This is the latest post for an ongoing media project — SoCal Sports History 101: The Prime Numbers from 00 to 99 that Uniformly, Uniquely and Unapologetically Reveal The Narrative of Our Region’s Athletic Heritage. Pick a number and highlight an athlete — person, place or thing — most obviously connected to it by fame and fortune, someone who isn’t so obvious, and then take a deeper dive into the most interesting story tied to it. It’s a combination of star power, achievement, longevity, notoriety, and, above all, what makes that athlete so Southern California. Quirkiness and notoriety factor in. And it should open itself to more discussion and debate — which is what sports is best at doing.
The not-so- obvious choices for No. 59:
= Collin Ashton, USC football
= Lou Ferrigno Jr., USC football
= Mario Celotto, USC football
= George Kase, UCLA football
= Evan Phillips, Los Angeles Dodgers
= Ismail Valdez, Los Angeles Dodgers
= Loek Van Mil, Los Angeles Angels
The most interesting story for No. 59:
=Barbie, pop culture icon (1959 to present)
Southern California map pinpoints:
Hawthorne, El Segundo, Los Angeles
Of all the pretty people, impenetrable places and pretend things to chose from, Barbie pushed herself onto the cover of Sports Illustrated in early 2014.
It figures that the iconic figurine and model citizen created by the then-Hawthorne based Mattel toy company wasn’t depicted as an athlete. This wasn’t the SI Sportsperson of the Year issue.
Yet, jockified Barbie could play the part, and this could have passed as fashionable forward thinking here.
Through the years, Barbie has gone beyond a fancy-dressed glamor symbol. She’s been a volleyball player. And a soccer player. And a softball player. Name the sport — we’re even thinking pickleball — and in many display cases, she’s sporting a No. 59 jersey.
That’s a call back to the year she was created, 1959.
Some of those “59” Barbies also tout off her active lifestyle as part of the “Malibu Collection,” along with genital challenged boyfriend, Ken.
But for this purpose, for this SI cover, this Barbie, a certified Southern California 11 ½-inch titan, was on the Swimsuit issue. Wearing her a classic black-and-white one-piece retro swimsuit.
Legendary photographer Water Ioos, Jr., was also in on the photo shoot.
“She’s like the best model I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “She takes directions almost silently.”
Officially, it was an #unapologetic synergistic “cover wrap” to coincide with the American International Toy Fair, as well as celebrate the 50th anniversary of the magazine. Indeed, Mattel paid SI for the privilege of its platform exposure. And a limited edition SI Barbie doll went on sale to cash in on it all.
All in all, this Barbie/SI co-oped exposure became uncomfortable pearl clutching for some concerned about the image-consciousness messaging to young women.
“Mattel has long contended with complaints that Barbie, with her lithesome figure and focus on fashion, is not a positive role model for girls,” a New York Times story noted. “At the same time, Sports Illustrated is no favorite of some critics who believe that the swimsuit issue objectifies women.”
A Mattel spokesman responded in a story for NBC News: “Barbie has always been a lightning rod for controversy and opinions. Posing in SI gives Barbie and her fellow legends an opportunity to own who they are, celebrate what they have accomplished and show the world it is OK to be capable and captivating.”
That story noted Sports Illustrated claims to have more than 17 million women read its Swimsuit issue, more than most major fashion magazines combined, and sales for items the models wear get a significant boost.
“Barbie sort of has been taken hostage,” said a university marketing professor, “(but) despite her haters and naysayers, she’s comfortable with who she is.”
Continue reading “No. 59: Barbie”
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