Retro Barbie Thigh Tattoos

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I’m totally loving Trashalicious‘s wonderful Barbie thigh tattoos (continue after the break for a larger photo as well). They were done by Heather Robinson, at Fenix Tattoo in Seattle, and she explains that they’re modeled after her mother’s own retro-Barbie, and dedicated to her doll-collecting grandma, “as a way to beautify part of my body that I hate, in part, thanks to Barbie and her impossible figure.”

See more in “Pinup Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

PS. Did you say Barbie?

78 thoughts on “Retro Barbie Thigh Tattoos”

  1. what an awesome idea for a tattoo, and i really dont see why she hates her legs :s, they’re lovely :).

  2. what an awesome idea for a tattoo, and i really dont see why she hates her legs :s, they’re lovely :).

  7. That’s so awesome. I was going to get the Barbie logo on the back of my neck (like the actual doll) but I decided against it….or have I?

  8. That’s so awesome. I was going to get the Barbie logo on the back of my neck (like the actual doll) but I decided against it….or have I?

  35. Nny–if Barbie was a real woman, her ankles would break and she would topple over from the weight of her breasts.

    I’m loving the lack of outlines!

  36. Nny–if Barbie was a real woman, her ankles would break and she would topple over from the weight of her breasts.

    I’m loving the lack of outlines!

  37. Barbie definitely has an impossible figure.

    Maybe I’m just a body-loving feminist, but I feel her reasoning behind the tattoo is a little unnerving. I don’t find barbie beautiful, and our culture NEEDS to separate our bodily ideals away from the impossible.

    “Beauty must be defined as what we are or else the concept itself is our enemy”

  38. Barbie definitely has an impossible figure.

    Maybe I’m just a body-loving feminist, but I feel her reasoning behind the tattoo is a little unnerving. I don’t find barbie beautiful, and our culture NEEDS to separate our bodily ideals away from the impossible.

    “Beauty must be defined as what we are or else the concept itself is our enemy”

  39. “I feel her reasoning behind the tattoo is a little unnerving”
    “Beauty must be defined as what we are or else the concept itself is our enemy”

    It’s her reason what’s wrong with that?

    And why something so personal as beauty _must_ be defined as you think it should? I mean, I don’t understand why she doesn’t like her legs and it might me related to a certain way of thinking about beauty but why should one be obliged to think in a certain way? Also, if beauty is what we are why do people (should I say we?) modify? I do it for the experience and…well, to look better! I guess I am not alone…

  40. “I feel her reasoning behind the tattoo is a little unnerving”
    “Beauty must be defined as what we are or else the concept itself is our enemy”

    It’s her reason what’s wrong with that?

    And why something so personal as beauty _must_ be defined as you think it should? I mean, I don’t understand why she doesn’t like her legs and it might me related to a certain way of thinking about beauty but why should one be obliged to think in a certain way? Also, if beauty is what we are why do people (should I say we?) modify? I do it for the experience and…well, to look better! I guess I am not alone…

  41. Let me rephrase: Personally, that reason wouldn’t cut it for what I put on my body, but I can respect that that is her reasoning and her body. And that’s totally fine. (Plus, they ARE very well done and I quite like the linear design matching with her legs; so i definitely can respect her tattoo in itself)

    Personally, I modify because it IS part of who I am. Whether my piercings and tattoos existed previously or not, it is who and what I am, despite them not coming directly from the womb. I suppose this thinking could be applied to any idea (ie ‘but a skinny person is who I AM and what I am SUPPOSED to look like).
    I guess it’s all relevant, truly. However, because of my personal preference, I wish our culture didn’t idolize figures such as barbies– after all, look at the mess we’ve gotten into with eating disorders. I have overcome anorexia after three years struggling with it, and I’ve realized how our culture can be such a toxic force. Unnaturalness shouldn’t be something we strive for (thankfully, I don’t think that was the point of her tattoos).

    I am really sorry that my words were a bit too concise to truly get at what I meant; what I previously said was just my take on beauty and my personal mantra towards our cultural ideals.

  42. Let me rephrase: Personally, that reason wouldn’t cut it for what I put on my body, but I can respect that that is her reasoning and her body. And that’s totally fine. (Plus, they ARE very well done and I quite like the linear design matching with her legs; so i definitely can respect her tattoo in itself)

    Personally, I modify because it IS part of who I am. Whether my piercings and tattoos existed previously or not, it is who and what I am, despite them not coming directly from the womb. I suppose this thinking could be applied to any idea (ie ‘but a skinny person is who I AM and what I am SUPPOSED to look like).
    I guess it’s all relevant, truly. However, because of my personal preference, I wish our culture didn’t idolize figures such as barbies– after all, look at the mess we’ve gotten into with eating disorders. I have overcome anorexia after three years struggling with it, and I’ve realized how our culture can be such a toxic force. Unnaturalness shouldn’t be something we strive for (thankfully, I don’t think that was the point of her tattoos).

    I am really sorry that my words were a bit too concise to truly get at what I meant; what I previously said was just my take on beauty and my personal mantra towards our cultural ideals.

  43. Geez I knew there would be a whole barbie arguement starting over this.

    I like the tattoos, I think they’re nicely done, and a cute idea.

  44. Geez I knew there would be a whole barbie arguement starting over this.

    I like the tattoos, I think they’re nicely done, and a cute idea.

  47. Lauren – I understand what you’re saying, but I think you may be letting your politics cause you to misread her motivations…

  48. Lauren – I understand what you’re saying, but I think you may be letting your politics cause you to misread her motivations…

  49. thank you for the compliments, everyone! living in seattle it’s a shame that the weather is rarely warm enough to actually show these off in public. the top picture was taken in las vegas, and the amount of people who stopped me at the pool to ask about the tattoos was surprising.

    and lauren, i think you are misinterpreting it because they essentially are body-loving feminist tattoos, just in kind of a non-obvious way. they are the opposite of idolizing barbie, and are my way of outwardly declaring that my beauty standards are based on tattoos and other personal stuff, not super long legs and a teeny tiny waist.

  50. thank you for the compliments, everyone! living in seattle it’s a shame that the weather is rarely warm enough to actually show these off in public. the top picture was taken in las vegas, and the amount of people who stopped me at the pool to ask about the tattoos was surprising.

    and lauren, i think you are misinterpreting it because they essentially are body-loving feminist tattoos, just in kind of a non-obvious way. they are the opposite of idolizing barbie, and are my way of outwardly declaring that my beauty standards are based on tattoos and other personal stuff, not super long legs and a teeny tiny waist.

  55. Thank you for clearing that up for me! I was thrown off by the information shannon gave, so my bad.

    Again, they’re gorgeous tats.

  56. Thank you for clearing that up for me! I was thrown off by the information shannon gave, so my bad.

    Again, they’re gorgeous tats.

  57. #18 – along those same lines, if Barbie were life sized, she’d be over seven feet tall.

  58. #18 – along those same lines, if Barbie were life sized, she’d be over seven feet tall.

  59. I LOVE these.. I actually have this barbie and outfit at home because my mom saved her old dolls. I did however like them better before they were acused of not being “body loving feminist tattoos” and then suddenly being “body loving feminist tattoos” why do feminists push their agenda on everyone?!!?

  60. I LOVE these.. I actually have this barbie and outfit at home because my mom saved her old dolls. I did however like them better before they were acused of not being “body loving feminist tattoos” and then suddenly being “body loving feminist tattoos” why do feminists push their agenda on everyone?!!?

  61. @ 30, whether you like it or not, almost everything we do and say has political significance. Feminists who speak out on particular issues demonstrate that we have a choice in the images we reproduce, the gender roles we perpetuate, and so on. Their message just puts your own implicit views into perspective. Welcome to society, people disagree.

  62. @ 30, whether you like it or not, almost everything we do and say has political significance. Feminists who speak out on particular issues demonstrate that we have a choice in the images we reproduce, the gender roles we perpetuate, and so on. Their message just puts your own implicit views into perspective. Welcome to society, people disagree.

  69. Aside from the length of the neck – which probably has more to do with manufacturing than design – I think Retro-Barbie is achieveable

  70. Aside from the length of the neck – which probably has more to do with manufacturing than design – I think Retro-Barbie is achieveable

  75. #35, it may be achievable but I doubt it would be easy, healthy or attractive for a real woman. I’d rather have T&A and nice healthily fleshy bits to be quite honest with you, and I’d rather my girlfriends did too. 🙂

  76. #35, it may be achievable but I doubt it would be easy, healthy or attractive for a real woman. I’d rather have T&A and nice healthily fleshy bits to be quite honest with you, and I’d rather my girlfriends did too. 🙂

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