Donated dolls to get a realistic makeover
The women and gender studies program is currently collecting G.I. Joes, Barbies, Bratz and other similar dolls to be reinvented during their celebration of Women’s History Month in March. The Reinventing Barbie Bash is new to the program’s celebration this year, replacing the usual guest speaker.
The bash is meant to challenge society’s stereotypes about what women and men should look like, said Brenda Cooper, director of the women and gender studies program and the event coordinator.
“Women or men should not be judged by their appearance,” Cooper said.
The idea, she said, came from an article she had read in The San Francisco Chronicles about an annual Altered Barbie Art Show. The participants altered and displayed three-dimensional art, photography, dance and music, with the goal of turning Barbie into their own personal identities.
Cooper said she had always wanted to work with students on a project like this in order to give an alternative feminist statement. She said she was especially fascinated by an article in The New York Times about a group of performance artists based in Manhattan who had bought several Talking Dukes, G.I. Joes and Teen Talk Barbies, swapped their voice boxes, and, with the aid of associates, had replaced dolls on shelves of toy stores in at least two states. Both the articles in The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicles had been the essence for the Reinvention of Barbie Bash, Cooper said. She said she is hoping that the event will attract all students and faculty from different clubs and groups.
The event is sponsored by the Women and Gender Research Institute, the Merrill-Cazier Library and the journalism and communications department. The event will be held in the Library Conference Room from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
There will also be a Barbie essay competition, food and small prizes awarded. The competition is open to all USU students, faculty and staff. The dolls will be displayed in the library during March. People interested in donating dolls to the bash drop them by Cooper’s office in the Animal Science Building.
–daphne.bukirwa@aggiemail.usu.edu