Androgynous David Bowie Barbie Released

David Bowie was one of the brave celebrities and performers that first flouted gender norms and inspired many transgender people growing up in the United States and across the world.

He died in 2016 at 69 years old. Over the decades of his career, Bowie was an icon for both transgender and LGBTQ people. He came out in 1972, just five years after Britain decriminalized homosexuality.

Four years later he announced: “It’s true – I am a bisexual.” Then, in 1983, Bowie told Rolling Stone magazine that in fact he was a “closet heterosexual.”

Long before today’s genderfluid icons and inspirations, Bowie was open about his feelings of being locked by having to “be” straight, or LGBTQ, or a man, or having to conform to a definition of gender or sexual orientation.

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To honor the 50th anniversary of the release of David Bowie’s iconic “Space Oddity” track, Mattel is releasing a Barbie-esque doll featuring the genderfluid look of Bowie’s character, Ziggy Stardust.

The doll, which has a hefty price tag for collectors at fifty dollars, comes in the outfit based on Bowie’s iconic 1973 Ziggy Stardust look, featuring a miniature reproduction of a bodysuit by Freddie Burretti, boots by Kansai Yamamoto, black nail polish,  bright red hair and a gold sun disk on Barbie’s forehead.

“In a definitive celebration of two pop culture icons, Barbie honors the ultimate pop chameleon, English singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire,” Mattel said in a statement.

The Bowie doll will only be available in limited quantities, comes with a stand and certificate of authenticity and will also be boxed in a package featuring a collage of photos from the 1970s.

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