When I was little Barbies were iconic for their style and their constant changing persona. Barbies were considered THE DOLL to have! She came with her own house, car, motor home, horse ranch, dental office, animal clinic ... she even had her own MAN. Every girl wanted a Barbie because she was the ultimate girl toy! She was the thing to have.
THEN ....................................................
A young lady known by the rap name of Nicki Minaj came onto the industry scene reviving the way that the old rapper Lil' Kim used to represent herself and she called herself a Barbie. No she was not perfectly proportioned, nor, was she the ultimate icon. However, she was the person that everyone wanted to be! She became the Ultimate Girl! She was now the person to be!
NOW.......................................................
In my opinion Barbies are Broke Ass Ridiculous Bitches Imitating Everyone's Swagg! However, others believe Barbies are now considered to be the baddest chicks in the land! The one's with it all! Now that does sound like the toy Barbie.
These girls imitated everything about the self proclaimed Barbie, Nicki Minaj ... they wore the funny colors in their hair and they dressed in styles not usually considered fashion. Some attempted to manipulate their bodies/appearances whether through make up or enhancements.
HOWEVER,
Lets take a look at this Perfectly Perfect doll everyone wants to be...
When you initially walk into a store you get to the Barbie isle and you see the Barbie herself, then all of her accessories.
You chose which Barbie you want and mold her into your perfect toy. What profession will she have? Will she have a house or a motor home? Should you get her a car? How about her man? Do she get one of those? You choose because you own her.
Now that you have your Barbie, how will you treat her? You can treat her like a limited edition toy and put her on the shelf and just admire her OR you can play with her until her hair is matted and body is in pieces.
You see everyone strives to be this Perfectly Perfect image and yet they fail to realized that it only has what someone else buys for her and she breaks easily. She has no say in how she's treated, nor, does she has a say in what she gets to do with her life. FYI don't think all barbies have perfect choices either the lingerie Barbie does exist ... and what do you thing the profession behind that is?
My point is that yes, it is true that we all strive to be someone in life but trying to be a toy? Really? Would you really want to be forced to be what someone who owns you would like to be? Would you like to have an owner? Would you enjoy not knowing if you would be a prized possession?
My thoughts on girls who want to be Barbies specifically is that they ran with the hot idea/trend for the moment and now they are trying their hardest to maintain a lifestyle that they either can't afford or no longer want.
Now that the background to a lifestyle that has been glamorized has been explained ... How about we all agree that Barbie should be left as the Perfectly Perfect Doll and bringing her to life is something that should stop being attempted.
Besides, how popular could Barbie be if she has to buy all her friends?
SOUND OFF ... What are your thoughts on B.A.R.B.I.E.S?
2 comments:
Barbie was NEVER elevated in my home growing up; but it's so easy to see how young girls minds were given a vision of the easy life by looking at the "things" you could have if you ONLY?? That was the question that lingered, what did Barbie "do" to acquire the "good life". Maybe it would have been nice to see Barbie's Degree's or maybe I missed that collection (I could be wrong). One thing is for certain, she's being elevated as a standard for our little brown skinned girls based on her looks ... "Mindless and Spineless" isnt what I want my GreatNieces growing up to be for sure!!!!!
I grew up playing with Barbie, her man and all her friends. Now that I'm older, I can say that Barbie and her many occupations were an avenue to show girls that the sky is NOT the limit, they can be whatever they want to be, how to achieve it is obvious: set goals, work hard to accomplish them, which is the parent's job to teach. Barbies are for CHILDREN because their minds are impressionable and it plants the seed for them to look beyond borders, boundaries and limitations.
HOWEVER, as you age, you're supposed to come into your own, be yourself. It's sad that yes, there ARE grown ass women out here trying to emulate the likes of another woman[Nicki] who's emulating the likes of another woman [Kim] who's emulating the likes of a doll that was created for children. Yes, I think Barbie needs to be left alone as Little Miss Perfect. Hopefully these pathetic Barbie wannabe's realize that the doll is fake and as real people, them trying to be her makes them look REAL stupid!
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