Vogue Italia is running another July all black edition. Only this time, the black models include Barbie dolls. Following the success of last year's all black four-cover edition, this July's magazine comes with a collectors' Barbie supplement that pays tribute to the strangely proportioned doll.
Barbie's PR has been pretty heavy on pushing the doll's 50th birthday, but Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani seems to have come up with the most creative angle. She says “Barbie has been an icon for whole generations which is why I really wanted to give a strong sign in step with the times, and dedicate the anniversary issue to black Barbie.” Always pushing the boundaries, she is.
The first black Matel "Barbie" was introduced in 1967 as "Black Francie". She was then joined by fellow dark-skinned dolls Christie and Julia. It wasn't until 1980 that a black Barbie branded doll was introduced. They may have been darker, but they still had the tiny pointy features of every other Barbie. So Matel have released the new So In Style Barbie. Stacey McBride, the African-American designer, made sure the face, make-up and skin tone are true to girls in her community with a fuller nose and fuller lips than the orange Barbies.
Enjoy this video of her talking about the dolls she made. Mostly, enjoy the part where McBride says "Grace and Barbie were best friends when they were in Malibu, and then Grace had to move away to Chicago and this is where she met Trichelle and Cara". Chicago! Where Gayle and Oprah live! Coincidence?