Not too long ago, we posted about Dora the Explorer’s makeover. Everyone was talking about it and lots of people felt that it signified a disinterest in strong role models for girls (Dora being one of the only ones out there), in favor of pretty ones.
A recent post at Vintage Ads reminds us that taking strong female characters and subjecting them to trivializing beauty regimes is nothing new. Enjoy this ad for the Bionic Woman Beauty Salon:
—————————
Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments 7
Craig — September 29, 2009
The interesting thing here is that this toy plainly speaks of corporate sabotage. Look at the toy--what "beauty salon" features electrodes, flashing computer lights, "bionic activator cards," and a EKG readout? (I would have _killed_ for a toy EKG readout 30 years ago.) I mean, if I sat down for a pedicure and they wheeled out a contraption like that, I'd be grabbing my shoes and heading for the door.
The "beauty" features are the obviously stuck-on mirror and the brush, comb and "dryer" that are hastily jammed into slots above the electrical cables. I think the toy was pretty plainly designed as a high-tech electronics workstation, until some genius in a suit decided that it wasn't "girly" enough, and ordered that it would by God include hairstyling functionality.
"But it's a computer for the Bionic Woman," the designers meekly protest.
"Then stick a god-damned Bionic Make-up Mirror on it," says the idiot in the suit. "What do girls know about computers?"
Kate — September 29, 2009
Not for nothing, but I would have *killed* for this when I was a kid.
Village Idiot — September 30, 2009
I love the bionic hand crank that runs the top secret computer of the bionic woman's beauty salon.
And remember, she was a secret agent and so she unfortunately had to adhere to the superficial standards of beauty in place at the time in order to do her job (and no, I didn't write that sentence with a straight face). So, of course there would've been a bionic beauty salon for her and I hope it makes that weird noise they used in the TV show that always meant she or the bionic man were doing something 'bionic.'
cgeye — September 30, 2009
... not to mention that the only beauty salon prominent during the run of the show was a front for a sinister brainwashing operation, using drugs in the shampoo and programming tapes through the hair dryer bonnets. No, I'm not kidding.
trishket — September 30, 2009
Wow! I think I had this toy as a little girl. I certainly had a Bionic Woman doll (and her car). This salon thingy was pretty awesome, as I remember. I'm not sure that I'm contributing anything to this discussion - I just had a nice flashback.
Mary McGuire — November 14, 2009
You girls just don't know how lucky you were. I would have loved the beauty salon but I'm not sure it was available in the UK. At least I don't remember it although I do remember being envious of all the great things available in the U.S. at the time. Thank God for globalization that's all I have to say. Oh and I'd better get back to work!
Pia Guerrero — May 15, 2011
Wouldn't it be great if you had to have a computer science degree to do your hair?