The New Barbie: Bald And Beautiful

Long and luscious locks may always come to mind when I reminisce about Barbie, but surely there’s room for a bald version of the popular doll, especially if it’s for a good cause.

Two women, whose lives have been greatly affected by cancer (Jane Bingham lost her hair when undergoing chemotherapy treatments and Rebecca Sypin‘s young daughter lost her hair this year while battling leukemia), have started a Facebook page called, “Beautiful and Bald Barbie: Let’s see if we can get it made.” Their purpose is to promote cancer awareness and, it seems, lobby for the creation of a doll young women with cancer can relate to. It also doesn’t hurt that Bald Barbie’s message is so inspirational. For them, “Barbie” stands for: “Bald And Really Beautiful Is Extraordinary.”

Although they wrote letters to Mattel requesting the manufacturing of Bald Barbie for the noble cause, the toy maker has said they don’t take requests from outside sources. Hopefully they’re not busy revamping the Barbie doll who says that math class is hard.

But the Facebook page is not without its controversy. Critics say that women with cancer can always just chop Barbie’s hair. Armed with a pair of scissors and a dream, Bald Barbie is DIY.

Another dilemma is the long history of Barbie sending the wrong messages about beauty to young women. She has a flawless face and she’s thin, yet shockingly still has boobs and a butt to die for. It’s believed that if a woman actually had Barbie-like proportions, she wouldn’t even be able to walk.

Despite depressingly unattainable standards of beauty, Barbie’s popularity has never waned. And if there can be career Barbies, Pregnant Barbies and Beyoncé Barbies, why can’t there be Bald Barbies?

Clearly, Barbie should be as representative as possible. And with 39,697 “Likes” on Facebook and millions of lives affected by cancer, there’s no doubt that a bald and beautiful doll has massive selling potential.

Even if Mattel continues to ignore Bingham and Sypin’s requests (now backed up by thousands of people worldwide), let’s hope they find another way to make their dream of Bald Barbie come true.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com