I admit it. I love Barbie. I always have, I always will. I can replay practically every make-belief session I had as a child with Barbie, I remember the thrill of getting a new Barbie and I remember romanticizing about Barbie and Ken’s relationship. I am even an official “fan” of Barbie on Facebook, and I love the color Barbie pink.
I do not love Barbie however for the way she has twisted and manipulated our societal understanding of beauty. I admire her because I like her commitment to the color pink and her fantastically simple approach to life — that life (in plastic) is fantastic.
In doing some research for my book The Skinny, Sexy Mind: How The French Do It, I came across some interesting information on the differences between the original Barbie of the ’50s and the Barbie of today. Even the difference between Barbie of 1990 and Barbie of 2000 is shocking, and it is no wonder that we live in an America that is very confused and misinformed on our perception of what a “beautiful body” actually is.
Now, it’s not Barbie’s fault; if I was, I wouldn’t be “friends” with her on Facebook. But we must take a look at how her proportions have changed, and take into consideration that the main influences that saturate our societal understanding of beauty, bodies, and health in the year 2011 is distorted beyond measure.
This is not the blame game. This is simply a small reminder that we are already all very beautiful in the body that we already have. We must stop aspiring to look like top models, digitally enhanced photos of movie stars, or unhealthily obsessive plastic women or men. Life in plastic is NOT as fantastic as life actually lived as our real, un-plastic selves. Be yourself, accept yourself, love yourself, and let this self-love fill your life with bright colors and bright living.
