I never thought I'd have a Barbie phase, and definitely not in my 30s, but here we are. I am beyond hyped for the Barbie movie, and it's got me thinking a lot about Barbie in general, and my relationship with her. Like most cisgender girls, I wasn't immune to being given Barbie dolls as a kid, but they definitely weren't my favorite. In fact, my only memorable time playing with them was when one of my My Little Ponies killed them all to get out of a wedding that was the same day as her softball tournament. (I loved MLP, but did not love receiving the "bridal" pony, so she fought back!)
Anyway, back to Barbie. See, as a kid, I was raised by a second wave feminist. And my mother meant well -- it did give me an early foundation of gender equality and social equality in general -- but I was taught that "girly" was bad, we should be as men are to be equal with them. Plus, I was a "tomboy" (what a word, in hindsight!), I loved climbing trees and catching spiders and playing ALL the sports. But I was also taught to hate pink and dolls, and I certainly never fantasized about my wedding or anything like that. (To this day, all I know is the music I'd like if such a thing should ever happen.) But I was very interested in animals, and specifically horses, so my mom indulged that -- My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, Breyer horse models. Needless to say, the Barbies I was given didn't come from my mom (although she did crochet some outfits for them).
No, instead, those came from my aunts... primarily one aunt who spent my entire life (up until her death a few years ago) trying to fit me into a pretty, feminine box. So she gave me Barbies every year for Christmas and my birthday. And I resented her for it every year, because I knew what she was trying to do. This continued into my early teens, even after I had stopped playing with MLP and such years ago. She was determined, and I hated Barbie for it.
But really, Barbie is amazing for children to play with, especially budding feminists! Barbie is a woman and can still be anything she wants to be -- veterinarian, scientist, artist, teacher. She has lots of friends, pets, and accomplishments. She is such a powerful message to give to children of all genders and, as a little girl, I would've loved that message. (Thankfully, I grew up learning that message anyway, from various other sources.) Way more than the message that I did get, that Barbie is for girls because girls should like pink and dolls. That is the message we should be passing onto younger generations, and I'm here for it. Barbie is the archetypal feminist, and should be seen and celebrated as such. (Yes, there are some criticisms to be had, especially in terms of representation. But I recommend reading this post: why barbie is a feminist (yes, really).)
So now, here I am. I'm still far from the "feminine ideal", but I have embraced the color pink, exclusively wear skirts and dresses, and am ready for my Barbie phase to finally happen. Now... to figure out what to wear to the movie premiere!
