Over the years Barbie has done alot of things. Everyone’s favorite leggy plastic glamor girl has been a doctor, an astronaut, a Dutch national, and now: a man –a drag queen to be exact. Underground design duo The Blonds has unveiled the first ever gender bending Barbie, commissioned by Mattel, that will be hitting stores in December. This isn’t the only time the flashy pair and the toy megalogiant have crossed paths. In 2009, The Blonds (Phillipe and David Blond) were tapped by Mattel to create looks for Barbie’s 50th birthday fashion show.
While we’re hard pressed to see the difference between this drag queen Barbie and a regular Barbie (isn’t big hair, loud makeup, and over-the-top dressing her hallmark signature?), we can definitely see this collector’s edition winding up under John Waters’ tree this Christmas. Though a tad pricier than most Barbies ($125, which is actually a bargain for a collector’s edition), the gender stereotype defying doll will be adorned in a white faux-fur coat, and a mini version of the jeweled corset dress from the Blonds’ “Blond Legends” fall 2008 collection.
The Blonds Blond Diamond doll will be exclusively available for pre-order at Barbiecollector.com, but if you hope to be able to snag one for yourself I wouldn’t wait any longer to put in an order.
While the doll is certainly a progressive step for the company, we can’t help but wonder how else they could use the iconic doll to push traditional gender rolls into the 21st century? With gay marriage such a hot button issue in America right now, it would be interesting to see how the company might tackle a line of same-sex loving Ken or Barbie’s, especially seeing how popular the line is with the LGBT community. While only the future holds the answer, be sure to check back with Barbie in the coming year for more splashy collaborations.
Source: Slate
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