Remember the post we have before about famous toy doll, Barbie, wearing a Girl Scout uniform? Well, the toys have finally arrived in several stalls despite the flimsy protest hurled against its manufacturer, Mattel.
The US$ 2 million deal also includes a patch for Daisy and Brownie members, making it the first-ever patch to have a corporate sponsorship.
The controversial doll tie-in with Girl Scouts was first announced in August 2013. With news coming out about the availability of Barbie in several toy outlets, self-righteous groups are making irritating noise again. It appears that these groups still can’t over the fact that they are simply a small and minority voice in the growing toy industry.
"Holding Barbie, the quintessential fashion doll, up as a role model for Girl Scouts simultaneously sexualizes young girls, idealizes an impossible body type, and undermines the Girl Scouts’ vital mission to build 'girls of courage, confidence and character,'" Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood told the Associated Press.
We argued before there is no clear evidence to support these outrageous claims from self-proclaimed protectors of children’s rights. And we will reiterate them again:
"I think if girls didn’t identify with Barbie, it might create a problem for us as parents," one mom said on the Today show, "but girls love them. They represent what they love, it’s a win-win."
Hence, for those who oppose the Girl Scout Barbie, "Girl Scouts Want Barbie, So Deal With It."
The US$ 2 million deal also includes a patch for Daisy and Brownie members, making it the first-ever patch to have a corporate sponsorship.
The controversial doll tie-in with Girl Scouts was first announced in August 2013. With news coming out about the availability of Barbie in several toy outlets, self-righteous groups are making irritating noise again. It appears that these groups still can’t over the fact that they are simply a small and minority voice in the growing toy industry.
"Holding Barbie, the quintessential fashion doll, up as a role model for Girl Scouts simultaneously sexualizes young girls, idealizes an impossible body type, and undermines the Girl Scouts’ vital mission to build 'girls of courage, confidence and character,'" Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood told the Associated Press.
We argued before there is no clear evidence to support these outrageous claims from self-proclaimed protectors of children’s rights. And we will reiterate them again:
- Quintessential fashion doll – where did this claim come from?
- Role model for Girl Scouts – another claim unsupported by evidence. And if ever this is true, what makes it dangerous? What makes it any different from a scout idolizing "Dora the Explorer" or "Xena: The Warrior Princess?"
- Sexualizes young girls – this one is really pulling it off from planet Mars. How did Barbie do this? Through the clothes she wears? Maybe we should cover it up with a burka then.
- Idealizes an impossible body type – who says that the body type was possible? Ask some Girl Scout in your neighbourhood and they will tell you in all their honesty that they did not entertain thoughts of simulating the exaggerated slimness of Barbie. So what do you suggest? A fat Barbie with extended belly and triple chins?
- Undermines the courage, confidence and character of girls – well, if there is one thing that Barbie undermines are those overweight, pudgy-looking and patch-riddled-skin women who can never be considered ‘fit’ by an average person and never possess the almost ‘toned’ body of a doll.
"I think if girls didn’t identify with Barbie, it might create a problem for us as parents," one mom said on the Today show, "but girls love them. They represent what they love, it’s a win-win."
Hence, for those who oppose the Girl Scout Barbie, "Girl Scouts Want Barbie, So Deal With It."