Barbie Without Makeup: Better for Little Girls?


"No Make-Up Barbie" (Photo courtesy of imgur.com - Eddi Aguirre)

This week has been an active week for photos in the news! First, there were questions about India. Arie's photo. Now Barbie has gone natural? I don't mean "natural hair." I mean "natural" as in no makeup. Today, a digital cartoon photo of a Barbie-like character popped up on the internet and has gone viral. The photo called "No Make-Up Barbie" was said to originate from Imgur.com credited to Eddi Aguirre.

Not only is natural Barbie not wearing any makeup, but she also has freckles, frizzy hair, and braces.
There were several comments made below the photo. One of the comments was made by one commenter saying, "Barbie, real life edition." Although, the photo has been made a joke by many, I think it's a good representation of what "normal" looks like. She actually looks like a real person. There were comments made about the bags under her eyes, but let's see how your eyes appear after not sleeping for a day or two lol.

I think little girls would be able to relate to a freckle-faced Barbie, than the glamorous made up figure that sits on store shelves today. Don't get me wrong. When I was a kid, I owned the traditional Barbie with the made up face and skinny waist. But, I knew she was a doll, and I was to not aspire to be like her. Little kids are constantly emulating the things they see. Often times, these things are carried into adulthood and they become apart of the person. My best example would be Nikki Minaj and the Barbie naming trend a few years back, where many girls called themselves different type of Barbies (ie. Black Barbie). In a video by HipHopStanTV Nikki explained her ",Harajuku Barbie" title came from the fact that she loved the Harajuku culture and that "all girls" want to be like Barbie, playing dress up and getting made up.

The real question is whether or not the "No Make-Up Barbie" would sell. If it was to hit the shelves tomorrow, I do not believe that a lot of people would buy it. Yes, I'm sure people would buy it because it's different, new, and considered a joke by some. But, I am not sure if she would be taken seriously. The fact is people like to look at things that are aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Of course, this depends on what do you define as "aesthetically pleasing" or beautiful. It is why celebrities are not seen, often in the public eye without makeup. It is the reason why Barbie wore makeup in the first place. Our culture has told us that made up faces are often better than plain or normal ones. As a result, I believe it would take a lot of deprogramming for "No make up Barbie" to sell. Thanks to Eddi Aguirre for starting the conversation!

If the "No Make-Up Barbie" hit the store shelves tomorrow, would you buy it for your daughter?

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