There are a lot of issues in this... issue. First, Barbie continues to be sexualized. She's a plastic children's toy, but it's also not far from the image other models who represent on the cover each year, some who have had plastic parts of their own. Instead of Kate Middleton or Tyra Banks, Barbie takes the role of hot cover girl for the limited editions. Second, this is an in-your-face ad campaign. Barbie's appeal has been on a downward slump for quite some time and Mattel has been scrambling to try and boost the doll's image to reignite the interest of its audience. The 2013 holiday sales for Barbie were at their lowest since 2008. Mattel's shares were also down 9.7 percent and sales dropped 6 percent.