Gabby Gets a Barbie

[GymDad9.9]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...by-Douglas-gets-Barbie-doll-brand-s-line.html

Let the Flames Begin!

 

[ayyyrial]

The doll looks terrifying! I'm happy for her, though, and for all the kids who will be very excited to buy it.

 

[agtc0424]

happy for her... But don't all barbies have legs that can do a split? Or almost split? I could be wrong but that's what I thought I remembered

 

[MILgymFAM]

There has to be a way to make the joints a bit less creepy.

 

[GymDad9.9]

There has to be a way to make the joints a bit less creepy.

Isn't that what gymnasts joints look like after a dozen years of non-stop training?!

 

[l.c.o]

My DD hasn't played with Barbies in ages, but wants one to display. I think it's kinda near, but wish they made them of all of the girls.

 

[B.Gold]

I wanted to hate it but I actually think it's adorable.

 

[Flyaway]

She's got to keep the money coming in somehow. [emoji41]

 

[mom2newgymnast]

I think it's cute. I am sure my dd will want one if she sees or hears about it. She, and most of her teammates, love Gabby. She's not my favorite gymnast, but I do think she is still really popular with the younger crowd.

 

[duyetanh]

SIGH................

 

[wandrewsjr]

She's got to keep the money coming in somehow.

Please ignore if I am reading your intent incorrectly, but is there something wrong with a 20 year old woman who must support herself financially finding ways to do that? I am a little confused.

 

[Flyaway]

Please ignore if I am reading your intent incorrectly, but is there something wrong with a 20 year old woman who must support herself financially finding ways to do that? I am a little confused.

Nope. Didn't say there was anything wrong with it. She's made choices about how to capitalize on her fame that I would not encourage my young adult child to make, but they aren't wrong, just different.

Fame and the spoils of fame (i.e., big houses in LA) are hard to support and sustain as the years go on, so it does not surprise me in the least to see a doll hit the market as an additional method of earning income. I think it makes me a little sad. She's a brilliant athlete. I'd love to see her support herself in other ways than just "being famous", which is how I would categorize a doll. Fame gets tricky and it's not really real anyway. But it's her choice, not mine. Lord knows that few famous people feel the way I do.

For the record I feel this way about all well known athletes, musicians, actors, etc, not just Gabby. Be more than just famous.

Ps. I'll own the snarky tone in my previous post. It's not really my style, but it snuck in there. [emoji6]

 

[txgymfan]

Nope. Didn't say there was anything wrong with it. She's made choices about how to capitalize on her fame that I would not encourage my young adult child to make, but they aren't wrong, just different.

For the record I feel this way about all well known athletes, musicians, actors, etc, not just Gabby. Be more than just famous.

. [emoji6]

Personally, I think there is a BIG difference between being "just famous", having a reality show versus being a musician, an actor or even a host/speaker/commentator like lots of other former athletes.

There is also a difference between expecting a 20 year old to support her mother and siblings and being a 20 something supporting herself in the arts or capitalizing on athletic success and visibility and using it to build a career.

 

[Seeker]

Personally, I think there is a BIG difference between being "just famous", having a reality show versus being a musician, an actor or even a host/speaker/commentator like lots of other former athletes.

There is also a difference between expecting a 20 year old to support her mother and siblings and being a 20 something supporting herself in the arts or capitalizing on athletic success and visibility and using it to build a career.

....and that is a huge problem. It seems that her family has put her a very unenviable position. My guess would be that it's likely a huge source of the stress and seeming unhappiness she has shown during the last several meets. None of that (or her selection) is her fault. I hope she's able to focus better without all the "noise" of her daily life.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Nope. Didn't say there was anything wrong with it. She's made choices about how to capitalize on her fame that I would not encourage my young adult child to make, but they aren't wrong, just different.

Fame and the spoils of fame (i.e., big houses in LA) are hard to support and sustain as the years go on, so it does not surprise me in the least to see a doll hit the market as an additional method of earning income. I think it makes me a little sad. She's a brilliant athlete. I'd love to see her support herself in other ways than just "being famous", which is how I would categorize a doll. Fame gets tricky and it's not really real anyway. But it's her choice, not mine. Lord knows that few famous people feel the way I do.

For the record I feel this way about all well known athletes, musicians, actors, etc, not just Gabby. Be more than just famous.

Ps. I'll own the snarky tone in my previous post. It's not really my style, but it snuck in there. [emoji6]

Elite level athletes already have a full time job that not only doesn't pay anything, it actually costs them money. If they don't have the luxury of a having a family to support them, they must find a way to support themselves. Endorsing products is an excellent way for them to bring in income while still leaving time for training.

I guess I wouldn't describe it as being just famous, but capitalizing on the fame that has come from the years of dedication and hard work that led to athletic success.

What ways outside of endorsing products would you love to see these athletes support themselves?

 

[Flyaway]

What ways outside of endorsing products would you love to see these athletes support themselves?

It's a fair question and to be honest, I don't fully know. I tend to recoil from self-promotion and find fame to be generally distasteful. It's got to be exhausting to constantly have to "put yourself out there" in order to keep the money coming in. But it's almost always a choice to continue down that road. She didn't HAVE to buy that huge house, or even move to LA at all. Those choices are necessitating things like this doll now.

I really don't have answers. I just know it isn't a life I would choose for my child, even if she were to become an Olympic gold medalist.

Again, I'm not just picking on Gabby. I'm finding Aly's promotion of her new sock line tiresome as well. And nearly every post Nastia puts on social media is her dressed up like a doll for some event. I get it, they've got to make money somehow. I just find the self-promotion method a bit beneath them. They are all amazing women. They don't need dolls or socks to prove that.

Honestly, I think I'm just showing my age. I acknowledge I can be an old fart when it comes to social media and the new era of fame. [emoji12]

 

[txgymfan]

If it's any comfort. Only a few Olympians each era make the choice to pursue a public life and less than that are successful. From the Mag 7, one is a pediatrician, two own gyms, one works in government. From the 08 team, 2 just graduated college, 2 are very public, one is coaching and a mom. So most Olympians don't make make the transition to celebrity.

 

[duyetanh]

If it's any comfort. Only a few Olympians each era make the choice to pursue a public life and less than that are successful. From the Mag 7, one is a pediatrician, two own gyms, one works in government. From the 08 team, 2 just graduated college, 2 are very public, one is coaching and a mom. So most Olympians don't make make the transition to celebrity.

I LOVED Amy Chows response in Sports Illustrated (yes, I still subscribw to mags, old school sports junkie here!) when the reporters asked her what she would do with her life if she didn't make the Olympic team. She looked at them quizzically, and said, "Um...I'm going to Stanford in the fall...."
Wake up people.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

My daughter has played with dolls I think twice. She has gotten 3 Barbies in her life, the first when she was 3. At which point she declared, "No, Momma I don't like this."

That said, I would rather my kid play with an Olympic gold medal athlete of color doll, then a princess doll.

So bravo, a doll of color, who is fashioned after someone who has worked hard, is fierce and can fly. An actual role model and not a princess waiting to be rescued.

 

[wandrewsjr]

I LOVED Amy Chows response in Sports Illustrated (yes, I still subscribw to mags, old school sports junkie here!) when the reporters asked her what she would do with her life if she didn't make the Olympic team. She looked at them quizzically, and said, "Um...I'm going to Stanford in the fall...."
Wake up people.

Congrats to Amy Chow, just getting in to Standford(let alone finishing medical school) is a huge accomplishment. But college isn't for everyone. Owning a gym isn't for everyone. Coaching isn't for everyone. Sales is a perfectly respectable profession(at least in my book). I would consider sports celebrities who use the fame they achieved from athletic success to be salespeople for the products they endorse. Perfectly acceptable fall back career after sports career is over.