Fashionistas #121: from babyish to beautiful

Devout followers of this blog will probably know that I'm an unabashed fan of Barbie's Fashionistas.  I've griped in the past about their stiff bodies and their clothes that tend to be printed on only the front, but I love how the line plays with new faces and skin tones and hair colors to make an appealing product.  Recently Mattel has kicked things up a notch with a handful differently-abled dolls.  Two use wheelchairs, and the third, #121, sports a prosthetic leg.

I was excited when I first saw this doll, because it isn't every day one sees a doll sporting an artificial limb.  My Life has a couple of cute little gymnasts with prosthetic legs (here and here), but mass-produced dolls with prosthetic limbs are not yet very common.  Unfortunately...well, this is strictly my opinion, but it seems like Mattel just threw this doll together.  Her outfit is this short, shapeless mass of fleecy material with big ruffles on the sleeves, and it reminds me of a hospital gown or a nightie for a small child.  The hairstyle doesn't help, as it's tied up in this Pebbles Flintstone-style topknot.  When I looked at this doll in stores I thought "It looks like Mattel only valued this doll because she has a fake leg."

Usually if I know I'll have to redress a doll as soon as I get her home I don't bother with her at all, but when #121 started showing up around here I was smitten with her pretty face and her loosely curled, minimally styled hair that just happens to be the same color as my own hair.  So I took her home, redressed her, and lowered her topknot.  Here's the result.

Yep, a Toy Story outfit!  I wanted something that let her legs show but still allowed her to look cute, so I chose this one.  I have never seen any movies in the Toy Story franchise, by the way, even though I'm quite fond of Tim Allen.  Anyway, this outfit combines my two favorite colors (green and blue), and the green skirt brings out the subtle color of the doll's eyes.  See what a pretty face she has!

The summit of beauty and love...and Leide is her name!  LOL, I will maintain until my dying day that the 1960's had some of the best music!  Anyway, Leide has subtle little dimples, and her mouth is painted a little off-kilter so that she appears to have a bit of a smirk (I don't know what head mold this is, by the way).  She's a very pretty doll, and I think it's a shame that Mattel dressed her in an afterthought slip of a dress that barely covered her butt and restricted what little hip movement she has.  Yes, despite her pretty face Leide reaches a new low in hip movement, as this is as good as she can sit.

Her leg can come off, though.  That's pretty neat, though I would advise that she not go to a concert and throw her leg at the band, LOL.

I guess I shouldn't pick on Leide for not being able to sit well since NONE of my Fashionistas can sit well, and since all Fashionistas have better hip motion than Stardolls (remember that their hips were frozen).  Plus, a doll like this can make a child's imagination run wild.  Since she has no fancy backstory her owner can decide for herself/himself how she lost her leg.  I like to pretend that Leide is an osteosarcoma survivor, but she could just as easily have lost her leg to a car accident or a shark attack or during active military duty, or she could have been born without that leg!  Hey, it happens!  I do think it's a shame that Mattel put this doll in such a frumpy, unstylish outfit though, and that makes me glad that Barbie dolls can wear just about anything they want.

Much love to all,
RagingMoon1987