Kudos to Barbie

I hate it when I hear that Barbie gives girls poor body image. For a plastic doll, Barbie takes a lot of the blame for these sort of problems, and it has always upset me quite a bit.

I mean, sure, Barbie is pretty skinny, but she is also a doll. There are those studies that show that if Barbie were a real girl, she wouldn't be able to stand because of the too small waist-too large chest scenario. Having a perfect figure is certainly something that is overvalued in our society, but blaming a toy for it seems a bit much. I have quite a few friends who were not allowed to play with Barbies when they were kids for this reason. That's just ridiculous.

My defense for Barbie has always been her slogan that girls can do anything. That's a slogan we want girls to live by, right? And Barbie certainly can do anything. There exists Barbie dolls for just about every profession: nurses, dancers, scientists, teachers, astronauts, etc. There is also a graduate Barbie put out each year. So Barbie sends off more than just the "you have to look good" message. Barbie tells girls that it doesn't matter that you are a girl, you can still be anything you want to be.

So, with all that said, I was THRILLED when I saw this commercial this morning. You go, Barbie! My mom played with Barbies, I played with Barbies, and I will most likely force my future children into playing with them. This is the most fantastic advertisement for a toy I have seen in quite some time: