Barbie's new flava: Hip-hop [Mattel comes out with new "flava dolls" which exhibit hip-hop culture]

South Florida Sun-Sentinel ^ | July 30, 2003 | Stephanie Ashman

[cyborg]

Complete with hair weave as well...

[cyborg]

Hip hop is making so much money hand over fist... it is common business sense. Anything hip-hop related is making mad money.

If someone needs a doll to identify with their 'culture' then they have problems or their parents do. I didn't need West Indian or Italian dolls to 'identify' with my culture. This is just a distraction from the real issues. If a stupid ill-dressed, ugly looking doll is supposed to symbolize black culture, then they're being as stereotypical as any other bigot. I played with Barbie dolls as much as anyone else. My mother gave me all kinds of dolls to play with. Why can't people let kids have a childhood?

[quietolong]

Teen Prostitution; Trends Show Kids Getting Younger, More from Middle-Class Homes

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/961578/posts


‘This Could Be Your Kid’

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/961536/posts

[Mears]

Liam is one of my grandson's names and it is Irish. What the hell is it doing on this doll?

[cyborg]

Don't be so impatient! That's the doll's slave name. There will be black muslim accessories to compliment the doll's name change over to Rashan-X. Pfft... you must be old.

[anniegetyourgun]

Oh, now you go too far.

[Paul Atreides]

What?

[dwd1]

Excellent...For those young ladies not sure if they are a hoochie mama...This will help them resolve that question...

With all due respect to Jeff Foxworthy...

If your boyfriend knows the color of your panties but he doesn't know the color of your eyes....

You might be a hoochie mama...

If you jeans are on so tight, people can tell that you did not shave your legs this morning.....

You just might be a hoochie mama...

If you like going to professional basketball games with no underwear....

You might be a hoochie mama....

[anniegetyourgun]

A barbie modeled after such an accomplished, educated, smart, and capable black female? Surely, you jest. Are you saying there are African-American parents who would actually want their daughter to grow up to be like that?

[King Prout]

pet rocks, anyone?

[Paul Atreides]

I'm sorry (hanging head in shame).

[dwd1]

Well, if there aren't enough things to worry about negatively influencing my 14 year old...

[Tax-chick]

Oh, that's a prize-winner! Welcome to FR!

[dwd1]

I do...

But sometimes, that is where I feel like I am truly a minority....

[Ganymede]

As a black woman, I'm going to say this is completely insulting and degrading. We do not need our next generation venerating or in form celebrating "hip hop." Not my children certainly . . . when and if I ever have any.

[dwd1]

It's my Texas sense of humor coming out...

Thank you for the reply...

[Tijeras_Slim]

This one's popular in San Francisco...

[Tijeras_Slim]

You're gonna get along fine around here. :)

[Paul Atreides]

LOL! That's funny, but I have no problems believing that some liberal parents would buy it for their kids so that they could "understand the plight of homeless people."

[dwd1]

As the father of a 14 year old, I can assure you we are going to have a long discussion about the fantasy world that people live in on Saturday nights and the real world that we have to live in the rest of the time.

Hip-Hop is part of pop culture but as a lifestyle, it is just as unsustainable as disco was...We simply have to issue a reality check that doesn't bounce....