From a pneumatic symbol of female oppression to an impossibly' proportioned site for conflicting messages about sexuality, feminist theory agrees that Barbie is a powerful cultural icon. Since her creation by Mattel in the 1950's, she has been both a universal cheerleader for materialism and and conformity and a mythical destination of ...womanhood... for young girls.

...BDO are using Barbie to strike back against a monolithic notion of culture and are part of a new trend of interactivity and alternative consumption...

Recently however, Barbie has been recruited as the ringleader of a growing underground revolution. A group calling themselves the Barbie Disinformation Organization (BDO) are using the plastic princess as a site of subversion. Through a concerted campaign on Barbie's packaging, BDO are turning America's sweetheart into a dark parody of the mainstream culture she champions.

In a subtle and effective sticker crusade, BDO are replacing Barbie's labels with ones that look identical, but are diametrically opposed to Mattel's commercial candy-floss content.

Young girls usually take Barbie and her immaculately groomed girlfriends down to Barbie's ...Stylin' Salon... to get their blond locks tended to.

In a tongue-in-cheek comment on Barbie's synthetic sexuality, BDO have renamed the hair salon ...Barbie Lesbian Barber Shop... and have included instructions how to give Barbie ...Dyke Haircut no's 1 and 2...

Through their semantic revolt, BDO are making the market realise that Barbie and her mates aren't as wholesome as their shiny smiles suggest. The label ...Lipstick Lesbian Betty... certainly gives consumers the hint that ...Best Friend Betty... wants more out of Barbie than just tips on how to keep her Ferrari shiny!

The implication of girl-on-girl action transmutes Mattel's empty commercialism into something more real, relevant and confronting.

Cheerleading Barbie is now ...Hooker Barbie..., exposing a seamy underbelly to the short skirt and pompom adolescence marketed on TV shows like Beverly Hills 90210.

It's not just the girls who have been targeted. ...Secret Agent #007-with uppercut punch action!... has been re-christened ...Corporate Drone Dan' with Gropomatic fanny'patting grip!... in a direct dig at the culture of American military machismo.
Exclusive: Barbie speaks out, ...Dead men tell no lies....

Simply by swapping labels, BDO have successfully usurped Mattel's monolithic marketing message and replaced it with their own. The sexually liberated dyke appearing on US toy shelves may not be any more acceptable to politically correct mums but she's certainly got a lot more to say than her blond, bland predecessor.