Monday, March 9, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBIE

Happy Birthday Barbie!

She turns 50 this year. I never had a Barbie doll, poor me. I guess that would be because I was much too old for a doll 50 years ago. I did see all the commercials for Barbie, her town house, her job, and of course, Ken. She has had several careers as an astronaut, paleontologist, teacher, surgeon, veterinarian, dentist, fashion model, flight attendant, etc. In fact, she has done it all.

Originally, she was just a doll from Malibu. Then came the women's movement with pressure for Barbie to have a career. The people at Mattel came out with new Barbies covering any career you could imagine. Of course, all the accessories were extra.

Little girls loved her And they knew she wasn't real, she was a toy. That's why the proposal of Jeff Eldridge, a delegate in West Virginia is so ridiculous. Mr. Eldridge would like to ban the sale of Barbie in West Virginia because the doll tacitly urges its young owners to place undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual developments. That would put West Virginia in the company of such countries as Iran and Saudi Arabia which has banned Barbie for her revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools.

I wonder about Mr Eldridge. He has also introduced a bill that would legalize tournaments featuring mixed martial arts - kicking, punching, elbowing, wrestling, kneeing and slamming - to bring more revenue into the state. If Mr. Eldridge thinks Barbie influences girls, how does he think mixed martial arts will influence children?

3 comments:

Snooty Primadona said...

You really have to wonder about him. What a nutcake! It sure never influenced me or my daughter, having a stupid doll. That's almost insulting.

But let's don't forget race car driver and *party girl*, lol. I had a Barbie once in grade school but we had to move away in the middle of the night (typical of my mother The Brown Recluse) and I never saw her again. So, I tried to get my daughter hooked on Barbie. She never really liked dolls...

Too bad they didn't do a *Barbie At Fifty* Doll with lumps & jowls & all the other joys of aging. That would have been a hoot and might have possibly changed Mr. Eldridge's view of the skinny biotch!

Anonymous said...

I also was too old to have a Barbie doll, but my first 3 girls did. My youngest son became "hooked" on King Kong and every Thanksgiving at the height of the dinner we would hear poor Fay Wray screaming her head off. Some fun !!!!! However, he was enthralled with the whole thing and he became Kong at his playtime You must know who became Fay Wray---yes, none other than one of the Barbie dolls. We would find him in the tree in the back yard holding the Barbie doll and beating his chest. My gosh, 50 years flies when you're having fun. Thanks for the memories Mom.
Angelfitz

Anonymous said...

I wonder too! There are so many real things that need attention besides a Barbie doll.
I did have several Barbies when I was a child. And Skippers too. I think that was Barbie's little sister?
From what I see on t.v., the ones I had way back when would be worth a fortune now. Of course, the condition my Barbies were in, they would be worth about 5 cents. They always had a foot knawed off by a cat or dog, the hair cut, by me or my little brother. And one had a magic marker moustache, by my brother. lol...
Have a great day.
Pam