Behind the "Barbie" Frenzy: Ode to the "I'm NO Barbie!" Realists

[Onika Maraj] better known by her stage name Nick Minaj hit the mainstream in the summer of 2009. Born and raised in Queens, New York she was first discovered on Myspace about 3 years ago. She released her first mix-tape, Playtime is Over in 2007; but, the release of  her most popular mix-tapes to date Beam Me Up Scotty and The Barbie Diaries are what's largely responsible for the "Barbie" frenzy many of us are currently witnessing.

I can't knock Nicki's hustle. She's taken the element of "fakeness" and marketed upon it to the TENTH power. No other rapstress has been able to take the ultimate, pre-packaged trademark of fakeness and capitalize upon it the way she has; and, with the majority of her audience being girls, no wonder this Barbie frenzy has taken the mainstream by storm. Now, more than ever, Pop/Hip-Hop culture is seeing more and more girls deem themselves "Barbies"...as explained in the following excerpt from a Nicki Minaj interview by blogger Necole Bitchie....


[excerpt from a Necole Bitchie (leading lady in Trey Songz's "I Invented Sex" video) interview with Nicki Minaj--
       Necole: What does it take to be a Barbie? You call most of your girls Barbies...
       Nicki Minaj: It's like a term of endearment for me. I used to call people "sweetie" and "honey", now I say "Barbies". A lot of girls call themselve Barbies. Nicki Minaj did not invent that. People always add something to their Barbie name, and because I love the Harajuku culture I made my Barbie the Harajuku Barbie. I thought it was unique, and no one has never said that kind of Barbie before. The girls ran with it; they gave it a life of its own. I never set out to be on no Barbie Movement. My Barbies made the Barbie movement.--end excerpt]  


While supporters of the frenzy agree with Minaj that being called a "Barbie" is in fact a term, of endearment; a lot of nay-sayers believe girls who self-proclaim to be Barbies are selling themselves short of their own individuality. Needless to say, I have to agree with the latter. A girl can put all of the different adjectives she wants in front of her "Barbie" name, in essence she's forfeiting her uniqueness and giving in to becoming another copy.

Furthermore, Barbies are toys made for the amusement of others, they're not real women. A real woman doesn't need to attach herself to a brand name to feel valuable, or good about herself, because she's comfortable with the essence of her OWN being. A name says a lot about a person; and, in some cultures it defines a person's purpose in life. Although the "Barbie" brand may be worth a "pretty penny" (no pun intended lol). Individually, these "cute" dolls are only worth a few bucks. I hope those who fall prey to this trend take a moment to think about that the next time they decide to change their Twitter/Facebook/Myspace screen name to some variation of a "Barbie"...that is all.
--Tania aka Nia Janei...THE Prototype