Fetishists at Mattel Love Butt-Kickin’ Black Canary Barbie

Super exciting news I learned about just today, but has been out for nearly a week (oops). Seems like Barbie is getting another makeover - a supernaturally awesome makeover. In October, they are releasing “Black Canary Barbie” after the famous DC Comics superhero. They’ve done this before (enter Catwoman Barbie) so it’s not terribly new news, but again and again the religious right wants to come in and stomp out all the fun we liberals and our perverted minds want to have.

Everyone in the blogosphere is trying to say how trashy this new Barbie is and it’s really annoying how much people just read a couple of sentences about it and make a judgement. I grew up reading Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Daredevil and Black Canary (among others. I love comics!) and used my Barbie and Ken dolls to recreate the fight scenes from the comics. Of course, back in the 90’s there were no superhero costumes (just neon jumpsuit costumes!) and so I’d have to improvise. Or I’d get lazy, get the Barbies naked and use my imagination to fill in the rest. Justice League, anyone?

The part of the whole drama that perturbs me is that everyone takes a gander at Black Canary Barbie and judge her by today’s standards. Do they know that she was created in 1947 by male animators!? She’s a post-war symbol for female empowerment (I like to believe). Her fishnets are characteristic of her costume. Yes, costume. On Jezebel, they think she’s 80’s. On Perez, they think she is a street walker (except for one awesome commentator - heath - who delightfully retorts “Pants get in the way of fighting crime!)

So people, please. It’s a superhero. You don’t have to buy it if you don’t want to (I would if I had a daughter). But stop giving these stupid Christian conservatives ammunition - these are the people who thought Tinky Winky was gay, remember? And he still hasn’t come out!