I've been reading and hearing a ton about Barbie's 50th birthday today. It's got me thinking about the complicated relationship I've had with this silly doll.
When I was six years old I somehow come to have my aunt's 1960s Midge doll, but otherwise my parents were anti-Barbie. All Midge came with was a striped bathing suit. There were no elaborate outfits to put her in, no car, no dream house. A friend took pity on my situation and gave me some of her rejects. She had chopped off their hair and painted their faces with red nail polish, but I was delighted nonetheless!
As I got older I started to despise Barbie with all her gowns, unrealistic proportions and "Math class is tough" comments. I hung a Body Shop poster with an image of a more realistically proportioned Barbie-esque doll in my room.
When I was six years old I somehow come to have my aunt's 1960s Midge doll, but otherwise my parents were anti-Barbie. All Midge came with was a striped bathing suit. There were no elaborate outfits to put her in, no car, no dream house. A friend took pity on my situation and gave me some of her rejects. She had chopped off their hair and painted their faces with red nail polish, but I was delighted nonetheless!
As I got older I started to despise Barbie with all her gowns, unrealistic proportions and "Math class is tough" comments. I hung a Body Shop poster with an image of a more realistically proportioned Barbie-esque doll in my room.
And even though I won't be buying Barbies for my kids, I can appreciate that she's had quite a run.
As Veronica on Awearness Blog says:
As Veronica on Awearness Blog says:
"Barbie's done a lot in her life. She's held many careers, married Ken, left Ken, got back together and even struggled her way through math class. She even beat a popular rival into oblivion."You absolutely must read Sarah Haskins' really funny piece Barbie's Little Secret. I won't give away all the funny stuff (c'mon what did you really do with your Barbies?!). But Sarah Haskins sums up the complicated relationship that a lot of feminists seem to have with Barbie:
"After all, in her own strange way, she was a pioneer -- a trailblazing figure in branding, a woman whose every tiny wobbly step paved the way for the questionable role models that perplex and concern parents today, be they Bratz or Disney Princesses."
Yes, the Barbie journey has had quite a run and I'm glad to see so many people not just celebrating her 50th anniversary but really questioning the impact of this doll on generations of girls.And speaking of girls, It's so funny that your friend handed-down her mutilated Barbies to you. What is it with that... the mutilation of Barbie? If I ask my adult friends to show me their old Barbie dolls most would pull out a bald (or crew cut), marker-scribbled, legless, headless, armless mess.