. Barbie’s latest debut has her looking as though she has hit her all time low. Wearing fishnet stockings, a motorcycle jacket, black gloves, tattoos, and boots Black Canary Barbie is definitely a new hard look, that is sure to create another derogatory stereotype for this bewildered, age-old, ageless celebrity icon woman.
Hopefully, Barbie’s three younger sisters, Skipper, Stacie, and Kelly have the good sense not to follow in the same footsteps of their older sister, and avoid provocative tasteless tattoos and trashy clothing.
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