When I was taking swimming lessons the summer after third grade, my mom bribed me. If I jumped into the pool three times, she would buy me a Barbie. I was terrified, but I did it. Which Barbie did I choose? Maui Barbie of course. She had a swim suit with one shoulder. I would never be allowed to wear that swim suit, but I could buy the Barbie who did!
The Barbie I had before that, Barbie and the Rockers, had her feet almost chewed off, by, well, me. Chewing Barbie's feet was more fun than playing with Barbie. I had been a nail biter, but my mom bribed me off of that too. I had to turn to Barbie. When my brother and his friend stole my Barbie and performed surgery on her feet by ripping them off, I wailed.
By 8th grade I wasn't playing with Barbies anymore. NO WAY! But I did do an oral report on Barbie. Which I believe was part of my burgeoning feminism. Weird, right? How could a girl doing a report on Barbie be an emerging feminist? True my report was nowhere as critical, absurd, or deep as A. M. Homes story, A Real Doll, but geez, I was only in 8th grade!
Here's the thing, I don't exactly remember the criteria for our assignment, but I'm pretty sure it was generally keep it to something in the 20th century. Oh, and make sure the subject was iconic. That was probably a new vocabulary word for me back then: ICONIC. Who is more iconic in a girl's life than Barbie?
Other kids reported on the Beatles and WWII. Both very important, and ICONIC. But, even as an 8th grader, I was interested in deepening my knowledge about things that affected me. I hadn't developed a critical mind yet (that would come later when in my sophomore year I wrote a diatribe against Santa Claus), but I took a chance with that report. My teacher told me no one had ever reported on Barbie. That made me feel cool. I don't think I had learned about IRONY yet, but I think I was trying to be ironic. I was talking about Barbie as if she was a real person, but I was trying to be, you know, funny. I don't think my classmates got it.
My Women and Lit class taught me to look at this experience in a new way. The invention of Barbie was a huge event in the world of girls and women. Maybe in 8th grade I already knew that and was making a statement about how history is male dominated. By reporting on Barbie in my 20th century history class, I was reclaiming history from a woman's point of view. Had I been a city kid, or gotten ANY women's history up to that point, maybe I would've picked someone hipper, like Gloria Steinem or Coretta Scott King, or Dolores Huerta. But hey, Barbie was a start.
What do I think about Barbie now? I think she's one cool gal. Yeah, she's got a blank stare, big boobs, bleached blonde hair, and God, her feet must be killing her! But you know, she's done a lot in the world.
Who else do you know who has been an astronaut, a doctor, and a rocker?
There's something to be said for Mattel. I don't know how lucrative it would be to change Barbie's shape -- that's our gripe, really, right? She's unREAL. But they are doing some cool stuff: http://shop.mattel.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4032107
ReplyDeleteThat being said, my Mom loved Barbie and tried so hard to share that with me. I loved Barbie's outfits (surprise), but I was wayyyyy more into My Little Pony. Who knows what that says!
Why do I only vaguely remember this report? It was for Mr. Frank's class, yes?
ReplyDeleteMy recollection of you as an eighth grader holds a lot of memories of you being far beyond your years....perhaps you didn't know the names or have the vocabulary...but Cassie D was a feminist from the beginning.
Best comment ever. :)
ReplyDeleteJenny! That is so sweet. I am touched.
ReplyDeleteI too was bribed into Barbie-dom. My dad wanted me to go to his softball game, and said he'd take me to Toys 'r' Us and buy me any toy I wanted. My mom, feminist in her own right, had refused to purchase the doll for me, worried about my blossoming body image and Barbie corrupting my self view.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the doll became a confidant for years to come, and others joined her, replacing My Little Pony tout sweet.
I love you dear Cassie, thanks for sharing and letting me share mine!
I'd have to agree with you, that Barbie certainly is rad. I mean, let's forget about the fact that she has moveable body parts and an endless wardrobe for an infinite amount of social situations to invent :) Barbie also has every job in the world - housewife to astronaut.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I never looked to Barbie for what my body needed to look like - that was my parents' job. My most profound Barbie memory was that she did it all. And didn't need Ken's help.