So excited to honor @Zendaya with a one-of-a-kind doll as she encourages girls to Raise Their Voices and to #BeSuper! pic.twitter.com/GEtTR9bayC
— Barbie (@Barbie) September 18, 2015
Mattel made a big announcement on their Twitter page on Tuesday. Zendaya Coleman will receive her own Barbie doll, and you’d better believe it will feature her Oscar dreadlocks. This was the hairstyle heard ’round the world after Giuliana on Fashion Police used the words “patchouli oil and weed“ to describe the hairdo. At the time, Zendaya spoke maturely and carefully when most people (let alone a teenager) wouldn’t have been capable of kind thoughts. Z completely owned E! for airing that comment. She often catches grief for her hairstyles, but the dreadlocks criticism was unprofessional and should have never happened.
Mattel’s announcement arrives about a week after Zendaya spoke to Galore magazine about the controversy and how her parents raised her well:
“My wearing my hair in locks on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough. My parents are both educators and the way they raised me was to always be aware of what’s going on in my business as well as in my personal life. [They] never really sheltered me from anything. They were always very open with me, which is probably why I’m able to be real.”
[From Galore]
She’s always so poised and self-aware, which is rare from a Disney star. We probably won’t see her rebelling like crazy in the coming years because her family is so influential. Yes, her mom and dad are both teachers! Zendaya recently schooled Twitter trolls who called bother of her parents “ugly.” Zendaya praised her parents as “two of the most selfless people in the world” who don’t focus on what cruel people say on Twitter. Zendaya always keeps her cool when other starlets would fire off a series of middle-finger emojis. She’s such a good egg.
Here’s the October cover of Galore. Z is looking sultry but not sleazy, right?
Photos courtesy of Mattel & WENN
Amazing ! She’s such a good well spoken role model.
I find it creepy when people say “well-spoken” about people of color. It’s like its good friend “articulate.” Oh, he’s Black, but he’s very “articulate”. Didn’t someone say that about President Obama once – “A clean and articulate guy”? (I think it was actually Vice President Biden!) Such a microagression.
At any rate, I like Zendaya and I agree she’s a good role model for all girls. Some girls (and some boys) really like Barbie, so I don’t have a problem with this.
I don’t feel it has anything to do with being POC, but simply with the fact that so many other girls at her age (or even older) are completely ignorant to the world surrounding them, living in a bubble instead. They are one disappointment after another. She is not a good role model in comparison to other people of color, but to other people of her age, in general. Her responses are amazing and thoughtful. She shows so much class!
I took Jamie’s comments to be referring to her age because to be so young and well spoken is rare.
Yes, it was Biden who made that comment about Obama. I can’t believe he hasn’t gotten more grief for that and other insensitive comments he has made.
I suspect that Jamie was referring to her age with that comment as the article focuses on Zendaya’s poise and maturity at such a young age.
Everyone is correct = Junior still has an excellent point.
Junior with all do respect while agreeing that sometimes that phrase can be used as a condesencion to people of color-Zendaya is uncommonly well spoken for someone her age and background (former Disney child star). I mean look at dimwits like Raven Simone, and Miley Cryus that’s what we have come to expect from people of her background.
It was specifically referring to her age and PR, instead of putting out a flippant comment about people trash talking her, she always handles it way better than I would have at her age.
Jfc, you can’t say a young woman is well spoken without it becoming a “microaggression” by someone? I didn’t say anything about her background.
I’m not white, by the way and when I was her age I woukd have been flattered if someone called me well spoken, instead I was just mouthy and thoughtless when responding to critics.
I do get Junior’s point though, even if it wasn’t the case here. I think s(he) refers to the same type of “microaggression” as when RDJ said that he was impressed that Alejandro González Iñárritu was able to come up with such an expression like ‘cultural genocide’, complimenting him on his English.
What other words would you use to praise a young woman, race notwithstanding, who despite being so young, and in a career that usually produces only narcissistic dimwits, can speak both with intelligence and compassion?
I see a very articulate young woman who is beautiful inside and out, the kind I would want my daughter to be if I had one, and the kind I hope my son will marry. (Now someone is going to accuse me of some other faux pax, just because we are so used to hear hurtful epithets and veiled insults that we suspect even the most innocent comment. Just for the record, I couldn’t care less what race or gender he will date or marry, but whoever that person is, I hope she or he is as kind, intelligent and lovely as Z. )
I do agree with this and it is often used in a patronizing way; however, given the context here of a teenager speaking out after being publicly mocked I think it’s apt and appropriate. This is one of the few times where I think it was used more in reference to Zendaya’s age and her mature response and not her ethnicity.
Vauvert: Exactly! Perhaps I’m dense but I’m not seeing the microaggression thing. And I’m puzzled about what other words would be appropriate to describe her. She is very young, yet expresses herself very well, far better in fact than people twice times her age. She comes across as intelligent, thoughtful and classy. If that isn’t articulate (and a sincere complement) I’m not sure what is.
After eight years of Dubya Bush, Obama’s ability to coherently string words together without sounding like a redneck fratboy was a refreshing change. Many people noted his articulation to show his intelligence. His election team made sure that was kept in the forefront and it did set him apart from other candidates, in a good way.
She seems so smart and mature, I have my fingers crossed for her. The entertainment business needs more women like her!
I just hated the cover, seriously. She looks like a younger version of Eva Mendes, but 10 years older than she is now. It enrages me when they change someone’s face in order to look “sexier”, specially when this someone has such a pretty, youthful face like Zendaya.
About the Barbie doll, my 6 year old self is delighted. My dream used to be having a black Barbie without the straight blondish hair.
The cover was based on recreating an ionic photoshoot of Cindy Crawford.
Because Mattel is all about keeping it real for woc. Or anything.
Yay! Zendaya is a super star.
I just love her. I usually don’t begrudge a lot of Disney stars for acting up because God only know what happens to them behind the scenes, but it’s nice to see a young girl break away from the “I’m such a badass” prototype.
Her hair really looked great. The comments were ridiculous….
Yassss! I’m here for the Barbie. I might even get one and I hate those things.
I don’t know what to say about the Barbie. I’ve always thought of Barbie as sexist, but maybe things have changed. Anyway, she is a beautiful young woman.
Why did you feel Barbie was sexiest?
Well, I saw her measurements put onto a real, life sized doll once and I forget what they were exactly, but the doll was about six feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds with a 44 inch bust and a 22 inch waist. Those aren’t exact, because I’m relying on my memory but the point is her body is extremely unrealistic and a bad example for little girls. Perhaps sexist was the wrong word.
I get what your saying, but If you take any dolls measurements and make them life size its going to be unrealistic. If you would take baby pees a lot measurements and made it life size it going to be unrealistic when compared to a real baby.
@GNAT
I’m a short and brown latina girl who grew up playing with Barbies. I don’t feel bad about my body because of it. I never spent a single second analyzing my doll’s body as a little girl – I only learned this was supposed to be a problem when I was a teenager and was told so. She was just another toy, for me.
I’m all for having more diverse Barbies representing more races and body types, but labeling them as these evil tools that brainwash our little girls is such an exaggeration, for me. She’s just a piece of plastic!
Haha, well, there was also that “IT Barbie” fiasco that basically boiled down to a series of cartoons depicting Barbie as an incompetent computer technician who had to keep calling her male coworkers to get things working.
Barbie sometimes does things REALLY well – showing young girls doll doctors! doll professors! doll NASCAR driver! – but they shoot themselves in the foot occasionally, too.
That Barbie is so gorgeous. I’m going to buy it and I don’t even care about Barbies. lol
Zendaya is so beautiful.
Why do those Disney teens seem to want to grow up so fast? It’s like they go from kid to teen to wanna be a Femfatale? I still love her though, but the photos do make her seem older, maybe it’s all the styling?
I’m buying it too! I love this.
It’s not available to be sold to the public and I’m so mad about it!
Am totally gonna buy the doll. I love Z.
Sadly, not available to be sold to the public but maybe folks on Twitter/Facebook can contact Mattel and tell them how much the general public wants this!
I love Zendaya so I see this as a good thing.
She’s such a beautiful person inside and out (well, duh). I wish her all the best.
I think it’s pretty cool to have her as a Barbie especially if they go with the dredocks. She is an adorable girl.
I was a hard core Barbie fan in the 60s, and I have never seen her as a problem for girls or boys for that matter. Honestly, I never saw her as a role model in the first place or as something that would determine or damage my body image. She is a plastic doll for crying out loud. She also happens to have a dazzling wardrobe and a dweeby boyfriend. (Loved Ken in Toy Story 3.)
I had the clothes from the 60s and they rocked. I lost interest when the 70s rolled around because, ahem, the 70s, and I found books and trees to climb.
I have had heard women FREAK out about their daughters NEVER having a Barbie. Like I said, it’s a doll. I think they are types that make a huge deal about everything rather than balance Barbie out with another toy, archery set, books, sandbox whatever.
I agree I’ve never seen Barbie as anything more then a doll.
Me too. Full disclosure. I have a Barbie doll collection packed away in a suitcase.
I agree. I loved my Barbie when I was little, putting her on different clothes and make my own telenovelas starring her and my other dolls (all lesbian dramas because my brothers wouldn’t let me use their Max Steels). Barbie is a god damn doll. She has no personality and is all about looking pretty because she’s literally made of plastic. She’s not a role model for little girls for the exact same reason my curtains aren’t.
I never wanted to be like Barbie when I grew up, and as a short and brown latina girl, playing with this slender blonde doll never made me feel worse about my own body. I just thougt of that as HER own body, you know? It was funny, actually, because in my twisted world of doll telenovelas, the one regarded as the ultimate beauty was an alien pink puppet with green hair and a single yellow eye. Kids don’t think about these things until adults tell them to.
Nothing made me sadder than finding out this Barbie won’t be available to the public to purchase. I want it, she’s such a cool and impressive young lady.
Also, I need to start figuring out some magic spells or what not to give me a kid just like her. One that quotes Shakespeare and fights back against racial intolerance.
I love her-so talented and obviously gorgeous. I’m of two minds about Barbie. Of course, I had them as a little girl, and that’ was okay. I knew it was just a doll. I think I got bored around 7, so I cut off one side of her hair and put a pin through her ear.Now Barbie is so much more. And the fact that they are making dolls of different races is great. If Z is happy, that’s cool.
Barbie has her issues, but it’s not a total wash most of the time. As for Zendaya’s doll, YES. GOOD. DO NOT STOP. I am all for more ethnically accurate POC dolls. Now put it to mass production.
(For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Clark study, give it a look on YouTube. It’s easily one of the most heartbreaking and provocative things you need to see to understand the depth of the issue, particularly if you’re white.)
Veronica I just watched a few of the Clark study videos. I thought it was particularly sad that many of the black children said white Barbie was prettiest and black Barbie (or baby doll) was bad. Without extensive research I would have to think a big problem is the racial representation on TV. I can slightly understand why for the white students think the white Barbie is prettiest because of the whole “looks like me@ narrative. although I do not like seeing the black Barbie called out as bad by the white students. It was heart breaking though. My heart hurts for those that don’t feel like enough, especially if skin color is the biggest reason for that. I have read a lot of stuff on white privilege and try to be cognizant of that. I have three children that are five and younger and I don’t want to raise more oblivious, over privileged, “everyone has the same chance, they just have to work at it,” people that the world already have too many of. When I read that black (or African American…side note-what is the correct term black, African American??) children as young as 3 have to be made aware that they may be treated different, I was so sad. Also that having those types of conversations with white children is totally optional. I try and have small conversations with my 5 year old daughter. I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I used to be the human resource manager for a large company that has individual plants all over the U.S. And elsewhere and once had to endure my peers (the other 4 members of management) ranting about the poor white man and how discriminated against he was. I looked at all four of them and said something to the effect of, ‘yeah I see your point…room full of 30-something white males who have total and complete authority here…’
I just wanted to say I infinitely appreciate the fact you’re having these conversations with your children and are making such effort. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I think your conscientious effort and sincere intent will create a world of difference. Don’t worry about being perfect, just do your best and remind your children that there isn’t a perfect final state of coming to understanding the issue.
It’s an ongoing dialogue and conversation but the first best step is an open mind and humility. You’re doing great!
Am I the only one seeing creepy photoshopping on the magazine cover?