Bold move by Mattel!
Commercial here. Just curious, would you ever have a kid that stereotypically swishy at that young an age in real life?
Any young kid who says “That’s fierce!” is exhibiting learned behavior. No one is born saying such a thing.
But yes, there are young boys who act quite “swishy”, especially when they aren’t shamed about it. True, they are likely a tiny minority. But perhaps enough young boys will see that commercial and start feeling comfortable enough to show their swishy ways, and the number will grow.
Being swishy doesn’t make you gay, or vice versa, and playing with Barbies makes you neither swishy nor gay. But swishy people have the right to be portrayed with dignity. And they get to play with Barbies.
It’s okay with me.
I will say that Barbie commercials seem to have changed a bit from the old days…
Looks like a god-damn parody. Sickens me.
(and only slightly because of the Fabio child)
I know a guy, friend of my uncle. When his son was three, the kid would have complete, screaming meltdowns, because my uncle’s daughter, who was about the same age, got to wear prettier shoes than he did. That was about fifteen years ago. Last time I saw the kid, he showed up at Thanksgiving with his hot new French boyfriend - who is frankly way nicer than that kid deserves, the little snot.
Anyway, yeah. While AHunter makes a good point about the difference between gender non-conformity and sexual identity, either way, this sort of thing can manifest way early.
I want that kid’s haircut. Go ahead, call me swishy.
(Yes on Miller’s point on early manifestation. I once thought my daughter was a swishy little boy.)
The ad makes me cringe - but not because of the boy. The girls are just as bad.
‘Hi - we’re pre-teens and we’re hooked on designer-wear - like, TOTALLY!!1!!’
shudder
I wish they had had commercials like this* when I was that age (this was in the late 50’s, so it wasn’t gonna happen). I was so full of shame once I realized at age 7 that I was one of those people, I completely shut down emotionally, something from which I still suffer to some degree today. So yes, if you have to have commercials for obnoxious toys, please show all kinds of boys and girls in them.
*This commercial is only incrementally more horrible than the commercials I remember from my childhood.
I know a few. And I wouldn’t bet on which (if any) are gay. “Looking” and “being” are very different things.
As a completely separate matter from having a boy in it, I feel like the whole commercial was meant to be over-the-top ridiculous. The way the kids pronounced “Mo-schi-no”, the Moschino t-shirt in the background, something in the tone of the voice-over woman . . . Maybe I’m just underestimating consumerism, but it seemed like a parody of itself.
Aside from the enthusiasm over the brand name, which I’ve always disdained, I wouldn’t have noticed anything about that boy aside from the last sentence where it seemed like he had a “baby talk” kind of accent going on. I don’t think he seems particularly oriented in any direction.
Wait, how come Moschino Barbie has a 1990s model phone? Is she being hipster ironic?
And that boy can swish or vamp as much as he damn well pleases, in fact I agree that part of progress should be to be able to do so without it being seen as a negative. But I’m more confused that his hair/clothes style looks to me 30 years out of phase… or is that it’s what’s coming back this season?
Besides count me as someone who doesn’t get what’s to be so het up about Mos-chi-no anything.
(BTW thanks to Count Blucher for digging up those old oh-that’s-just-wrong Nissan ads featuring GI Joe going all Alpha Male on Barbie and Ken… but the thing is, those WERE parodies!)
Any young kid who says anything is exhibiting learned behavior.
If I had just seen the commercial cold, with no explanation, I would have assumed the boy was a girl with a bad haircut.
I guess that’s what happens when you feed your kids Campbell’s soup.
Regards,
Shodan
I want to be like Bill Maher, and say something supporting because I’m Progressive, but also snarky because I’m an asshole.
I’ve never heard of Moschino.
I find the mini Valley Girls far more objectionable than the boy. Also, **Octarine **is right, it feels like a parody, such as you’d see on SNL. And why does a boy who is interested in fashion dolls (or other boys, for that matter) have to be portrayed as swishy?
On the one hand, I think it’d be great if those that like to get their swish on could grow up feeling comfortable doing as they please. On the other, is it furthering a stereotype? Aren’t the vast majority of gay males non-swishy? Either way, I cannot wait to see / hear about the spittle flecked outrage this is sure to induce.
Yeah, I kind of figured it was essentially a fashion parody, except instead of some OTT gay man and some fashionistas cooing over a model wearing some designer’s clothing, it was children dressed up and acting like that cooing over Barbie.
I don’t even think that there was any real intention to portray the boy himself as gay, but rather as a kid parody of gay designers and fashion commentators.