Seriously, what toy has had more impact on people today than the Barbie doll? Since today is Barbie's sort of birthday I figured it was a good time to walk down memory lane and relive my Barbie playing days. The reason that I say it's her "sort of" birthday is because Barbie's debut was at a New York toy fair in March 1959 but today is actually the anniversary of Mattel putting the blonde bombshell on toy store shelves so all the little kiddies could partake in the wonderfulness that was Barbie.
Since the rise of the Feminist Movement, Barbie has gotten a lot of flack. If the perfectly proportioned Barbie is supposed to be ideal, are little girls going to grow up and starve themselves and buy some boobs so they can be ideal too? I never really bought into that, mainly because by the time I was deep into Barbie-world, they had stopped doing things like putting a weight loss guide that said "Don't Eat" and a scale set at 110 lbs in with the doll. Was Barbie supposed to be a ditz? I think this got blown out of proportion too. People hit the roof because Barbie said things like "Math class is tough!" I personally agree with her, math class IS tough, it's MATH!!! It's supposed to be tough. Did this mean that Barbie couldn't be whatever she wanted? Not so much. My Barbies were queens of the world, warrior princesses, powerful sorceresses, astronauts, doctors, teachers and mommies. Barbie could be anything which meant that I could be anything!
I did a little research on Barbie's history when I saw on my "News of the Day" that today was the first day Barbie was sold and I learned several surprising things. I knew that the original model for Barbie was a New York girl named Barbara Millicent Roberts but I didn't know that Mattel originally published a series of books based on Barbara's/Barbie's life. I think Ken was made up just so Barbie could have a boyfriend but I never knew that he actually had a last name (Carson) and when Ken and Barbie broke up (Ken severely needed a makeover and attitude adjustment) Barbie got "close" with Australian surfer Blaine. I love that, Mattel actually used the word "close" to describe their relationship.
Despite all the controversies, I personally think that Barbie has made much more of an impact on the life of young girls than anybody gives credit for. I might be a grown up now, but to this day, nothing makes me happier on Christmas morning or my birthday than to receive a Barbie in a long dress with gorgeous hair and jewelry. I think that's something I'll never grow too old for.
Barbies are really great. I've always loved them. When I was a kid, my sister and I would turn my room into a Barbie village. We would use VHS tapes as beds and buildings and we would create houses under desks and in bookshelves. But our favorite part was getting to pick out all their outfits.
ReplyDeleteFun post. By the way I'm one of your students. I take your class on Monday's and Wednesday's at 2:00. The reason I'm mentioning that is because last week in your lecture you mentioned the Hunger Games and I never got the chance to ask you if are Team Peeta or Team Gale. I am curious to know, see you tomorrow,
Sarah Choate
Oh Team Peeta definitely! I felt for Gale, don't get me wrong. He had to take care of his whole family and everything but by the last book he was just a little too gung-ho, too blood thirsty. But Peeta was such a sweetheart the whole way through. I really like the guy who's playing him in the movie. He doesn't necessarily look like the description of Peeta in the book but I saw an interview where he said he loved the books and loved the character so when he heard the movie was casting, he fought hard for the role.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, and Josh Hutcherson will do a really great job.
ReplyDeleteSarah Choate