Depicting Barbie as an MSP trooper brought instant blowback from top ranks, records show

LANSING — Many top officials in the Michigan State Police, especially women, were outraged by social media memes the agency posted in July that showed the doll Barbie as an MSP trooper, records the Free Press obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show.

The agency's attempt to capitalize on buzz surrounding the blockbuster movie fell flat, at least internally, and the memes were removed a few hours after they were posted to Facebook and X, then known as Twitter, as well as to the social media platform Threads, on July 20.

Maj. Beth Clark, who is assistant deputy director of the MSP's field support bureau, personally spoke to Col. Joseph Gasper, who at the time was director of the MSP, and demanded their removal, text messages show.

"This is ridiculous. Demeaning. Humiliating," Clark texted to five other senior MSP officers, shortly after the posts appeared. A little later, Clark texted: "I just talked to the Col. It's coming down."

Among the concerns cited by senior MSP women: The long, blond hair MSP Barbie sported in the meme was out of compliance with MSP rules requiring hair to stop above the shirt collar; she had no gun in her holster, and use of the meme inaccurately portrayed the work of officers, both female and male, as "sunshine and rainbows and make believe," not the dangerous and difficult vocation it is.

The MSP's retreat from the Barbie tweets was at odds with the approach taken by the administration of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer more generally. For example, Whitmer's office promoted a dark-haired version of Barbie dressed in a pink pantsuit that looked a lot like Whitmer on her social media account. The Michigan State Parks, Trails and Waterways Twitter page featured two Barbies bird-watching.

Gasper, who one day later would publicly announce, through Whitmer's office, his plans to retire in late September, was getting pinged with repeated text messages after the memes were posted. Not all of the advice he was receiving was similar to Clark's, records show.

Lt. Col. Dale Hinz, who is deputy director of the field operations bureau, texted Gasper that much of the negative reaction, in his view, was overblown.

"If this spun me up, I would seriously consider investing in a life!" Hinz texted Gasper.

Gasper mostly kept his opinions to himself.

"It did not go over very well," Lt. Col. Chris Kelenske, deputy director of the MSP's field support bureau, texted Gasper. "Maybe if the hair was to standard it would have been fine."

"No comment!" Gasper texted back.

Women in leadership positions spoke out most strongly against the Barbie postings.

Capt. Jennifer Johnson, commander of the 7th District, spoke out strongly in a group text with other MSP leaders and separately canvassed several women in the MSP about how they felt.

Johnson also texted an image of the social media posting to Hinz, one of her supervisors, with the message: "This is embarrassing."

"I'm livid," Johnson said in one group text. "Our troopers go out there every day and risk their lives and we are telling potential recruits it is all sunshine and rainbows and make believe???????"

Johnson texted Inspector Lisa Rish that her concerns were not about Barbie, but the social media post was "gross and makes a mockery out of everyone in uniform."

Rish texted back that she agreed it was "a yuck ad." Rish, who used an "eye roll" emoji and a "throw up" emoji to describe her thoughts on the memes, added: "But maybe it will appeal to the younger females who will be swayed to go into the MSP."

Still, "my thing is they would never use Ken to promote this job," Rish texted Johnson. "So I guess they felt like stereotyping and use Barbie. Gah! Stupid."

Senior male officers also objected to the posts.

Maj. Joseph Brodeur, who is assistant deputy director of the field operations bureau, texted: "I'll co-sign that," when Clark texted that the postings were ridiculous, demeaning and humiliating.

Also, "this is drastically contrary to the discussion on recruiting we had this afternoon," Brodeur texted.

Shanon Banner, director of the MSP's communications and outreach division and the agency's spokeswoman, said the recruiting meeting Brodeur referenced, held earlier on July 20, was "a broader discussion about recruiting and was not specific to social media."

Banner said she is responsible for reviewing and approving social media posts generated in the MSP's public affairs section. "There was no higher level approval sought," before the memes were posted to social media July 20, Banner said in a Tuesday email. The memes were generated using an artificial intelligence (AI) application, "and then photoshopped further by staff," Banner said. The MSP has no policy about the use of AI, she said.

Women working at the MSP weren't universally opposed to the Barbie posts.

One woman, who worked in the MSP's Criminal Justice Information Center, wrote a July 21 email strongly objecting to the decision to remove the posts.

"Taking down a fun and relatable social media post that begins to open a larger discussion about women in law enforcement is nothing but harmful," the woman wrote.

The woman's name was redacted. Banner said that was because she does not hold a leadership position and is not a decision maker and "there is no overwhelming interest in public disclosure" of her name.

Hinz sent Banner a supportive text the evening the post was taken down, records show.

"Rest assured, you and your team are doing a great job for the agency," Hinz texted Banner. "I really don't understand the concerns with the Barbie post."

Banner thanked Hinz in a return text.

"The last thing me or my team want to do is be disrespectful to our own members, especially fellow females," Banner texted.

And Johnson took a softer tone, once the posts were taken down.

"I understand they were just trying to be current and clever," Johnson texted some colleagues. "It just missed the mark."

One officer, Inspector Frank Keck, objected to the idea that by generating the post, the MSP was endorsing a product.

"Kinda makes you wonder who got paid," somebody in the group chat — it was not clear who — replied.

Nobody got paid, Banner said.

Some of the texts compared the Barbie episode to unspecified MSP controversies of the past.

"I always wonder if they can top their last debacle and Bam! They do," texted F/Lt. Carl Rothenberger to a group of colleagues.

In their text exchange, Hinz and Gasper pointed to one specific such instance.

"QR code round 2!" Hinz texted Gasper, along with a crooked smiley face emoji.

"Exactly!" Gasper texted back.

Banner confirmed this was a reference to plans to place QR codes on MSP patrol cars with a link to the agency's recruitment website. The plan was abandoned in the face of opposition from troopers concerned about large numbers of people closely approaching patrol cars with their phones.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Depicting Barbie as MSP trooper brought quick blowback, records show