It’s the first Barbie ad ever to feature a boy playing with the doll. The commercial touts the limited edition Moschino Barbie, which originally retailed for $150 at Net-a-porter.com.
It may not have shocked everyone, since the response this commercial received was not entirely negative. Infact, it has been applauded by a huge proportion of audience!
Comments ranging from :
It’s so amazing that companies are working towards eliminating the gender binaries imposed on us throughout our childhood. Most of my family had no problem with me exploring the vague violet inbetween of our pink and blue world and I’m so grateful for that. It makes me happy that children are going to watch this and see that toys are just toys. What you love in mere adolescence makes you no lesser an individual than you were before. Thanks for all the good times Barbie.
To:
Finally, I remember playing with my barbies and our family friend who was a boy would play with me but then deny deny deny deny to all his friends that he actually played with barbies and made me sound like a liar when we would have sooooo much fun playing together. I’m so happy my son will be able to pick up a Barbie and play with his sister and it be totally NORMAL!!!!!
Gender labeling of colors and toys is damaging. Telling kids what they SHOULD like and do, and how they should behave, and what their hobbies should be, and what they should wear and what costumes they can try on because they are a boy or a girl is not ok.
However, there’s something about the commercial that has many people dislike it, including people who think it’s totally ‘OKAY’ for a boy to play with dolls. It seems that this commercial really dropped the ball. Instead of sending out a positive message that Barbie can be enjoyed by ALL children no matter their gender, they’ve sent out a message to young boys that in order to play with Barbie you have to be flamboyant and feminine.
The commercial fails to tout that kids really don’t care. They only want to play with super cool things or things that other kids are playing with, including girls! So, it can be absolutely normal for a boy to play with a doll – toys are toys! If it is deemed appropriate for a girl to play with hot wheels, then why are boys stopped from playing with dolls!
About the commercial:
The boy in the ad seems to be modeled after Jeremy Scott, creative director of high-end designer Moschino, who has often sported a blonde faux hawk.
“The thing I love most about Barbie, is that she is the ultimate muse, she’s worn every style and design imaginable and at the same time she’s had every possible profession you can dream of.”
Scott also tweeted that his ad had made
“his-tory by having the first boy playing with a Barbie. To me it was so natural to have a boy playing with the Barbie as well as the girls,” he said. “I am thrilled that its started a national discussion about gender neutrality for kids’ toys. I think we should let kids play and be happy after all play is the work of childhood.”
The Moschino Barbie comes complete with an eight-piece Moschino wardrobe but appears to be sold out now. Buyers are reselling them online for nearly three times their original price.
