Christchurch
Mattel have recently launched a tattooed Barbie doll with a flower tattoo on her chest and a tiger on her back! Maybe the ‘Tokidoki’ Barbie is a reflection of our social shift in perceptions and attitudes toward having tattoos. Recent statistics show that one in four Americans aged between 18 and 50 years-of-age have tattoos and that trend is more than likely similar worldwide. Mattel say that the doll won’t be sold in stores but is being marketed to adults as a collector’s item. One parent’s comment was, “the doll may reflect some part of adult life – but what’s next, Rehab Barbie and Wife Beater Ken!!”
We have observed that ever increasing – tasteful, good quality skin art is being embraced by discerning “middle class” members of modern society. No longer is there a stigma of tattoos being associated only with criminals and sailors, that stereotype is most certainly tired!