Reel Urban News Exclusive

Since its introduction in 1959, many girls have been stigmatized by the unrealistic body image presented by Mattel’s Barbie doll. Singer-songwriter Andrew Cheairs, Jr. thought he saw evidence of the doll’s effect on his wife Chandra Cheairs ; it inspired his new single “No Barbie Doll.”

“It was about 18 years ago when I wrote the song,” Cheairs tells Reel Urban News. “My inspiration for writing ‘No Barbie Doll’ was when my first daughter was born; she was born with severe complications. I almost lost her and my wife. Both of them almost died.”

Later, Cheairs sensed his wife’s reluctance to dress in front of him. “As she was putting on her clothes I noticed she was acting a little shy. That was the first time she ever did that towards me.”

The changes to her body after childbirth had made Chandra Cheairs feel insecure.

“I looked at her and said, ‘Those stretch marks that you have on you, those marks are because you were a blessing to me. You were a blessing to my daughter. You gave life. So there is nothing wrong with your marks. I love you and I love all of your marks.’

“That was the inspiration behind the song ‘No Barbie Doll.'”

That Cheairs has earned success with a blues tune is surprising as he comes from gospel roots. His mother and uncle are members of Rev. Andrew Cheairs & the Songbirds, the church-wrecking gospel group.

 Rev. Andrew Cheairs & the Songbirds
Rev. Andrew Cheairs & the Songbirds: Rev. A. Cheairs his sisters, Anjelina and Patricia Cheairs w/cousin Priscilla Polk.

“I didn’t want to be a blues singer. I wanted to be an R&B singer, an R&B writer,” explains Cheairs. “So I wrote the song for somebody else.

“I’m a fan of Johnnie Taylor. I love B.B. King. There are so many out there that I enjoy. But I just didn’t see myself as a blues singer.”

Criticism forced Mattel in 2016 to introduce Barbie dolls of different body shapes and ethnicities but for Cheairs, the song is more a personal story than an indictment of the brand. “When it comes to the song, I was basically thinking of what I had gone through and what I dealt with myself.

“I think we have such a very bad complex about everything when it comes to features and looks. We’re so caught up with looks and how a person looks. Hollywood does share a lot of blame. TV controls a lot of our thoughts. We look at it constantly.”

Cheairs acknowledges that African American girls are especially susceptible to Barbie’s idealized image. “Ignorance is a big part of the blame with us and our people and the way we view ourselves,” says Cheairs.

Cheairs also blames the infamous Willie Lynch letter, supposedly a speech delivered by a slave owner in 1712. The letter, considered to be a hoax, reveals the “secret” of controlling black slaves by setting them against each other.

“[Lynch] did a number on us as a people,” says Cheairs. “Enabling all of those negative things to come out of us. Disliking one another from the hair to the skin color to the size, who’s short and who’s tall.”

Cheairs’ Tennessee heritage informs his ideas. “When you think of it, like vines in the country, we called them ‘honeysuckles.’ You’d see a little vine somewhere and before you know it when the spring or summertime hits that vine is all over the place. It’s like a cancer, even self-hate.

“So when you think about it, Hollywood is only a mere reflection of a lot of things that have been here for years – hate, war and violence. And we’ve got to find away to fix that.

“My platform happens to be music. I want to try to use it to help somebody instead of hurting somebody.”

Andrew Cheairs, Jr. during a "No Barbie Doll" post production session. Grand Junction, Tenn.
Andrew Cheairs, Jr. during a “No Barbie Doll” post production studio session. Grand Junction, Tenn.

Though born in the North, Cheairs credits his Grand Junction, Tenn. upbringing and family as his primary musical influences. “My cousin Jimmy was the musician in our family growing up. He played lead guitar, drums and all of that. He was very gifted and still is.

“I grew up watching him. I wanted to be like him. We watched the quartet singers, they would play and they would sing. That was the beginning of me wanting to be a part of music.”

Cheairs has good news for fans who have not been able to get a copy of “No Barbie Doll.” “Today I went into the studio. We laid two more music tracks for two more new songs that are going to be on the CD. In a moment you’ll be able to get the CD.

“I’m going to possibly have it on iTunes or CDBaby. It will be easy to get to – whatever outlet I can find to download it. I have it available for you.

“It came from a good place – it came from a place of nourishment. It came from a place of loving and trying to help somebody.”

By: Michael Reel/ReelUrbanNews.com