Newsflash: Barbie isn't perfect.
I know you thought she was, what with those improbable dimensions, the long, golden locks, her plastic-smooth skin, that Malibu Dream House.
But, she's not. That's what I learned last week, when I was invited to sit on a television panel to talk about Barbie's ankles. It seems French shoe designer Christian Louboutin told Women’s Wear Daily magazine that Barbie's ankles were too "fat" to wear his shoes.
Louboutin, who is designing three special edition Barbies, is reshaping her gams (slimming her ankles) in order to wear his shoes. Mattel, Barbie's maker, reports that the Louboutin controversy (known in the media as "Barbie Has Cankles!") is simply a misunderstanding: "My dear friend, Christian loves my ankles. It was my arch that he wanted to give a little lift to, so I can rock those high heels."
But, you see, one of the wonderful perks about being a shoe designer is that you actually design shoes! So, instead of molding her (fake) foot to fit the (fake) shoe, why not do it the other way around? You'd send the message that we don't have to contort our bodies to find fashion, and you'd keep this Louboutin lover around.
8 comments:
Perhaps this speaks to the fashion industry as a whole?
Instead of designing their stuff to fit people, they design as they please, and you better fit into it, or reshape yourself so you do. I mean, it is pretty easy to reshape a plastic doll..but unfortunately people are not so malleable.
This explains so much. Seriously.
Boy, I feel so much better about myself knowing that even Barbie can't be an icon of feminine perfection /sarcasm. Good grief, between Uncle Karl and Louboutin, the fashion industry is a sad state of affairs.
I guess it doesn't matter if he re shapes her ankles, since they were never strong enough to support her frame anyway.
It saddens and infuriates me that any person would spend enough time on Barbie to decide that she has cankles. This is ridiculous when considering all of the things that time would have been better spent doing. Louboutin (and the fashion industry as a whole) should be ashamed.
I heard about this, and if I had the money to buy M. Louboutin's shoes, I'd make a point to boycott them.
Women are now getting plastic surgery on their feet in order to wear these designer shoes. They're getting bones shaved! What's next? We re-instate foot binding?
I agree with M: clothes (and shoes) should be made to fit the person, not the other way around.
would you say more about the panel's discussion? i'd be really interested to hear what was said/discussed.
what can we do to help our daughters stay grounded and strong with all the messages their getting from peers and society? how can we build their self-esteem in the midst of Cankle-free Barbie?
wonder what would barbie does if she could actually think instead of being forced into wearing those fashion items...
i used to have a lot of barbie dolls as a child. now i look at them as the objectification of the female form, and i feel so sad...
This is insane! I wrote a feature story on my blog about Barbie's unattainable assets. She has a body that is actually impossible to have. The fact that the fashion industry found one thing wrong with her is insane!
I love Christian Louboutin's shoes (though I cannot currently afford them!), but this is just wrong!
Take a look at my feature story for more information on Barbie! http://whattheskinny.wordpress.com
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