| feminist
theory agrees that Barbie is a powerful cultural icon. Since
her creation by Mattel
in the 1950's, she has been both a universal cheerleader
for materialism and and conformity and a mythical destination
of ...womanhood... for young girls.
...BDO
are using Barbie to strike back against a monolithic notion
of culture and are part of a new trend of interactivity
and alternative consumption...
Recently
however, Barbie has been recruited as the ringleader of
a growing underground revolution. A group calling themselves
the Barbie
Disinformation Organization (BDO) are using the plastic
princess as a site of subversion. Through a concerted campaign
on Barbie's packaging, BDO are turning America's sweetheart
into a dark parody of the mainstream culture she champions.
In a subtle and effective sticker crusade, BDO are replacing
Barbie's labels with ones that look identical, but are diametrically
opposed to Mattel's commercial candy-floss content.
Young girls usually take Barbie and her immaculately groomed
girlfriends down to Barbie's ...Stylin' Salon... to get
their blond locks tended to.
In a tongue-in-cheek comment on Barbie's synthetic sexuality,
BDO have renamed the hair salon ...Barbie Lesbian Barber
Shop... and have included instructions how to give Barbie
...Dyke Haircut no's 1 and 2...
Through their semantic revolt, BDO are making the market
realise that Barbie and her mates aren't as wholesome
as their shiny smiles suggest. The label ...Lipstick Lesbian
Betty... certainly gives consumers the hint that ...Best
Friend Betty... wants more out of Barbie than just tips
on how to keep her Ferrari shiny!
The
implication of girl-on-girl action transmutes Mattel's
empty commercialism into something more real, relevant
and confronting.
Cheerleading Barbie is now ...Hooker Barbie..., exposing
a seamy underbelly to the short skirt and pompom adolescence
marketed on TV shows like Beverly Hills 90210.
It's not just the girls who have been targeted. ...Secret
Agent #007-with uppercut punch action!... has been re-christened
...Corporate Drone Dan' with Gropomatic fanny'patting
grip!... in a direct dig at the culture of American military
machismo.
Exclusive: Barbie speaks out, ...Dead men tell no lies....
Simply by swapping labels, BDO have successfully usurped
Mattel's monolithic marketing message and replaced it
with their own. The sexually liberated dyke appearing
on US toy shelves may not be any more acceptable to politically
correct mums but she's certainly got a lot more to
say than her blond, bland predecessor.
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