2008 Woodie Awards
Transvestite Dolls Take Over Wal-Mart, K-Mart
Is society's acceptance of alternative lifestyles changing?
Mara Carpenter
Issue date: 2/19/04 Section: Features
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He's just a sweet transvestite
Phillip Carpenter, a Lakeland College student and part-time employee at Kmart, shared something unusual that he noticed while walking through the toy department. The interesting observation was that Flavas brand dolls had a male transvestite doll! Skepticism was the first reaction, but we called for an investigation.
Searching through the Dolls at both K-mart and Wal-Mart, it was discovered that there was indeed a semi-transvestite doll. His name is Liam, and he carries a purse in numerous styles. While some may think it is just a "bag," it resembles a purse far too closely in shape and style.
Some of the Liam dolls are more masculine looking despite the purse. They have pants and typical male-style shirts, but all of them are wearing makeup such as light eyeliner, light eye shadow, and pale lipstick. Some of the dolls have more severe cat eye makeup. One of the Liam dolls even wears a leather jacket with a beautiful fur collar.
Perhaps there is some new trend in fashion that isn't being discussed, but it seems this doll manufacturer is embracing transvestitism, homosexuality, or "effeminism" in males.
An Anatomically Correct Doll from the 50's
Liam is not one of the first dolls that challenged the norm; actually, Barbie had that fame awhile ago. Smutty dolls from Europe called the Lilli dolls, which were from a character in a German comic inspired Barbie Creator Ruth Handler. Lilli was well developed with a curvy body, tiny waist, and wore skimpy, tight clothes. Handler created Barbie to "project every little girl's dream of the future." In other words, Barbie would turn out to be the ideal model woman for girls.
The first Barbie doll was introduced in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York. She had a voluptuous semi-anatomically correct figure with the hip to waist ratio of 39"-2l"-33," on a human scale. She wore black eyeliner, pearl hoop earrings, a zebra striped bathing suit, and stiletto heels.
Phillip Carpenter, a Lakeland College student and part-time employee at Kmart, shared something unusual that he noticed while walking through the toy department. The interesting observation was that Flavas brand dolls had a male transvestite doll! Skepticism was the first reaction, but we called for an investigation.
Searching through the Dolls at both K-mart and Wal-Mart, it was discovered that there was indeed a semi-transvestite doll. His name is Liam, and he carries a purse in numerous styles. While some may think it is just a "bag," it resembles a purse far too closely in shape and style.
Some of the Liam dolls are more masculine looking despite the purse. They have pants and typical male-style shirts, but all of them are wearing makeup such as light eyeliner, light eye shadow, and pale lipstick. Some of the dolls have more severe cat eye makeup. One of the Liam dolls even wears a leather jacket with a beautiful fur collar.
Perhaps there is some new trend in fashion that isn't being discussed, but it seems this doll manufacturer is embracing transvestitism, homosexuality, or "effeminism" in males.
An Anatomically Correct Doll from the 50's
Liam is not one of the first dolls that challenged the norm; actually, Barbie had that fame awhile ago. Smutty dolls from Europe called the Lilli dolls, which were from a character in a German comic inspired Barbie Creator Ruth Handler. Lilli was well developed with a curvy body, tiny waist, and wore skimpy, tight clothes. Handler created Barbie to "project every little girl's dream of the future." In other words, Barbie would turn out to be the ideal model woman for girls.
The first Barbie doll was introduced in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York. She had a voluptuous semi-anatomically correct figure with the hip to waist ratio of 39"-2l"-33," on a human scale. She wore black eyeliner, pearl hoop earrings, a zebra striped bathing suit, and stiletto heels.