Eyes 2: body parts in art


I really have to do something about that sub-title -'body parts in art'!

Today's part 2 of Eyes is not quite what I had planned, but having come across it, I couldn't not include this amazing collection entitled 'plastic body parts' jewellery featured on Kstyle's excellent design showcase site.

What do you do with all those left-over Barbies once your kids have graduated to Bratz and My Scene? If you're Margaux Lange, you cut them up into little pieces and skewer them into bangles and bracelets, earrings and necklaces, that's what. Eyes, hands, torsos, even the dinky little shoes, feature.
Rhianna and I both cackled gleefully when we saw Barbie (& Ken) treated this way.
The global fascination with Barbie is not once I share, having held out against Barbie until Rhianna reached the ripe old age of 4, at which point I was rebuked by other mothers who took pity on her and bought her Barbies as birthday gifts from their daughters. Of course we ended up with trillions of the things, including a pregnant Barbie-look alike, from Turkey I think, complete with revolving bump and tiny baby inside.
Way back in the '60's, Ihave to admit that my Tressy doll ( I only had one; what is it with these hoardes of Plastics?) was my idea of fun though. Her hair grew when you pushed a button in her back and she came with tiny little hair clips so I could back-comb like crazy then pin it all up. The optimum time for playing with her was when I was around 9-10 years old. It's such a shame that the Barbie brand has been allowed to slide down the age range to take over the play of tots who have the motor skills to take the clothes off but not to put them back on again.
I'm delighted to consign ours to the bin or the boot sale, but am not sufficiently eco-concerned on this one to cut them up to make jewellery. Rhianna might, though. Which I think is a healthy teenage subversion a thoughtful and supportive mum should encourage.
And as we're on the topic of promoting healthy body image and well grounded self-esteem in one's children, do read Planetnomad's award winning post on Beauty; not just in the eye of the beholder anymore.

2 comments:

kstyle said...

Hi Kaye,
Thanks for your kind words. k

Julie Q. said...

Can I just tell you how delighted I am that I found your blog (OK, so you found mine first, but who's counting?)

I can't wait to read more about your body parts in art. Although the Barbie eyeball bling is downright disturbing. Who would wear that?

I'll be back...

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