I never imagined the day would come that dolls would be dressed this way. Utilitarian/survival chic, anyone?

Thanks to the popularity of Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of The Hunger Games trilogy, I think we’re beginning to see a shift in an age-old trend.  Dolls are traditionally pretty, ladylike and delicate things for little girls to play with, the very image of their aspirations (or what they were taught they should be).  I’m not saying we’ve never had female action figures before.  But I think this is different in a sense that there is little fanfare to her presentation.  Frankly, I’m a bit surprised that people seem to have resisted the urge to embellish the costume.  It’s basically Katniss Everdeen in a shapeless jacket and a serviceable pair of pants and hunting boots.  These are her Tribute clothes, which were designed for survival in the arena.  The Katniss doll has her bow and arrows, the mockingjay pin and her hair in its recognizable braid.  And yet, it’s already iconic and garnering a lot of buzz before it’s even released.  And I do actually think it will sell very well, despite appearances (or maybe, inspite of not having Lara Croft proportions). It’s a wonderfully-made doll that’s a pretty accurate rendition.

Just a few minutes ago, I was reading an online discussion in Facebook about the rule change in the Miss Universe pageant. Someone commented, naturally, that these beauty pageants should be banned in general for questionable ideals, objectifying women and teaching them to aspire for the wrong things and such.  Well, I say, we’ve still got a long way to go.  But I think it’s great that a heroine like Katniss–tough, smart, fierce, independent and a highly skilled hunter–should appeal to young girls nowadays.

The Katniss doll looks like the beautiful and talented Jennifer Lawrence (the actress who played her in the movie. She made me an official fan after I saw her in Winter’s Bone).  I have more to say about the film adaptation, but we’ll save that for another post!

Photos from Barbie Collector.

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