A West Virginia legislator plays with a ban on Barbie dolls

Finally, an American politician with the courage to take on a Barbie doll.

Jeff Eldridge, a Democratic state legislator, has just proposed House Bill 2918 which makes West Virginia the planet's only second-known political entity to ponder banning the Barbie doll -- Iran being the other place, but they're getting nukes, so we won't make so much fun of them.

Eldridge says he feels that Barbie and other dolls like her "promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development."

No word on how Eldridge (see photo left below, he's without hair ribbons) feels about Blaine, who hooked up with the 49-year-old Barbie after Ken dumped her, although there's a family dispute about who was the Dumper and who was the Dumpee.

But, frankly, the legislator looks like a G.I. Joe kind of guy. (Check out those fists!) Maybe if we made a 2nd Amendment Barbie in camo gear baring her arms.

All kinds of other doll possibilities in the new Washington: A Rush Limbaugh doll that flatly says, "I rule!" A Michael Steele doll that says, "No, I do!" A banker Barbie that doesn't loan money. A Rahm Emanuel doll that curses and pulls a &%$#*+\ switchblade. And a Nancy Pelosi doll that stands up and applauds whenever anyone says anything.

"If we had that other image of Barbie being smart, and beautiful as well," West Virginia's Eldridge adds, "I think that would be a great image to send to our young kids."

How exactly do you suppose a toy maker would design a doll to look smart? Eyeglasses, of course, always convey a keen intellect.

But because beauty is only skin deep and few dolls discuss Keynes, constructing an intelligent-looking doll would seem to be as difficult as making, say, a Cabinet doll behind in his taxes, complete with congressional hearing furniture and other dolls that say, "He's already apologized" and "It was an honest mistake."

If the Eldridge bill passes and West Virginians cross over to Ohio to purchase a Barbie doll, would they be violating this man's act to bring her back across state lines?

In the likely event that Delegate Eldridge is laughed out of Charleston on a toy surfboard, he feels his courageous bill introduction will still have sent an important message to retailers, which message will now more likely be: "Quick! Order more Barbies!" (Note to editor: Check Eldridge campaign donations from Mattel promotion people.)

West Virginia's Gov. Joe Manchin, who's got to deal with these guys, kept a straight face and said it's not state government's role to ban toys. "Parents have to be involved in parenting," he revealed to the Charleston Daily Mail's Michelle Saxton. "Let them make that decision."

We think the governor should also take Delegate Eldridge's toy cars away for a day so he can have Quiet Time and think about what he's been up to.

-- Andrew Malcolm

And a Hat Tip to Don Surber, our favorite very, very old West Virginian, for pointing out this refreshing piece of legislation that would help reduce the number of employed Americans.

No matter how you feel about Barbie -- or Blaine -- you'll want to register here for alerts on each new Ticket item. RSS feeds are also available here. And we're now on Amazon's Kindle as well.

Photo credits: Barbie.com and the Daily Mail via Associated Press.

Comments

[Janet M Brown]

Jeff Eldrige are you living in our world? With everything happening in the country you are wasting time fighting a doll. Please take your time and put it to good use, economy, enviorment, health care, take your pick, there is about 50 more issues you can pick that will help.
With the way some of these girls look, it is nice to have a doll that does not have a shirt cut to the waist or a ear ring out of their nose.
Many of us grew up with the doll and would like to share with daughters, granddaughters, etc.
Stop wasting time and money, that we can not afford!!!

[fran davis]

rahm emanuel and the other idiot- jeff Eldridge in these times when they should be doing what they are being paid for...they need to get busy or leave town,we really don't need 2 other men taking the perks and doing nothing ..we're tired of it........dolls ! for god's sake.GO HOME !!

[JohnRJ08]

Eldridge is a moron. How do these people elected? Oh, I forgot. He's from West Virginia.

[omg]

Who voted for this guy? It figures a man would try to ban Barbie. He must feel threatened. I guess Parents aren't smart enough to raise their kids. This guy is going to do it for them. In fact Obama and his entire administration think people are too foolish to make good decisions. Be carefeul - soon they will start telling you what you can think and say!

[wildman]

and this is what we pay these idiots for??

[John C]

There should only be TWO dolls sold in America: Barack Hussein Obama, and Michelle Obama. Just as I'm sure that kids in North Korea all have dolls of Kim Jong Il.

[Barbie]

Barbie. A plastic doll that little girls dress up, undress, ruin the doll's hair with curling irons, and lose the shoes. She's a toy icon! Emphasis on TOY! No little girl unloads their trunk full of Barbies and thinks "When I grow up, I want to be just like Barbie, date a plastic man named Ken and my best friend will be Skipper." This bill that Delegate Jeff Eldridge is attempting to pass is ridiculous! Nothing more than an attention getter, something to be remembered by. But who wants to be remembered for taking away something that has been in the lives of little girls for decades? Get serious, Mr. Eldridge! How about focusing on what truly matters? We still have unsolved murders of 4 teenagers from years ago, the murder of Leah Hickman, Samantha Burns is still missing, and now teenagers are shooting at cops! And for those of you who agree with the bill, spend time with your kids and teach them right from wrong!Leave Barbie alone! The worst she's ever done is cheat on Ken with GI Joe!

[Tiderguy]

Just what we need, ANOTHER DEMOCRAT telling Americans that THEY know what's best for us. This is getting very USSR, IMHO. It also begs the question, what about banning all Hollywood award shows, celebutard magazines, etc.?

[Carla]

I think Mr. Eldridge is not at all crazy. If you think I'm crazy then look at this twisted music video with Barbie dolls in a topless bar. Do you want your kids to see Barbie dolls performing these acts? www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7CUR2cozts

[Charlotte Tomic]

BARBIE CELEBRATES HER 50TH AND BEAUTY DOCTORS QUESTION HER CULT STATUS

March 9th marks the 50th Anniversary of Mattel’s Barbie doll, but not everyone is in the mood to celebrate

March 5, 2009—(Miami, FL)—March 9th marks the 50th Anniversary of Mattel’s Barbie doll, but not everyone is in the mood to celebrate.
Dr. Eva Ritvo (psychiatrist) and Dr. Debra Luftman (dermatologist) have co-written The Beauty Prescription: The Complete Formula for Looking and Feeling Beautiful. This book presents their ground-breaking concept that redefines beauty: The Beauty-Brain Loop. In this revealing, candid look at the science and spirit of beauty. Drs. Debra and Eva give women of all ages a prescription for mastering the Beauty-Brain Loop.
Dr. Ritvo has a joint appointment in the departments of Dermatology and Psychiatry at the Miller School of Medicine.
Within this helpful beauty guide -- for both inner and outer beauty – they devote two pages to the "cult of Barbie."

Say’s Eva, "Barbie is an exaggerated female figure and appeals mainly to very young girls. Kids don't do well with subtlety and Barbie has none! Many things contribute to poor body image -- mostly low self esteem."

Here's what the authors wrote in The Beauty Prescription:

"Consider Barbie. She's got quite the life. First of all she's built like a Greek goddess. She's got castles, Corvettes, and beach houses. She's got cool friends such as Skipper and a handsome-yet-sensitive boyfriend, Ken who never asks for a commitment. With that package of attributes going for her, Barbie has become part of our pop-culture mythos. Songs are written about her. She's the main playmate of millions of young girls and has been for more than forty years. Like it or not, the Mattel temptress has become something of a feminine ideal.

To explore that phenomenon, a group of Canadian media researchers generated a computer model of a woman with Barbie's generous measurements and found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her well-endowed upper body, and her emaciated torso would be too narrow to hold more than half a liver and a few inches of colon.
If she were a real woman, they concluded, Barbie would eventually die from malnutrition.

THE CULT OF BARBIE
Poor Barbie. Behind the smiling facade, doomed by her tiny gastrointestinal tract. It should be obvious from one look that they are not the proportions of a real human being, but that doesn't stop millions of women, young and old, from wanting to look like her. The influence of the "cult of Barbie" can be seen in the spread of eating disorders and in "tween" girls begging their parents for breast augmentation when they should be getting worked up about Hello Kitty backpacks."

To arrange for interviews and get copies of The Beauty Prescription written by Dr. Eva Ritvo or Dr. Debra Luftman, please contact Charlotte Tomic, 917-882-5243.

Dr. Ritvo can also discuss body dysmorphic disorder and the psychiatric treatment of women (and men) who suffer from it.

###

Debra B. Luftman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, has a busy private practice in Beverly Hills. In addition Debra lectures on topics including laser surgery, liposuction, skin aging, and sun protection. She has appeared as an expert on �Good Morning America� and �Extra� and has been quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA TODAY, Vogue, Allure, InStyle, and O. She has developed her own skin care product line called Therapeutix.
. .
Eva C. Ritvo, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist, is vice chair and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, where she also has a unique joint appointment in the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery. She serves as the chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida. A published author, Eva has appeared as an expert on �Today� and �Extra;� has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Self, O, and Psychology Today; and is a frequent contributor to the Miami Herald, Miami Sun-Sentinel, and local news programs.

[KT]

from FranDavis: "Eldridge is a moron. How do these people elected? Oh, I forgot. He's from West Virginia."

The true morons are those who still believe that stereotyping is an acceptable way of looking at the world around them.
This is one man, with no state support behind his proposed legislation (unlike those "backwards" Californians banning gay marriage?). But most people wouldn't need that pointed out to them.

[Justice Jonesie]

If we ban Barbie, we must ban GIJoe for the same reasons. Then all kitchen toys for influencing girls to cook, then Cabbage Patch for instilling the desire of girls to be SAHM instead of career women, then....

[inked]

My daugthers created the 'tramp stamp' for Barbie - it has a heart with the word, 'Ken,' in it. It's the image you see on almost every story about Barbie getting tattooed (even though Mattel had nothing to do with creating that image!!!) Why? Ironically, this was a family project to teach our young daughters (ages 12 and 8) about the free-market system and give them an education on running their own business (the best MBA program I can afford at the moment); at no time did I ever see them feeling like they had to emulate their creations. However, with all the Ronald Reagan radio speeches and audio books we listen to, I do find them questioning the economic policies coming out of Washington (our cure for that was to turn off the television and let them continue listening to the radio speeches!)

Their site is dolltattoos.com. On the Sold tab you'll find the original tramp stamp image. You can also buy one on the Tattoos tab, for 99 cents... if you want.

[Nicole]

Oh My God! Are you kidding me. Lets let the government take away some more of our choices. I personally find Barbie to be empowering to women everywhere. I think that she shows us that women can be anyhting as she has had many jobs, doctor, firelady, policewomen, rancher, and so on. You can be smart and still maintain your femininity. I think Barbie taught women that you can go out and be anyhting you want to be and you dont have to stay home cook dinner and mop the floor.

If we are going to ban Barbie we better start banning video games because there is guns and violence in them. We better ban laptops and computer because they make kids inactive and fat. We better ban celebrities because there are too skinny. I could go on forever.

Seriuosly, is this what we have come too? How about using some of the energy and money spent on this crap to help people that are hungry,homeless and without health care here in our country.