Bald Barbie: Mattel Under Pressure To Mass Produce Doll For Cancer Sufferers

[Jamie D]

(Note: I placed this article and associated video here in "Health" because of the underlying issue of cancer.)

Video Report: Cancer patients ask for bald Barbie

Article: Bald Barbie: Mattel Under Pressure To Mass Produce Doll For Cancer Sufferers

Barbie maker Mattel is coming under growing pressure to mass produce a bald barbie doll for girls who suffer from hair loss, Digital Journal reports.

Last year, Mattel created a one-of-a-kind bald Barbie doll for a 4-year-old suffering from cancer who lost her hair during chemotherapy treatment, according to CBS New York.

Now, some want Mattel to make bald Barbies available to all their customers.

So far, a Facebook campaign has already generated more than 11,000 likes calling for a bald Barbie doll which they say will help boost the self esteem in women and children experiencing hair loss from cancer treatment, pulling one's hair out and other diseases that cause the immune system to attack hair follicles.

Full article at the link

[Jamie D]

Should baldness, especially in those who present as female, be considered "ugly"?

Hair restoration is a multi-billion dollar business.  Are we being swayed by artificial concepts of beauty?

[Joelene9]

  You don't have to be ill to sport a bald head.  There are more and more older women sporting butch and flattop haircuts. 
  My sisters had modified a Barbie to be middle-aged Barbie.  This Barbie sports a fleece top and pants, a half scarf over her shortened hair, dorky slipon tennies and vericose veins drawn on her legs.  They had fun with that. 
  Joelene

[V M]

I support cancer victims in every humanly possible way I can    If they request a bald Barbie, I say give it to them

[Jamie D]

I support cancer victims in every humanly possible way I can    If they request a bald Barbie, I say give it to them

I think it is a great idea too.  And considering Mattel has already created a one-off prototype, the would be relatively little in making a production run of "hairless heads" to go with the stasndard body (disproportionate as it may be)

[V M]

Yes, they should produce enough so all patients who request one can readily receive it    I'm sure the various cancer facilities would be more than happy to keep some in stock

My heart goes out to all cancer victims (I've lost a few friends and family members) But it really hits hard when you see these wonderful young people who are afflicted with such a thing 

[Bishounen]

Should baldness, especially in those who present as female, be considered "ugly"?

If it is unwanted baldness, then yes, it fully accurate to describe it as "ugly" as the sufferer her(Or him)self do not want it and suffer from it, and true sufferring is not beautiful.

Hair restoration is a multi-billion dollar business.  Are we being swayed by artificial concepts of beauty?

I don't consider it artificial concepts of beauty, as all concepts of "beauty" are, in their origins, biologically rooted in the Genes, as Evolution causes each individual to subconsciously and at first visual impression, favor individuals/partners( objects for mating) with traits that signals "good health", and just as subconsciously also weeds out those that do not signal good health. Therefore, someone that have, for instance, lost the headhair in young age due to medical readons, is subconsciously considered "inappropriate mating material" by the observer, which people than further subcounsiously translates as "Ugliness" in the everyday reasoning, although it in actuality is rather a question of "judging mating material" rather than actual ugliness, cosmetically speaking.

[Jamie D]

Yes, they should produce enough so all patients who request one can readily receive it    I'm sure the various cancer facilities would be more than happy to keep some in stock

My heart goes out to all cancer victims (I've lost a few friends and family members) But it really hits hard when you see these wonderful young people who are afflicted with such a thing 

I agree.

[Jamie D]

If it is unwanted baldness, then yes, it fully accurate to describe it as "ugly" as the sufferer her(Or him)self do not want it and suffer from it, and true sufferring is not beautiful.
I don't consider it artificial concepts of beauty, as all concepts of "beauty" are, in their origins, biologically rooted in the Genes, as Evolution causes each individual to subconsciously and at first visual impression, favor individuals/partners( objects for mating) with traits that signals "good health", and just as subconsciously also weeds out those that do not signal good health. Therefore, someone that have, for instance, lost the headhair in young age due to medical reasons, is subconsciously considered "inappropriate mating material" by the observer, which people than further subconsciously translates as "Ugliness" in the everyday reasoning, although it in actuality is rather a question of "judging mating material" rather than actual ugliness, cosmetically speaking.

You make good points.

But Persis Khambatta looked pretty good as Ilia the Deltan in the first Star Trek film!