Barbie has been an iconic figure in the lives of little girls all around the world for 50 years. I’m sure many girls have their own Barbie stories that they could share. In July 2009, the Vogue Italia: Black Issue featured a fashion spread of black Barbie dolls. Surprisingly in all of Barbie's 50 years, this was the first time that a spread had been done on the black Barbie. The issue featured Black Barbie in a number of amazing editorials, from fancy evening gowns to bedazzled swimsuits. (Check out the photos above)
“Barbie has been an icon for whole generations, which is why I really wanted to give a strong sign in step with the times, and dedicate the anniversary issue to Black Barbie,” said Franca Sozzani, editor in chief of Vogue Italia.
I was really excited to read that Vogue Italia dedicated an entire issue to the Black Barbie. Barbie has been around for 5 decades and rarely in my 25 years have I seen that many black Barbie dolls in stores or commercials. Growing up, I can only remember owning one black Barbie doll. It didn’t sadden me at the time, probably because there weren’t that many options to choose from. But now that I am older I feel that young girls of color need to see more dolls that look like them when they walk down the toy aisle or see a TV commercial. It’s important that as little girls we are able to see reflections of ourselves in our toys and cartoons and I think it does wonder for our self-image as we grow older. And that’s why I applaud Vogue Italia for this issue. It isn’t that often that we see mainstream publications celebrate the beauty of other cultures.
Which is one of the reasons why we created the Brownstone Blog. We recognize that there is a lack of representation of girls of color in teen magazines and feel that like the black Barbie doll young girls need to see more positive images of black women in the media on a daily basis. Therefore, we wanted to create an outlet that would reflect the interests and experiences of young African-American girls ages 13-19.
At Brownstone, our tagline is “Her Story. Her Journey. Her Legacy.” Brownstone is about you! Let us know what’s on your mind. We’re here to help you on your journey, so that we can all leave a legacy as strong Black women. Log in weekly to the Brownstone Blog to get the latest in fashion, beauty, health, relationships, participate in discussions, get advice, and much more!
But the blog is only the beginning for Brownstone. In the Spring of 2010, Brownstone will be launching an online magazine. So stay tuned!
--Tymika Morrson
Brownstone Team
--Tymika Morrson
Brownstone Team
Barbie…more than a doll, she was my friend, role model, and faithful client. lol (I do hair). Sounds strange to think inanimate objects like plastic dolls could hold so much weight and have such a great influence on a young girl’s mind. But she did. And I think that’s how it is for a lot of young Black girls. The only problem is that Barbie was nothing like me. Among other differences, she was skinnier than I’ll ever be, and had long blonde hair that fell to her waist. I appreciate Vogue’s courageous effort to honor Black Barbie. She is truly something to be celebrated. Having that one brown doll made a world of difference in my childhood. She allowed me to see that beauty is found in any color, in my color.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s disturbing though is that we are trained to look to other things and people in the first place as an aid in establishing our own identities. Why do we do this? I think everyone, including me, is a little guilty of this. How do we stop this perpetual cycle? Better yet, how do we stop this pattern, and still find acceptance among our peers? Brownstone…thanks for offering a platform for this discussion. Keep up the good work!
i was informed that this was a new magazine...and wanted to know if there were any modeing opportunities...im very excited about this new magazine that features african americans please contact me at... wwww.myspace.com/foxybre1
ReplyDelete