Behind the Scenes - Jane Bingham

Jane Bingham - Adminstrator - Founder of the Facebook page Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made

I am a married mother of 4. My children's ages are 22, 17, 16 and 9. My daughter being my youngest. I live in New Jersey and am a photographer and digital artist. 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, which is a white blood cancer that spreads through the lymph system. I have had many rounds of immunotherapy to treat the cancer. Immunotherapy began to stop working very good, so in the Spring of 2011 I began chemotherapy where I first experienced hair loss due to cancer treatment.

Seeing my long blonde hair come out in clumps in my hand was traumatizing to me. No matter how much you prepare for it, it is still shocking when it actually happens. That day, in tears, I called my sister-in-law who is a hair stylist and my good friend Tammy. They came over and we made a party of shaving my head. Tammy had hers shaved with me and my 2 teenage sons had their hair shaved into Mohawks for Mom. In their words "so you wont be the only one being stared at". I had a wonderful support group!

I learned how to wrap my head in scarves. I went wig shopping and bought 4 wigs. I bought a bunch of cute hats....I found out I do not like wearing wigs, they are hot and itchy especially in the summer. I found I only liked one or two favorite hats and I found I liked wearing scarves the best. My daughter, age 9, had some emotional struggle with seeing her mom lose her hair. She would try to copy me and wear scarves on her head too. I only went out once without anything on my head during that time.

My chemo regimine ended in October. By mid December I had almost an inch of hair back and was going without hats or scarves again. Then, I shaved off my 1 inch of hair I had grown in on January 18th in support of all the children and women in support of the Beautiful and Bald Barbie movement. This time when I shaved my head, I did it with boldness and without tears. I went on TV the next day for a live interview with my head uncovered to make a statement that women and children should not have to hide their bald heads. They should not have to feel embarrassed or ashamed or worry about people's reactions. It felt great and I show off my bald head proudly now! Because I know I am not alone and I know there are children and women that I am standing for, standing with together.

How Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made Facebook page came to be...

I read an article about a little girl named Genesis who had received a one of a kind bald Barbie from Mattel because she was going through chemo treatments and didn't feel she could be a princess anymore without hair. I thought how wonderful it was that Mattel did that for her. I later found out they had made another one specialized for the little girl of the woman who tried so hard to get Mattel to make the bald Barbie for Genesis. I expressed on Facebook how great it would be if Mattel would make more. Someone suggested I make a facebook page to build support for such a doll to be made. So this facebook page was created.

That same day, my friend Beckie from the opposite side of America said she wanted to help me with the page. Beckie's daughter and I both were bald last summer, as her daughter Kinley was under going treatment for Luekemia. Beckie and I have known eachother for 10 years but as of today, have never met in person. We met in an AOL pregnancy chatroom when I was pregnant with my daughter. A few days later my friend Wendy, who is a member in the Cancer Chicks support group I run on facebook, said she would like to help us too. So she joined the administration. We learned that other pages similar to ours had started up around the same time as ours did. Alyse had one of those pages. We asked her if she would like to join forces and come on board at our page which she did and has been putting all her effort into the administration here. Then, Beth found our page. Beth was the woman who managed to get Mattel to make the one of a kind bald Pricess Barbie for Genesis and in the same time, unexpected to Beth, Mattel also made one for her daughter Sadie who was also being treated for cancer.  I was so excited to ask Beth to join the administration of the page with us.

What Jane has been involved with....

I have taken part of different fund raisers and support groups over the years. In 2008 I found that a few of my female photographer friends also had cancer. My friend Chris and I started a Facebook support group called Cancer Chicks, for women only who have had or have cancer...active or in remission. Our small group has been a sounding board and a shoulder for each of us.

In 2010, Chris passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. I wanted to find a way to honor her memory so I went in search of an organization that I could do a fundraiser in her honor. I found an organization that impressed me so much that I wanted to build our own fund raiser through them in honor of my friend Chris. That organization is The Gateway for Cancer Research DemandCuresToday.org where 99 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to cancer research. Where you can choose in what fund your donation goes into ie. pediatric cancer research fund, blood cancer research, colon cancer research, etc...You choose where your money goes into research.

I wanted to come up with a creative and different way to raise money. So my family did a Pink Hair Dare. If we raised $500 I would dye my hair pink. If we raised $1,000 my teenage son Seth would dye his hair pink. If we raised $2,000 my husband would dye his hair pink. Ultimately we raised over $2,500 for cancer research and went about our live for a month with pink hair.

I have continuously been impressed with The gateway for cancer Research. They issued a publication stating their support for a bald Barbie being produced. You can read their support for this here. http://www.demandcurestoday.org/node/16184 . I look forward to continuing work with The Gateway in helping raise funds and awareness for the need of cancer research. To find less toxic treatments and ultimately cures.

You don't have to wait for someone else to create a fundraiser for cancer research. You can do one yourself. Be creative, make it fun, make it challenging, Make it memorable!
http://www.demandcurestoday.org/

Open Letter to CEO of Mattel Bryan Stockton

Dear Mr. Bryan Stockton - CEO of Mattel, Inc.,

I want to express to you why I believe Mattel should make and sell a beautiful and bald Barbie.

1. Barbie is the fashion and beauty icon of the toy industry. She could rock the bald look and thrill children and women all over the world who also rock the bald look.
2. Barbie would be supporting  children and women who lose their hair from chemotherapy. 
3. Barbie would be supporting children and women who have hair loss due to Alopecia.
4. Barbie would be supporting children and women who have hair loss due to Trichotillomania.
5. barbie would be supporting those children who have a loved one who has hair loss due to any of those causes.
6. Barbie would be showing that you can be beautiful and bald by choice as a fashion statement.
7. Barbie  would be setting a good role model that you can be different, and be perfectly YOU, with or without hair.
8. Barbie and Mattel, Inc. could raise awareness for any or all of the above causes of hair loss in children and women.
9. Barbie and Mattel, Inc. could hopefully help raise money for underfunded childhood cancer research to help search for a cure and/or better, less toxic treatments for pediatric cancer.
10.  Barbie and Mattel, Inc. could improve their image by making a beautiful and bald Barbie.
11. Barbie and Mattel, Inc could show the world that they listen to what they want to see from Mattel and the Barbie brand. 
12. Mattel would be tapping into a market niche that has not previously been tapped into increasing their own sales and profitability.
13. Mattel, Inc. and the barbie brand would be helping change how the world sees beauty and acceptance of individuality among women and children.
14. This would be a fun product for girls with or without hair to play and interact with, if she came with head wear accessories such as wigs, scarves and bandannas. What Barbie girl doesn't love to accessorize!

You have a unique opportunity here to make a positive difference in the world and improving the Barbie image all while producing a profitable product. Barbie reaches all over the world and you have heard and seen the support across the planet in support of a beautiful and bald Barbie. Please take note that we have over 140,000 supporters from around the world on our Facebook page which was started little over a month ago and over 25,000 people have signed the petition that was started only about 1 week ago.Will you take this opportunity? 

I  would love to hear back from you directly about whether or not you are considering this opportunity.

Jane Bingham

JaneBingham@gmail.com

BaldBarbie@gmail.com

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie

Change.org petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/mattel-inc-please-make-a-beautiful-and-bald-barbie

Jane Bingham's response to the ACS

The American Cancer Society had these things to say in the media blog about the possibility of a bald Barbie...


"In a world already littered with cancer totems such as rubber bracelets and pink everything (a limited number of which are from ACS initiatives) , do we need one more thing whose function is to “raise awareness” about cancer?"


"Childhood cancer is exceedingly rare. I would also argue that cancer is rare among the age group of women likely to have daughters young enough to play with Barbies."


" If they are mass marketed, many of these dolls will end up in the hands of girls who luckily aren’t likely to be touched by cancer in themselves or their mothers. But could they end up being terrorized by the prospect of it in a far outsized proportion to their realistic chances? There is no reason to create this sort of fear. It’s why we don’t see advocates calling for lightning strike dolls."


you can  read all for yourself here.

My personal comment in response that I posted from their media relations team of the American Cancer Society...

As one of the administrators of the Facebook pagehttp://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie, as a woman with cancer, as a woman who has friends that have children with cancer, as a woman who has an 11 year old neighbor with Alopceia, as a woman who is part of a Relay for Life team to raise money for the American Cancer Society, with the kids from Clearview High School, team called Mohawks for Mom, the kids are shaving their heads into Mohawks…. (I am that Mom)…I am so very disappointed in the American cancer Society. Dare I say even almost ashamed to participate in the Relay for Life now. I will still participate and help raise money for the American Cancer Society in the upcoming Relay for Life, but I will be doing it with a sad heart towards the ACS and I doubt I will be doing another Relay for Life after this, my efforts will go to other cancer organizations that are not so heartless as to the children with cancer.

Jane Bingham
Beautiful and Bald Barbie

And to go further with my own personal reaction to Andrew Becker's press release blog post....

Really Mr. Becker? Are our donation dollars paying your salary? Is this where our donation dollars go? Mr. Becker should be fired for his disgusting media post. Is he is really speaking for the whole American Cancer Society organization? If he is, then they should all be fired. How much of  your donation to the ACS goes to childhood cancer? a half of 1 cent of every dollar...American cancer Society, shame on you for these views! SHAME ON YOU!


You can read about and join the support for a Beautiful and Bald barbie to be made on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie

and you can sign the Petition to Mattel. http://www.change.org/petitions/mattel-inc-please-make-a-beautiful-and-bald-barbie

Open Letter Beautiful and Bald Barbie - Bald and Brave GI Joe

Hello,

We are part of the growing force behind the Beautiful and Bald Barbie Movement and our "brother" movement Bald and Brave GI Joe that are spreading worldwide. Our facebook page has over 6,000 supporters from around the world. We would like to see a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia and Trichotillomania. Also for you girls who are having trouble dealing with their mother's hair loss from chemotherapy.Many children have trouble coping with their mother, grandmother, sister, aunt or friend going from long haired to bald. We would love and are requesting that a portion of the proceeds from sales of this doll go to a reputable childhood cancer treatment and/or research facility.

Since starting the Beautiful and Bald Barbie movement we have heard an out pouring of requests to see a bald male action figure/doll made as well. Since boys usually do not play with Ken dolls we decided a Bald and Brave GI Joe made to help bring awareness to young boy cancer warriors, boys with Alopecia and Trichotillomania. It is currently a cool trend for men to shave their heads bald but for young boys it is not a trend. Boys who suffer from hair loss due to Alopecia, cancer treatments and Trichotillomania are often stared at and misunderstood. Most are assumed to have cancer when many are actually dealing with Alopecia or Trich.

We would like to see a strong figure for young boys to relate to during play that has no hair, like them. Showing them that they can be Brave, Strong and Bald even though they are young boys dealing with one of these conditions. With a new GI Joe movie being made, it is rumored that Channing tatum who is playing the role of GI Joe will have a shaved head for the role. What a wonderful thing it would be if the new GI Joe action figures that are sure to come out in relation to the movie be bald and include awareness information on the back of the packaging box about the three different causes of baldness in childhood.

We are asking Hasbro to donate a portion of proceeds of their sales of this doll to either a childhood cancer research/treatment facility or to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Would you please consider standing behind this movement with us?

Sincerely,
Jane Bingham
janebingham@gmail.com
baldbarbie@gmail.com

and the rest of the administrators of

http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie
and
http://www.facebook.com/BaldAndBraveGIJoe

Calling Doll Makers!

My friends and I have been on a quest to see a beautiful and bald "barbie" type doll to be made available for sale. She could have accessories such as scarves, headbands, fun hats and wigs. This would benefit children dealing with hair loss in many walks of life...children losing their hair from cancer treatments like chemo, children who have Alopecia, children with Trichotillomania.
Also, children dealing with a mother, or grandmother, or aunt, or sister, or a friend who is going through hair loss due to chemo treatment for cancer, what a great coping toy this would be for them.
Increase your normal profit margin by a small amount so that you can donate a portion of the proceeds to a childhood cancer treatment/research facility and it is a win/win situation. Your company looks fabulous and is caring and giving, while so many children are helped in so many ways.
Many people are not aware of how many children are diagnosed with cancer each year. The awareness ribbon color for childhood cancer is gold, not pink as so many people misunderstand. 
Awareness and doing what we can to help. What can you do to help? Contact janebingham@gmail.com if you can help. Here is a prototype I came up with for a bald princess doll.

 She is dressed in gold for childhood cancer awareness. She could have blue trim in honor of Alopecia awareness. On the back of the box there could be information about statistic of of Pediatric Cancer, Alopecia and Trichotillomania and how and where to get help or give help. 

What can you do to help? If nothing else, join the support on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie