Health

Cancer Advocates Call for Bald Barbie

by Emily Sutherlin | January 13, 2012 at 10:37 am

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Although Barbie is known for her beautiful long, blonde hair, cancer advocates are pushing for a bald Barbie.

Cancer Advocates say that creating a bald Barbie would help little girls going through cancer treatment that might cause them to lose hair, and to also cope with the hair loss of close friends and family members.

The petition started on Facebook when Rebecca Sypin and Jane Bingham, who have both been personally affected by cancer, launched a page called, “Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let’s see if we can get it made.” They not only want to have Mattel create a Barbie for cancer treatment patients, but also for children who suffer disorders that cause hair loss and baldness.

“We think [a bald Barbie] would be therapeutic, and I think it would help baldness become more, quote unquote, normal. It wouldn’t be this odd thing that people don’t have hair,” says Sypin.

An accompanying campaign has been started for a Bald G.I. Joe, giving the opportunity for boys with baldness to have an also-bald figurine.

Not only could this be a comfort to bald kids (and adults) everywhere, it could also help raise awareness of cancer and other diseases that cause hair loss.

Unfortunately, Sypin and Bingham have contacted Mattel only to be told that they do not take ideas from outside sources. So, Barbie can teach little girls that she should aspire to be everything from a soldier to a tatted up young woman, but it’s not okay to be sick and bald.