Doll not aimed at kids is unsuitable for kids, claims professor

Bless the poor Daily Telegraph, which struggles enough coping with the modern world outside its own door but now has to try and run stories about matters American as well.

It's copied a fuss about nothing over the "rock chick Barbie" from American news sources:

But parents and commentators across America have criticised the image it portrays to children. Professor Joel Bakan, the author of 'Childhood Under Siege', described it as a "cynical exercise".

"This is a calculated attempt to play on young girls' natural desire to appear older," said Prof Bakan. "This is something to be resisted."

It tosses Mattel's explanation away at the end of the story:

In a statement, Mattel suggested that the doll had been intended more "for the adult doll collector". It said: "Barbie has sported an endless array of styles."

It's not "suggesting", it's saying. The rock Barbie doll sells at fifty bucks, which is the pricing for the collector range, not the children's toy range which is priced much lower. But if you know that, you know that this story isn't about aberrant Barbies dragging kids to Satanic rock concerts, and is actually about Joel Bakan using a lazily-researched target to try and flog his book.