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Bald Barbie: Where bald is beautiful on Facebook

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There's a strong sense of community growing each day on the Facebook page "Beautiful and Bald Barbie!"

The page has become a place where people are sharing their cancer experiences with each other through pictures and comments in hopes that a Bald Barbie is created.

The page was introduced on December 20, 2011. In 30 days, the page has had more than 137,397 Facebook "likes" and the number is increasing each day.

Jane Bingham created the page when she read about a bald Barbie doll created by Mattel for a little girl with cancer.

Bingham herself is battling lymphoma cancer and thought that it would be a great idea to have a Bald Barbie doll mass produced for other little girls affected by cancer.

Beckie Sypin is also one of the page owners of Beautiful and Bald Barbie and a friend of Bingham.

"I joined immediately after she created the page because I thought it was a wonderful idea," Sypin said. 

Sypin understands the fight with cancer, as her 12-year-old daughter is also battling leukemia. The Beautiful and Bald Barbie that is being petitioned would be a coping mechanism for little girls who are suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatment, Alopecia or Trichotillomania as well.

Hair loss of a loved one can be hard to envision for someone whose always seen mommy or grandma with beautiful long hair.

"My daughter had some difficulty accepting me going from a long haired blond to a bald woman," writes Bingham in her blog.

Having a Bald Barbie would help children understand that cancer has its affects but does not change the beauty of the person, she said. The doll would include a set of wigs, hats, bandanas and scarves to dress up the doll.

In January, Bingham started a petition to try to get Mattel to mass produce the Bald Barbie doll. As of Jan. 17, she had 21,711 signatures. Bingham is also working on a Petition for a bald G.I Joe doll for boys undergoing hair loss as well.

"The biggest way for people to get involved is by signing our petition and sharing our page and petition with their friends," Sypin said. Sypin and Bingham also plan to start organizing community events in the near future to raise public awareness.

If you are interested in getting involved and signing the petitions, the links can be found at facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie.

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