I've been thinking the last few days about what I could possibly talk about in my post that would be original. Until this morning, nothing seemed to jump out at me. Then, as I was channel surfing the morning, I came upon a commercial for, get this, Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie?! The doll comes with a tattoo gun and tons of little tattoos (look like stickers) that you can put on the Barbie or on yourself. This got me thinking. I understand that tattoos in the last few years have become very mainstream. It's a subject that we discussed quite widely in class. But the idea of tattoos, as wide-spread as it is now, has always been an adult thing, or at the very least a young adult thing. I can't help but wonder if by creating this toy, the makers are pushing the "tattoo fad" down to little kids as well.
I read some reviews of this Tattoo Barbie on Amazon.com, and it seemed that some people were already getting the idea of what it is that the toy makers are conveying with this type of toy. One person wrote: "Great idea! Now let's see a 'Prison Tat Ken' and 'Barbie's Piercing Parlor Playhouse'." Another wrote: " Sign of the times: Barbie's got tats!"
I also read some reviews on Toy's "R" Us' website as well. One person seemed to be excited by the new product. They wrote: "I think this is a great opportunity for girls to explore the concept of ink. There are so many people with ink and piercings that Barbie needs to reflect it. Just like she reflects racial diversity."
An article online on a site called the Portland Parenting Examiner said, in part, "This time, parents are saying that the tattoo gun is taking the Barbie too far, and that there’s no reason for kiddos to be pretending to give each other tattoos for fear that life will imitate art."
Consider the target market for Barbies: little girls as young as three years old. Now, I realize these tattoos are fake and come off very easily, but they still plant the idea into the girls' heads, don't they? After all, if Barbie has been blamed for causing anorexia and other disorders in girls, I'm led to believe that tattoos on Barbie will make girls want tattoos as well.
Which leads me to my question:
Do you think that Tattoo Barbie would lead a little girl to want a tattoo or is it just an innocent toy? Why?
Sources:
1) http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-N4758-Totally-Stylin-Tattoos/product-reviews/B001NXO1YE/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
2) http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3336807
3) http://www.examiner.com/x-2032-Portland-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m3d4-Is-Totally-Stylin-Tattoo-Barbie-right-for-your-kids
32 comments:
lol...that review saying the world needs tattoo barbie to represent racial diversity. ok, interesting comparison...racial diversity and tattoos.
this post makes me thing about being a little kid and liking the stick-on/temporary tattoos. i know some parents didn't approve but i didn't go out and get tattoos when i was older.
i actually don't like the look of tattoos on skin as they get older, which is one reason i stayed away. the permanency is too much.
oh my gosh that's so random/crazy/whoa that they make a barbie for that. funny. I'm not sure if it'll make little girls want to get tattoos when they're older though. I think it'll introduce them to the concept of tattoos earlier, but I'm not sure it'll cause them to get tattoos later in life.
Bubble gum tattoos came immediately to my mind! Just because I chewed Bazooka Bubble Gum and colored my arms with the wet-and-stick tattoos didn't make me tattoo prone in my adolescent years--I'm tat free. Just because a girl plays with a sticker-friendly barbie doesn't mean she will be tattoo prone in her adolescent years.
I just think it's wrong to introduce that kind of thing to kids at such a young age. They shouldn't even have to think about that kind of thing yet. They should keep their child-like-innocence as long as they can. I don't think barbie helps with that...with or without tats.
i could definitely see little girls drawing on themselves with markers and such to imitate the Barbie, but i think little girls do that anyway. obviously no little kid can just go out and get a tattoo, unless their parents let them. but maybe its not so far-fetched for some parents..
I think that these girls will think of tattoos earlier than they would have, resulting in them more proned to get a tattoo later on. But I think other factors go into the decision of getting a tattoo. Not every girl with that barbie will get a tattoo, but I think more girls will be influenced by Barbie to get one.
It may influence the children at the time, but do you see teenagers playing with Barbies? I believe that the trends that Barbie show make it popular to the target market at the time, but I don't think that Tattoo Barbie will encourage people to get tattoos. Unless suddenly, Barbie becomes cool when you are no longer a minor.
I think the image the tattoo barbie is sending little girls could be confusing. The tattoos that come with barbie are sparkly and look popular. I was never allowed to wear stick on tattoos or draw on myself because it depicted the image of a real tattoo which I was always taught was something I would never do. I'm not saying that every girl that wears a lick on tattoo is going to get one but I do think it might put the idea or image in a little girl's mind.
well I loved playing with Barbies growing up and I would have to say that my mother would have probably had a cow if I came home with tattoo Barbie. I don't think there will be a direct influence of tattoo Barbie causing girls to want tattoos, but I do think that it is sending a message that tattoos are normal and ok, but just like with everything, there will probably be many more factors to getting a tattoo than simply a childhood toy.
I agree with Kayleigh's first paragraph - to me the biggest concern isn't the tattoo Barbie (which I don't think is a positive thing, but maybe not a HUGE deal individually), but rather the fact that one of the current attitudes is that toys and products need to be used to "educate" children about lifestyle diversity in the world. Yes, it's extremely important to teach children so that they can be tolerant of others and their differences, know what evil there is in the world, and how to stand firm in their decisions despite a decaying moral world, however, this education should be done in the home. It worries me that if the trend continues, we will soon see dolls such as Brett, Ken's new "partner," dolls that aim to promote awareness but only add to the feeling that alternative lifestyles should not just be accepted but celebrated.
It makes me sick to think the toy industry thinks this is a smart thing to do. Kids are most influenced by things under the age of 8...interesting...and why can they not think this will cause a huge rise in tattoos when those kids turn 18? You teach them how, minus the pain of course, and they'll think you have to do it, even if the parents say no. Then again, if the parents are giving this toy to their kids, there's something wrong with them...
I think while asking this question we need to take a look at what has happened in the past. Whether you got a "fake tat" from the gum you chewed, a 25cent arcade dispenser or out of your favorite cereal box, kids have been targeted in the fake tattooing market for some time now.
I for one know that my childhood "lick and sticks" didn't influence me to get a one, so lets be real...I'm pretty sure Barbie won't be creating the traffic of 8 year olds sitting in a tattoo parlor either.
I think a better question is whether or not a toy like this desensitizes views on tattooing and if it is shaping our cultural norm.
If we grow up thinking it's ok...I'm pretty sure we wouldn't think twice on the idea of actually getting one. But that is something I feel is BIGGER than Barbie.
I think it's crazy that Barbie has tattoos. Children are especially malleable and can be influenced by very small things. It is discouraging that children are being taught at such a young age that things as permanent as tattoos are okay and cool. Let the kids make up their own minds when they get a little bit older!
To me, it really depends on how quickly a little girl like this matures. The quicker her mind develops, the less chance she will have of copying the "perfect and coveted" barbie girl figure. That's just how I see it, because I feel like tattoos are directly linked to one's knowledge of purpose and level of maturity or self-actualization.
I hope this has the reverse effect. I hope all the people that think they are hard-core and so "unique" and "different" and "cool" realize that tattoos are what everyone else does, including Barbie.
What's the difference between tattoo Barbie and the temp tats that we used as kids? Maybe it's directed to younger audiences...I can see that but tattoos are generally gotten for a reason - and having one to have one wears off quickly. Been there done that.
That's a riot. Never would I have thought of Tattoo Barbie. To be honest, I think it introduces kids to the concept of tattoos, but I wouldn't think it would have a long term effect on teenagers. I mean I had the lick and stick tattoos growing up and I'm tat free. I don't like the idea of Tattoo Barbie but I think ultimately she will be pretty harmless.
I love this tattoo Barbie... I think the next thing to make "cool" is smoking. Like Camel Joe did many moons ago. Keep up the great work Mintel.
I think it's ridiculous that they came out with a tattoo barbie. They should realize that kids are still trying to learn what is right and wrong in the world. I don't think that this will drive a lot of kids to get tattoos though, it just might influence how they think about them. I remember loving the fruit roll up tattoos as a child, but was never actually influenced to go get one by them.
if its called tattoo Barbie, then for sure it will become normal to kids to see things with tattoos as normal. If the barbie comes equipped with a crack pipe, then you no what the kids will want for next xmas.
That's a good question. I think it comes down to personality traits. I don't necessarily think this Barbie would lead to a girl really wanting a tattoo but maybe planting some seeds of curiosity towards the subject.
I actually do think it might have an effect on girls to want to get tattoos when they are older. Just as G.I. Joes were designed to glorify the experience of being a soldier and defending the country, I think Barbie can be just as influential if not more in telling little girls what hot outfits they can wear when they are older. I think it can be a form of propaganda and since tattoos are growing in popularity it only makes sense that you would be able to pick and choose the tattoos that you give your barbie doll. Maybe I am just being a little extreme, but I just think it is impossible that their isn't a single girl that will grow up some day and want a tattoo for some odd reason because Barbie originally planted the idea there.
I think the tattoo barbie could definitely have an effect on girls' perception of tattoos. Small children are unable to distinguish the line between real and pretend. So, they oftentimes accept that which is pretend for reality. In this way, they would be conditioned to believe that pretty barbie with all her tattoos is real and natural. These girls may grow up with a desire to look like their barbie doll, tattoos and all.
I cant believe that Mattel would do something like that. I reminds me of Marlboro and how they used cartoons to advertise to children.I would say that this could be considered a sign of the times and what ridiculous things are found as acceptable in today's society. I would find that those comments on how the next step would be a tattoo parlor playhouse completely appropriate.
that's awesome. I say that little kids definitely try to emulate the toys that they play with. my little niece pretends she's a princess, a horse, and a tea cup from Beauty and the Beast. I can imagine her wanting to look like and wanting to have the same features of the barbie that she played with.
I think for the most part it is an innocent toy, but I think for some people who are pre-disposed to getting a tattoo it may push them closer to getting one.
I think it will influence them a little bit. I think everything does.
Honestly, I don't think it will make too much of a difference. I remember the things I thought about when I played Barbies as a little girl, i.e. wanting to be tiny waisted and big boobed. It was something you were fascinated with because it was off limits or something that older kids did. But luckily I came to my senses and realized that big breasts and small waists are soooo overrated. I think those who will end up getting tattoos would, regardless of whether their Barbie had one.
p.s. BEN DID NOT PLAY WITH BARBIES AND HOPEFULLY DOESN'T DREAM ABOUT HAVING A SMALL WAIST AND BIG BREASTS. REBBIE was posting under his name. oops.
That is crazy! I totally think that a tattoo barbie would make a girl more likely to want a tattoo because now they are cute and "girly" instead of tough and rebellious.
Good blog, and that's an interesting question. I didn't know that barbie was blamed for eating disorders in girls--but it does make sense since to be honest growing up I wanted to look like barbie--because that's what i thought women looked like. Ali Jo talked about bubble gum tattoos..I think that a tattoo gun accessory is DEFINITELY taking it too far, but the idea of wash-off tattoos...i don't think it's THAT bad. I mean, there are those teddy bears you can draw on, but then wash off when you want to draw on them again--I don't think those plant the ideas in kids minds to get tattoos. When I was younger I'd draw tattoos on barbie with a pen--I think the idea that's wrong here is that tattoos are permanent and so I think children need to be taught that principle. Ink is fun--in 7th grade we all drew "ZAP" on each others hands and drew all over our shoes and what-not...it's not bad..the idea is that we need to be warned and warn of the permanency of it.
Hmm, leading girls to want tattoos. My answer, probably? Then again, maybe not. It likely depends on the girl, but I do know that many would find them more intriguing...many little girls do want to be barbie princesses you know...
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