As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough having a Barbie made in ‘honour’ of the developer of the banned Astra Zeneca jab and Olive-from-On-The-Busses lookalike Sarah Gilbert, look what we have here!
The newest Barbie created by toy manufacturer Mattel has been moulded in the image of space scientist and presenter of the BBC’s ‘The Sky At Night’ and ‘Stargazing’ Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
The traditional figure of the elongated skinny Barbie doll has been replaced with an altogether more curvy shape so it more slosely resembles the popular TV scientist.
‘Barbie Role Model’ – which is what Dr. Aderin-Pocock has been anointed – seems to be a bit of an oxymoron as, in the past, the doll had been blamed for causing body image issues and eating disorders and had even been said to perpetuate gender stereotypes.
Originally modelled on a ‘naughty’ adult gift doll from Germany, Barbie’s critics were speaking out as far back as 1963, when feminists protested the doll’s ridiculous proportions and sexualised origins. At the same time, a teenage “babysitter’ Barbie was produced which came with a tiny diet book entitles ‘Don’t Eat’! This also caused outrage.
Mattel insisted for decades that Barbie had no negative impact on young girls but research suggests otherwise. In a 2006 study in the journal ‘Developmental Psychology’ it was reported that girls aged five to eight year old exposed to Barbie dolls were less body-confident with many pressing a desire to be thin. Girls the same age not exposed to the dolls did not express the same desires.
The toy company has produced a whole range of pretty weird dolls. Anyone remember ‘pregnant Barbie’ with the removable plastic belly and tiny plastic newborn curled up inside? In the US, CBS reported that the doll was quickly pulled from Walmart’s shelves after parents said it was creepy.
Almost as creepy as having dolls made in the image of women of note.
Over the years, Mattel has partnered with dozens of well-known women to create Barbie dolls in their image: Cher, Ava duVernay, Ashley Graham and Ibtihaj Muhammad (complete with hijab, which was immediately slammed by a writer from the New York Post).
More recently, we’ve seen dolls modelled on broadcaster Clara Amfo, sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, teen skateboarder Sky Brown and boxer Nicola Adams.
Jacqui Deevoy has been a full time freelance journalist for more than three decades. Over the last few years, she’s lost faith in the MSM and now prefers to work for news outlets that deal in truth, not lies.
In 2021, she launched a personal investigation into euthanasia in the NHS and this resulted in her producing the shocking documentary ‘A Good Death?’ She is currently crowdfunding for a second film – ‘Playing God’ – due for release soon.
She produces and presents the UNN Friday night show – a sometimes serious but often irreverent chat-fest with an array of fascinating guests talking on a wide range of subjects. She’s also one of UNN’s lead reporters.
Follow Jacqui on Twitter @JacquiDeevoy1
