Stash: Ballerina

I took ballet, tap, and jazz lessons from ages 3 to 10. I loved it, but gave it up when it came time to go switch to en pointe; that's pretty much when you either dedicate yourself to it (along with stunting your growth and speeding along the aging of your bones) or get out of the game. En pointe was never going to be my style, so I gave up the lessons.

That doesn't mean I love ballet or dance any less. I was so tickled when the first images of this charm started to pop up! Tiny ballerinas are a hallmark image of being a little girl; usually one of the first jewelry boxes you ever own has a spinning ballerina inside. My favorite book series was Angelina Ballerina, I was hopelessly in love with the waltz scene from Sleeping Beauty (pink! blue! pink! blue!), and I did so ever adore the lone pair of lace-up ballet shoes I had for my Barbie. So even if Juicy had wrecked this charm further than they already have, I still would have gotten it.

Now. By wrecking it, I mean they did some weird things with what should be a dainty and porcelain-like figurine. By no means do I hate this charm. I rather like it, a lot! So let's talk about the good things first. Number one, it's tiny. An inch and a half tall, I think. Perfect size for a little bitty dancing queen. Second, I'm really glad that they went with the white coloring instead of traditional ballet pink. It's refreshing and almost lends a snow fairy quality to the charm. Third, I'm definitely down with the large crystals on the front of the skirt. I know it's too chunky and odd to some but I like the contrast and sparkle. Last but not least I think they really hit it out of the park with the shape and design of the arms, torso, and legs. Very slim and airy, just as a classical dancer's should be.

So what isn't so good about this charm? I think the major complaint from most (and myself as well) is that there is no face -- it has been replaced by a round crystal. ?? Why, Juicy, why?! There's all kinds of psychology behind creating a drawing/sculpture and leaving out faces or hands. It's just kind of spooky that there's no face there. Next we have the bizarre-o Turbie Twist thing going on on top of her head. It seriously looks like a wrapped up towel or turban up there. Again.. why?!? Why not just plop a little golden bun on her head and call it a day? Her head dressing leads me to her choice of footwear. It's a sweet touch to put ballet shoes on her but her ankles must have gotten cut off in the transition somewhere because it looks like the ends of her feet were dipped in white paint and left that way. I can't complain too much about this part; I can only imagine how hard it would be to sculpt an accurately shaped foot onto a charm this size. My last issue is that the crystals on the skirt stop midway. Sure, no one is really going to be checking out the back of the charm but continuity is always worth something, is it not? The sudden shift to pleats makes it look a little bit like the crystals either fell off, or someone gave up on the skirt halfway through.

Other than all of THAT, I really do like having this charm! I think a lot of the reasons I outlined will prevent people from buying it -- you can't blame people for disliking a faceless ballerina. It's just creepy! It will also keep her on the shelves longer; I'd say it's safe to put off buying this if you're still debating on it. I have a feeling that even when it does land on eBay it will be selling for less than retail to start with.

Price: 52.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU3429