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Clickbait IRL: Barbie “Unapologetic” on Sports Illustrated Cover

Great Moments in Advertising

Mattel has decided to rehabilitate Barbie’s falling image in the toy market (a 13% drop this holiday season over last) by changing nothing, and dismissing criticism of Barbie by talking about her as if she were a real person and not an image entirely created and controlled by a massive toy empire. Also by putting her on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue and starting the hashtag #unapologetic.

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It’s so cute, watching a more than half-century old media franchise discover the marketing power of intentionally creating internet outrage while trying to make it look like an accident. I recommend ThinkProgress’ take on the whole deal.

Previously in Barbie

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Susana Polo
Susana Polo thought she'd get her Creative Writing degree from Oberlin, work a crap job, and fake it until she made it into comics. Instead she stumbled into a great job: founding and running this very website (she's Editor at Large now, very fancy). She's spoken at events like Geek Girl Con, New York Comic Con, and Comic Book City Con, wants to get a Batwoman tattoo and write a graphic novel, and one of her canine teeth is in backwards.

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