January 2009
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Barbie's Support Team
Photo Source: jikamajoja @Flickr
Allure recently had a rather fascinating article about Barbie. Have you read it yet? Sure, it covers some information that most of us are familiar with and yes, it is once again a celebratory summary of Barbie's 'life'. But here's where it gets to the aforementioned fascinating bit. When I read the details of how Mattel, throughout time, has developed, promoted and marketed Barbie, I could not help but admire their dedication to this popular doll. Admittedly there was a gasp or two, perhaps a wishful sigh even.
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Barbie joins the Enterprise
Trekkie Barbie is getting a makeover! This sentence will sound a tad strange if you are unfamiliar with the 30th Anniversary giftset. This is an early set that came out as a tribute to the original Trek series. I know what the trekkie fans are wondering and so let me say it outright; Yep, there was a Captain Kirk doll and good old Spock was also there.
Photo Source: unloveable@flickr
But now Barbie is moving with the times and ushering in a new look for Star Trek. Is this in time for that much-awaited Trekkie movie? The J. J. Abrams number due in Spring 2009? Oooh you guessed it!These new dolls by Mattel will boast the fresh-faced look of the younger generation, as depicted by the eagerly awaited movie. Hence, in this case, Young Capt. Kirk will bear a charming resemblance to Chris Pine. And of course Spock will be there; it's hard to imagine a collection without Spock, isn't it? Yes, yes, Lieutenant Uhura will grace the doll collection. Judging from how the latest portrayal is making waves amongst certain groups of fans, not in the least due to that rather revealing advert, I am guessing it won't just be little kids queuing up for this doll.
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Blackmail Barbie!
Barbie has shaped the lives and playtimes of American children for 50 years. I should know. Barbie ruined an entire summer for me, when I was eight. In the process, she taught me a hard-learned lesson about integrity, honor, and what a rat fink my little sister could be, when she set her mind to it.
blackmail
I was one of those kids always out tramping around the horse pasture catching small reptiles, digging holes, re-engineering the paths of small creeks, and inventing ever-more thrilling ways to swing out on the rope from the rafters in the barn loft to drop into the pile of hay, twenty feet below.
The summer I was eight, though, my little sister happened upon me, ahhh, experimenting with matches, in that same barn loft.
Now, we both understood immediately the possible repercussions of the fact I was playing with matches in the hay-stuffed loft of our hundred-year-old barn (in spite of my utter personal confidence from the lofty height of experience gained by being two entire years older than my sister.) For me, those repercussions meant that Mom and Dad absolutely would not ever, ever understand that, while indeed those matches might be dangerous for some children to play with, I was clearly more mature, taking appropriate safety precautions, and felt strongly that I was completely in control of the tiny fires I was experimenting with.
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My Secret Barbie
Growing up I was always somewhat of a tomboy. However, this never stopped the endless gifts of Barbie dolls, accessories, houses, cars and everything else that came with doll’s collection. Embarrassed by the girly gifts, I always pushed them aside. I wouldn’t be caught actually playing with them. Not me, the girl who is tougher than all the guys out in the play yard. I’d rather dig in the dirt for worms and go fishing than touch those dolls.
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Does Barbie Bleed?
Dolls are toys. I know this. I know it in the same way that I acknowledge that movies are 'only' entertainment. But does this mean that they have no social significance or impact on our lives? Women have campaigned for years to widen Barbie's waist, make her available in various skin colors, and generally make her more accessible to young girls. But at the end of the day, she is what she is - an overly perfect vision of a woman.
She has everything - money, success, romance - in doses that most of us can only dream of. It is no wonder that I felt a little conflicted whenever I played with my Barbie as a child. Where was the reality? Who else in my life looked or acted like that? Granted, I say this knowing that children who grew up in Hollywood may have had a different experience, but in my little corner of the world women were not slim, buxom, immaculately dressed, perfectly coiffed, accomplished and rich.
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