Why is the Girl Scout Barbie doll so controversial?

Why is the Girl Scout Barbie doll so controversial?

Ever since Mattel announced that Barbie would soon be wearing a Girl Scout uniform, consumer groups have been pushing back against it. The $2 million deal also includes a patch for Daisy and Brownie members, making it the first-ever patch to have a corporate sponsorship.

The Barbie tie-in with Girl Scouts was first announced in August 2013, and now that the dolls arriving in stores this week, the controversy is heating up.

“Holding Barbie, the quintessential fashion doll, up as a role model for Girl Scouts simultaneously sexualizes young girls, idealizes an impossible body type, and undermines the Girl Scouts’ vital mission to build ‘girls of courage, confidence and character,’” Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood told the Associated Press.

While many hold gripes about Barbie’s reputation for sexualizing the different career uniform she wears (in her 55 years she has been outfitted for more than 135 different jobs–most with pink accents or accessories), others think putting Barbie in the Girl Scout uniform is a great way to get girls involved with the organization.

“I think if girls didn’t identify with Barbie, it might create a problem for us as parents,” one mom said on the Today show, “but girls love them. They represent what they love, it’s a win-win.”

Girls today “are ready to lead,” Chávez told Parade in March. “I see girls lobbying town hall to build a safer crosswalk for their elementary school. My world, when I was a kid, was my backyard. Their world is the globe.”

To bring the partnership full circle and tell girls they can “be anything,” Mattel worked with the Girl Scouts to create a new “Be Anything, Do Everything” patch. In order to get the patch, Daisy and Brownie scouts must complete a booklet that focuses on different career paths. Before they qualify for the patch, scouts must match character traits with the careers they’re best suited for and come up with an idea for a Girl Scout badge and its possible real world applications. However, Girl Scouts do not need to purchase a Barbie in order to get the patch–they can download the booklet online and then either download the patch upon completion or fill out an online form to have one sent to them.

“We are tying the fun girls have playing with Barbie to an opportunity to gain insight into the careers of today and tomorrow, through patches and discovery along the way,” Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez said in a statement. 

Even though the patch and booklet aim to educate Girl Scouts about future career choices, some are concerned about having branded insignia on the Girl Scout uniform.

“This is product placement at its worst,” New American Dream’s executive director Wendy Philleo said. “Our children are already being bombarded by marketers’ pitches at stores, at home, online, on TV, and in school.”