London - A new Barbie based on the image of Jennifer Lopez has drawn criticism for its distinct lack of the curves that made her famous.
The two $29.95 (R308) collector’s dolls, one sporting a red carpet gown by Zuhair Murad, the other wearing a look from her tour, both feature a typical Barbie silhouette instead of that legendary derriere.
Fans of Lopez have taken to Twitter to share their unimpressed views.
Capicu Culture wrote: “We thought JLo’s beauty lay in the fact that she was not a ‘Barbie Doll’.”
And Marysol Castro added: “Ayy Dios Mio – Love, but she needs a bigger bootie.”
Marie Claire South Africa called the dolls “rather un-bootilicious” and Twitter user Michaela Christensen observed that the doll has “JLo’s face, but none of her assets!”
It is not clear whether Mattel has in fact marginally adjusted the dimensions of the traditional Barbie but, if not, as appears to be the case, a life-size version of the Jennifer Lopez dolls would have an impossibly tiny 44.5cm waist, a 91cm bust and 83cm hips.
Regardless, Lopez herself is delighted with the tribute.
In a video promoting the doll’s launch (scroll down to see it), she said: “I wanted to live in Barbie’s world, I wanted to be Barbie. I think Barbie represents infinite possibilities.”
The new Barbie’s lack of curves is apparently not an issue for her – despite the fact that she has long been a fierce defender of her curves and an advocate of having pride in one’s body.
The Bronx-born star told Cosmopolitan for Latinas last month: “Early on, my family really made me love who I was and what I looked like. My body was nothing out of the ordinary in my neighbourhood.
“When I first started on television (as a Fly Girl on In Living Color), people, and even my own manager at the time, would tell me I had to make all these changes.
“But you have to stand up and say, ‘There’s nothing wrong with me or my shape or who I am, you’re the one with the problem’. And when you can really believe that, all of a sudden other people start believing it, too.” – Daily Mail