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| Posted 6 months ago |
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What is it about Barbie's world?
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First I'd like to start with some stereotypes of Barbie: Tall, Skinny, Blonde . . . the perfect, independent woman. This is the typical stereotype of the doll, which was created in 1959. Before the doll, there were toys like Yogi Bear, and baby dolls to stimulate the imagination of children in a world that had revolved around hard work and homemaking.
The image of the "Perfect, Independent Woman" was created in the midst of all this. Now I'm trying to imagine (because I wasn't alive at the time) what it must have been like to see this image that represented the opposite end of the spectrum to girls and young women across America in the early sixties. May this be the "inch to give you the ell/ foot (as Frederick Douglas would say, in his autobiography)" in your own steps towards rebellion against the image of women of generations beforehand. However, what I'm getting at is: "Use the doll for what it's worth, as a stepping stone. Use it for it's imaginative purposes and embrace it. Do not, however, use the doll as an excuse as to why you are not good enough, etc . . ." Now as I talk to my parents and grandparents about how it used to be, "back in the good ol' days," it seems as if the image of the perfect woman was a little scattered before the production of the "Barbie" doll. Juliet (from Romeo and Juliet) was a staple image to women, but she was composed of details, and not of a painted portrait. The Mona Lisa has a rather blank look, with a half-hearted smile about her. There were the Queens of Europe, and First Wives of American presidents, and also we can't forget about the rebellious ones . . . Like the stories of Annie Oakley, the wild west sharpshooter - shooting the lit end of a cigarette and "snuffing it out," while the cigarette was hanging out of the mouth of her husband, Frank Butler. And, also Bonnie and Clyde's infamous stories of bank robbing and the notorious "standoff," where Bonnie and Clyde happened to fall victim to the hands of the law when ambushed. Also there were also the princesses, witches, and fairies. And, these are just examples from my parent, not the best, I know.
However, since Barbie's creation, it has become a staple of the American people, just as acceptable as Coca- cola, McDonald's, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jessica Simpson, Baseball, and Superman. Now, they all are not perfect, nor near perfection in any way: why would we need "diet" coke; What happened to that guy, Morgan Spurlock, when all he ate was McDonald's; Isn't professional sports riddled with steroid problems? And isn't Arnold Schwarzenegger always saying that the state of Cal-I-For-Ni-A needs help; And didn't Jessica Simpson go through a divorce by like, age 26-27; and even superman had kryptonite, to take away his super powers.
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Barbie never had to divorce Ken. She never had her corvette, or her Ferrari impounded or repossessed. Her mansion wasn't destroyed because of hurricane Katrina. And when my niece leaves her Barbie dolls in a tub full of water after she is done taking a bath, Barbie doesn't drown. Miraculous, I know. Anyway, Barbie lives in a FANTASY WORLD, in another dimension like Super Mario (with a RESET button to press when things aren't so perfect). And even Super Mario isn't perfect. With the creation of Super Mario came Duck Hunt . . . then the Sega Genesis Menacer . . . then onto games like Doom, Golden Eye, Socom, Call of Duty, and the ever so popular Grand Theft Auto and Halo. All games where you gun down your opponent. Video Game Violence.
Now I say, use these things like Super Mario, and Barbie as stepping stones, not as excuses of what could be or could have been. Now my best example is when kids who play these games may be having a bad day, and they do something like put on some Grand Theft Auto and listen to Pink Floyd: Another Brick in the wall, and when he says "Hey Teacher, Leave 'em kids alone," then the video game violence continues . . . "barat-ta-tat-tat, dun-duh-dun-duh-dun-duh duh-barrrrrrrat, (machine guns and grenades of Grand Theft Auto sound effects)."
Now in a Fantasy world, it's only stress that is being relieved by the child. Nobody in real life is getting hurt. Also he can press reset and his "buddies" or the "enemies" that have been gunned down can now come back to life. However, the image of Barbie is supposed to be "Perfect" in every way. An image that has subconsciously sunk into people's mind all across America: what we are suppose to look for in a woman or how a woman is suppose to look; either or, it doesn't matter. This image also can subconsciously cause stress in people on a level of temptation, striving to look a certain way or dating a certain girl. But if the image isn't easily attainable by all who adore it, then it's not perfect. If a hat was only made in one size and it could fit everyone who wanted to wear it, then that would be the perfect hat. But hats come in all different shapes and sizes and even the one-size-fits-all hat with the stretchy band doesn't even fit everyone. This is because of choices, preferences and also the natural "hand that we are dealt when we are born."
So in conclusion, Not every woman can have Barbie's genetics (and if you think about it, Barbie doesn't even have Genes; she owns jeans. . . big difference) to be tall, blonde, and skinny. And not every guy can date that girl who resembles this improper image of women in America. And if the image is to be copied by others, then it loses what makes it unique or special. So lets be ourselves. . . why change into, or chase after somebody that we know lives in a fantasy world and can press reset when times are tough. When we have the option to evolve as ourselves instead of changing into, or chasing after something we are not, or doesn't exist. . . only in our imagination. And even the girl who you think looks like Barbie: she could have problems like diabetes or she could even be homeless; you never know. So embrace your imagination, don't let it make you fall victim to your reality. Be proud of who you are. If you can adopt some of your "super-self (imagination version of yourself)" qualities from your imagination into your reality, then all the better. If not, then maybe it's time to change your perspective on your "super-self," and adapt it to more of your own qualities. But most importantly: embrace who YOU are. Hey, you know what: I have brown hair, and brown eyes; and some say that I'm full of sh*t, lol, but you know what: "f*ck 'em." I'm not Super Mario and my girfriend isn't Barbie.
I live in the real world.
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