Back in August, when Barneys gave us all a sneak peek at its Disney-themed holiday campaign entitled "Electric Holiday," we were a bit taken aback: the preview pics showed Minnie Mouse, Cruella de Vil, Snow White and other favorite childhood characters seriously slimmed down, as if they'd undergone cartoon liposuction.
Girls have enough pressure to be thin, now the beloved Disney mouse of their childhood has to add to the message that the only good body is a tall, size 0 body? Enough already. Let’s give girls a chance to celebrate the actual bodies they have instead hating them for not fitting into a Lanvin dress.
At writing time, the petition had 17,658 signatures. We've reached out to Barneys for comment and will update if we hear back.
In the meantime, check out the images below and read more about the holiday campaign here. Do you think Barneys went too far in updating the Disney characters as they did?
"'Electric Holiday' is a fun and colorful campaign that gave our character artists the creative liberty to do something artistic and completely unique. The elongated poses of Disney characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Cruella de Vil, are dramatically stylized. They’re creative interpretations from a fashion lens, and only appear for a few seconds in this video. Their true form remains as classic as ever in every aspect of the company. A project like “Electric Holiday” is the kind of creative challenge which forces one to stretch the imagination while proceeding with caution. We know we have to be respectful of who these characters are and what they mean to us and to millions of people."
You can read the rest of Disney's explanation for the "Electric Holiday" campaign here.
Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll
See more ad campaigns that got people riled up...
Loading Slideshow
Ryanair
The ASA <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/banned-ryanair-ad_n_1279529.html?1329336365" target="_hplink">banned these Ryanair ads in February 2012</a>, deeming them too "sexually suggestive" to run in newspapers.
Drop Dead clothing line
Banned in November 2011 for<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/10/drop-dead-ads-banned-asa_n_1085903.html" target="_hplink"> showing an "underweight" model</a> and sending an "irresponsible" message.
Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola!
Banned in November 2011 for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/dakota-fanning-perfume-ad-banned-marc-jacobs_n_1083535.html" target="_hplink">its potential to "sexualise a child."</a>
L'Oréal's Revitalift Repair 10
Banned in February 2012, for "misleadingly exaggerated the performance of the product," i.e. smoothing over Rachel Weisz's skin with technology, not makeup.
Marks & Spencer lingerie
Banned in November 2011 for <a href="http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8924873/Marks-and-Spencer-lingerie-advert-banned-for-being-too-sexy.html" target="_hplink">showing ''objectified women''</a> and images that are ''sexually suggestive'' and likely to be seen by children.
Lynx Deodorant
Banned in November 2011 for being <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/26/banned-deodorant-ads-uk-lucy-pinder-lynx_n_1113958.html?1322660080" target="_hplink">"sexually suggestive, indecent, provocative."</a>
Miu Miu Fall 2011
Banned in November 2011 for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/23/hailee-steinfeld-miu-miu-ad-banned_n_1109948.html" target="_hplink">its setting, on a rail road track, being "irresponsible."</a>
Lancome
Banned in July 2011 for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/julia-roberts-loreal-ad-ban_n_910587.html" target="_hplink">"excessive retouching."</a>
Maybelline's The Eraser
Banned in July 2011 for "excessive retouching."
Yves Saint Laurent's Belle D'Opium fragrance
Banned in February 2011 for suggesting <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/ysl-belle-dopium-ad-banne_n_817455.html" target="_hplink">"the injection of opiates into the body."</a>
American Apparel Ads
Some of American Apparel ads (including the one above) were banned by Britain's ASA for gratuitous nudity; a few more were deemed "exploitative" for sexualizing young women.
(American Apparel photo)
Lara Stone for Calvin Klein
In 2012, Lara Stone posed with a group of male models in this Calvin Klein ad. It was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/21/calvin-klein-billboard-ba_n_771559.html" target="_blank">promptly banned by Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau</a> after they found it to be "suggestive of violence and rape."
Bulgari's Julianne Moore Ad
This ad was pulled in Italy in 2011 after the mayor of Venice found it inappropriate.
Rimmel's Mascara Ad
The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/26/why-was-this-georgia-may-_n_788605.html" target="_blank">banned this ad after they declared it misleading</a> because Georgia May Jagger is wearing false eyelashes -- even though there's a small disclaimer at the bottom that says, "show with lash inserts."
Brian Atwood's Madison Avenue Ads
The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/brian-atwood-ads-banned_n_1824162.html" target="_blank">video of this ad was banned from taxis and the print versions were banned</a> from the facade of Atwood's Madison Avenue store after being found to be too racy.
Natalie Portman for Dior
The Advertising Standards Authority<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/natalie-portman-dior-ad-banned-mascara_n_2004837.html" target="_blank"> banned this ad </a>because they felt the ad used excessive "post-production retouching" in order to exaggerate the real effects of the mascara being advertised.
Tom Ford's Gucci Campaign
In 2004, this Tom Ford Gucci ad campaign became controversial as women saw the girl's shaved pubic hair as degrading and wrong.
Rachel Weisz for L'Oreal Paris
This ad was banned after a complaint from Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson who claimed the ad was "misleadingly exaggerated" in that is makes Weisz look far younger than she actually is and presents a bad image for women.
American Apparel Sock Ad
Oh American Apparel, how you love to push the envelope. Here's another one that was banned because the ad is supposed to be promoting socks but it seems more to be exploiting the girl instead.
Taylor Swift for CoverGirl
This Taylor Swift mascara ad was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/20/covergirl-mascara-ad-banned_n_1159957.html" target="_blank">banned by the National Advertising Division of the COuncil of Better Business Bureaus Claims (NAD)</a> after they found the product depiction to be dishonest with it's claims that the mascara will make lashes have "2X more volume" and be "20 percent lighter."
American Apparel Models
Again, American Apparel gets in hot water when they apparently use underage models (girls younger than 16) on their website. Britain's ASA <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/american-apparel-sexy-ads-asa-child-models_n_2243360.html#slide=1805970" target="_blank">accused the store of "sexualizing" underage models. </a>
Back in August, when Barneys gave us all a sneak peek at its Disney-themed holiday campaign entitled "Electric Holiday," we were a bit taken aback: the preview pics showed Minnie Mouse, Cruella de Vil...
Back in August, when Barneys gave us all a sneak peek at its Disney-themed holiday campaign entitled "Electric Holiday," we were a bit taken aback: the preview pics showed Minnie Mouse, Cruella de Vil...
On September 16, just hours after 26-year-old actress Amanda Bynes was stopped by police and cited for driving on a suspended license (her 6th incident...
The Little Mermaid may have gotten plastic surgery lately (in a dubious ad), but some other Disney characters are getting some less invasive makeovers, thanks...
The timeless and enchanting Walt Disney film Cinderella, about a beautiful but unfortunate girl who's rescued by her fairy godmother, is part of many people's...
We've seen Disney princesses imagined as hipsters, and we've seen Disney princesses imagined as real life women. But we've never seen Disney princesses imagined...
Sleeping Beauty isn't the only one with problems between the sheets. If you look closely, a number of Disney characters, with their funny idiosyncrasies and...
I'm an overweight female. I, however, do not find this offensive. It's almost as if you're saying it's NOT ok to be thin. Pick and choose your battles, or people may begin to find your complaints absurd. Something's you've presented via email, I've agreed with. This, in my opinion, is a bit ridiculous, and could be pushing the border on fringing on ones idea of this being a different way of viewing Minnie as a form of "art". Please, rethink this one. No one is trying to reformat Minnie indefinitely.
Jennifer Qualls
cetomamo8: I'm an overweight female. I, however, do not find this
It's not just an artistic freedom of (poor) expression when the characters they use are strongly marketed to children. Perhaps it can be said it is a cheap way to "fashion up" iconic characters for the world, when you take primarily (nowadays) kid's characters & start marketing them like this it is incredibly irresponsible;imprinting an image on a girl's (or even boy's mind - whether their own body or the perceived notion of a female body) mind that this is what is the appropriate body image (especially with comments that the designer dresses won't fit a character the way they look, on top of the anorexic models real or plastic) and it can be a real problem. If the designer's outfits can't accommodate for anything but an elongated stick figure, then perhaps it's time to redesign one's outfits. Furthermore, fashion sketches are not the same as these characters being redesigned and advertised in this way. They look hideous- there's plenty of fan art out there to show that fashion can look good on these cartoon models as they are, not to mention that more real human dimensions look way more appealing than these. Disney is a billion dollar corporation that primarily markets to children, and allowing this shows by approving these images they care far more for the dollar than the child hirself, not that that hasn't been the case for quite some time now. These show too that Disney=High Quality is about as real as high fashion=celebrating positive body
CatrineDeMew: It's not just an artistic freedom of (poor) expression when
For heaven's sake, this is the most ridiculous, pointless and obtuse protest I've ever seen. Seriously, you're protesting a cartoon character? And a decision by a fashion retailer - that's right, fashion - to be a little creative and give Minnie Mouse her dream day on the runway? Seriously folks, you need to get a life. If this makes your blood boil and causes you to go into convulsions over children seeing - *gasp* - Minnie Mouse dream of being a runway model, you really have "issues." I see nothing wrong with this campaign - and kudos to Barney's for coming up with a creative and fun way to promote their fashions. .. The rest of you - and your ridiculous protests - need to go outside, get some fresh air and use your overabundance of free time to rally behind a real issue - such as the country's high unemployment rate, helping homeless people off the street or other issues that actually matter. Geesh.
melody-nyc: For heaven's sake, this is the most ridiculous, pointless and
As an artist and also the mother of a girl who has struggled with body image issues and anorexia since she was 12, I think it is a HUGE mistake to take designer fashion to children's cartoon characters. Although I can appreciate artistic expression, this enters into a new territory. I have seen girls struggle with weight to the point of heart and organ failure. They become obsessed with losing weight and think of it as an answer to all their problems. Minnie Mouse sends the affliction of weight issues to girls too young to resist the message. The Denver Children's Hospital has a special unit for Eating Disorders that is a good resource and has been in existance for 20 years. They would be disheartened to see a skinny minnie mouse.
dawn_patrol: As an artist and also the mother of a girl
Has anyone ever a designer sketch? They draw the basic face and an extremely thin body that's basically meant to focus on the design of the clothes. I don't see any difference between that and this.
Ishik: Has anyone ever a designer sketch? They draw the basic
The difference is that those are sketches meant to guide the designer, and these are meant for kids.
Advertising is often about selling a product by convincing the consumer that they're lacking in some way. When you combine the “You'd be good enough/liked more if you just do X” with the frankly pointlessly unrealistic body images in toys and entertainment marketed to girls, you end up with a lot of girls who are convinced that their perfectly normal bodies aren't satisfactory because of these messages that have become white noise in our society.
I understand where you're coming from with the point about designers sketches, and I see where it can be said that it's just this one, temporary interpretation of the characters; not a huge deal. But this seems to be a “cumulative effect” problem, where it's so prevalent that things stop being one instance and instead become part of an avalanche. Because we know, without doubt, that children and teens are struggling with serious body image disorders; a very sizable amount of them. And it's been repeatedly tied to the constant defining of beauty as something that really isn't physically attainable by most girls/women along with the never ending implication that if you aren't beautiful than you're nothing.
I'm sorry if it seems stifling to businesses, but they've been reaping the profits from this type of marketing for a long time; now it's time for all of us to acknowledge the problem and make some changes.
poly105619: The difference is that those are sketches meant to guide
I am not sure that these sketches are targeted at kids. I personally thought these sketches were targeted at adults and push us to take a second look at our favorite children characters.
I personally think its time that we change what we teach our kids. We need to teach them to accept themselves and their flaws. It is not wrong to strive to be as perfect as possible. It's time parents teach the kids that dieting and exercising isn't wrong and unfortunately sometimes no matter what you can't look like someone else, but point out that they can be something that those models are not like being a doctor or an engineer. The problem with today's youth and its a problem that's showing in both sexes is that parents tell the kids that they are the most beautiful and everything, and they rarely tell their kids to strive for intelligence.
Ishik: I am not sure that these sketches are targeted at
I have 2 daughters, so the issues with body image - I get it. But I'm also an artist and this petition has crossed the line into a frivolous and dangerously compromising position when it comes to artistic interpretation, aka First Amendment. To suggest that this interpretation of Minnie Mouse is harmful to a young girl's psyche is FAR reaching. It is a CARTOON and a temporary character study, not merchandise being marketed to children or being forced down their throats in the form of magazines, television ads, or cereal boxes. The Walt Disney company hasn't recreated this character in all mediums on a permanent basis, in which case would be more reconcilable to the possibility that it could have this cause and effect. (Why not petition Mattel, makers of Barbie, whose proportions are not attainable to a human woman without extensive plastic surgery, which millions of little girls spend hours playing with everyday?) Yes, young girls struggle with body image issues.There needs to be a whole lot of change. But this petition has gone down the wrong avenue. What is next? Petitioning Botero to stop creating masterpieces of obese people because it is offensive to the overweight?
JouxJoux: I have 2 daughters, so the issues with body image
...What kind of a mixed message is this?! You get angry about the intolerance shown towards heavy-weight people and are afraid that kids won't feel comfortable, so in turn you show intolerance to the creativity of the artists who designed it and hope that they won't feel comfortable with their work? Does it look ridiculous? Sure. Do I like it? No. Do I want to see more of it? Definitely not. But am I going to tell a bunch of people what they can or can not put into place? Not a chance. Some artist made a very big error, but that's all. And in my opinion, this poll/petition sends a worse image...That if you don't like something or someone, you can force them to shut up/change. How's that for a message to the children? You don't like someone, so they must change, rather than learn to be comfortable with yourselves? In fact, I've never even heard of or seen "Barney's" until this petition was brought up. In fact, as I actually read the article, Minnie HAPPILY reverts back to her old self, as it was merely a dream sequence caused by a Paris Fashion poster, where they DO proceed to do things like this, plus it only lasts for a few seconds. You need to read the article, that they prefer to keep Minnie as is, that it was just a creativity exercise.There's nothing wrong with that.
MercenaryCobra1: ...What kind of a mixed message is this?! You get
I'm all for artistic license, but this is a little much. they didn't have to be THAT skinny. props to the illustrators; high fashion on disney characters doesn't sound that easy...
FashionsFist: I'm all for artistic license, but this is a little
They don't even look like the Disney characters. They've taken the character's heads and stuck them on slightly human looking stick figures. It's not hard to see the double standard of female bodies having to be toothpick-like and male bodies having dimension. Goofy's leg is 50 times bigger than Minnie's. I don't even get why adults would want to associate whatever chic clothing line with Disney characters anyway.. Totally confused.
17imnotreallyhere: They don't even look like the Disney characters. They've taken
As a mother, who had a child with a serious eating disorder, I am shocked that Disney and Barneys would release dolls of cartoon characters that make super skinny, unhealthy bodies look desirable! It is nothing to laugh at! It can be a lifelong struggle. Some people, such as Karen Carpenter, actually die from it. Walt Disney would turn over in his grave if he ever saw these disgusting toys! Please pull and destroy them before they are released.
SandiM: As a mother, who had a child with a serious
Loading comments… 
The Huffington Post | By Ellie Krupnick & Jessica Misener Posted: 10/12/2012 1:38 pm Updated: 10/14/2012 5:30 pm