Happy Birthday Barbie
Happy Birthday Barbie
Happy Birthday, Barbie. Now Go Away!
Yesterday was Barbie’s 50th birthday. A celebration of a half-century of obsession by young girls with a pencil-thin, wasp-waisted, pointy-breasted doll. It is estimated that more than 1 billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in more than 150 countries since the doll was first introduced in 1959.
Mattel, which manufactures Barbie, claim three Barbies are sold every second.
In her 50 years on the planet, Barbie has enjoyed 100 different careers, had more than 40 pets including cats, dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub and a zebra and 73 acres of clothes, furniture and other equipment and assessories.
Barbie was first of all a fashion statement (still is, mainly), but with the feminist movement, she did become a career woman. Doctor, cowgirl, astronaut, soldier, politician are just a few. In 1994, the Winter Sports Barbie was introduced, with skiis, poles, and of course, dressed in designer ski wear. In 1998 Nascar Barbie started to race cars, followed by WNBA Barbie and FIFA World Cup Barbie. Ultimate female soccer player Mia Hamm was selected as the Soccer Barbie. It was a short-lived trend.
Still, it looked for awhile like Barbie might join the ranks of real females, rather than keep the unnatural figure she was born (full-grown) with 50 years ago…5-ft-11 tall, 18 in. waist and 33 in. hips. When Mattel redesigned Barbie in 1974, she was given a marginally wider waist, but she still has legs up to here.
Child experts have decried the Barbie doll as a bad influence on young girls. They say she falls into (or perhaps leads) the stereotype of the skinny-is-beautiful ideal that has been foisted on a gullible public by clothing designers, Madison Avenue and the media. Ads for just about everything-from clothing to cars to cosmetics-feature reed-like, sunken-cheeked waifs.
But rather than rebel indignantly or laugh uproariously at this utter nonsense, many girls and women conclude they fall far short of the ideal. Some see themselves as overly plump Barbie dolls. They look in the mirror and what they see is like a trick mirror image…inaccurate and distorted. This dissatisfaction and distortion can lead to eating disorders.
Women who participate in sports or are otherwise physically active are less likely to buy the hype. They see their bodies in healthier ways. Their mirror reveals curves and muscles, strong shoulders and a straight, proud posture-a body prepared to work and play hard.
Where are the physically active-looking dolls that girls can emulate? Dolls that come with skates, bicycles and water skiis. They can have an ensemble of fashionable sports outfits, hair that can be braided or pulled into a pony tail or combed out for the party after the game and come with tennis racquets, volleyballs and hockey sticks. Other assessories might be headbands, sports sox and ace bandages.
Until Barbie shapes up, fills out and joins the softball team, perhaps she should be kicked off the playing field. Happy birthday, Barbie. Now, go away.
About the Author
Journalist, publisher, author Penny Hastings lives in Santa Rosa, Author Bio: Penny Hastings is the co-author (along with her son Todd Caven) of How To Win A Sports Scholarship, 3rd edition (Redwood Creek Publishing, 2007, 192 pages, $24.95), a step-by-step guide for high school and 2-year college student-athletes who want to play their sport in college and help pay their college expenses, too. Hastings gives presentations and workshops to student-athletes and their parents, guidance counselors, coaches and others interested in helping kids learn about college sports and how to play the recruiting game successfully. Hastings can be reached at penny@winasportsscholarship.com or visit the website: www.winasportsscholarship.com. Hastings is also the author of Sports For Her, A Reference Guide for Teenage Girls (Greenwood Publishing, 1999), which is currently being revised for a softcover 2nd edition by Redwood Creek Publishing http://www.winasportsscholarship.com
which cat do YOU think is cuter?
This one!!!!? (BTW i love this picture i took. do u think its good photography??) http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af253/Mysparkel411/th_DSC05001.jpg?t=1282953041
http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af253/Mysparkel411/th_IMG_3046.jpg?t=1282953142 OR this Kitty (My big fat baby) he is laying on a barbie bed BTW http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af253/Mysparkel411/th_IMG_3053.jpg?t=1282953201
http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af253/Mysparkel411/th_IMG_1933.jpg?t=1282953252 (it was his birthday!!! he looks sooooo happy!!! ahhaahaha)
oh my…what a sweet kitty…!!!!
ok.in the first picture i really like the reflection on the glass…it gives him such a cute face!
in the second one,I could say that I LOVE HIM ! he is great!
in the next one,all we can see that this room is on his own…
And at last,in his birthday foto I can see the best eyes i have seen in a cat…better than my kitties…snif…
You must be proud!
happy birthday barbie
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VINTAGE 2″ STEIFF WOOLEN POODLE Black with all IDs, 1506,46 Barbie Bild Lilli £16.45 |
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VINTAGE BARBIE EUROPE#7382 STEFFIE GERMAN ISSUE 1975 ULTRA RARE ! £12.65 |
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dollhouse miniature Re ment 1/12 Barbies toy pink teddy children furniture SALE £7.80 |
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12 Pairs Fashion Dolls Shoes Heels Sandals Set For Barbie Doll Outfit Dress Toy £1.04 |
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dollhouse miniature Re ment’s size Barbies wooden floor board strips Rare SALE £10.60 |
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Vintage Ken Play Ball EX+/C~Barbie’s beau~Batter up~baseball, glove, cleats £12.10 |
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New March Coming Funny Blue Fesh Barbie Princess Dress Fit for 11.5″ Barbie Doll £0.01 |
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Dollhouse miniatures 1/12th scale Barbie’s toy collection children bed room DH2 £8.11 |
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Vintage Ken Special Date #1408 NM/C~Barbie’s beau sharply dressed~tie, blue suit £27.20 |
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Dollhouse miniatures 1/12th scale Barbie’s toy collection children bed room DH1 £11.23 |
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Fashion Girl Dolls Toys Doll House Miniature Cherry Collection One&One TA-Korea £61.95 |
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VINTAGE 1969 FIT BARBIE/EXCLUSIVELY FOR SHILLMAN/ BROOKLYN NY WHITE SPARKLE GOWN £1.42 |
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Girls Genuine Barbie 2 pc, Jeans & Top set, Size: 5 BNWOT Was $12.95 – Now $9.95 £6.21 |
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2.7m x 2.7m Base Size BARBIE PINK Gazebo #100604 £20.00 |
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Vintage Francie Waltz In Velvet #1768~gown great color~Barbie’s Mod Cousin~Japan £51.24 |
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2011 HALLMARK KEEPSAKE BARBIE PRIMA BALLERINA ORNAMENT QXI2497 NMIB £6.01 |
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New Fashion Princess Wedding Clothes Dresses Gown Outfit for Barbie Doll 001yb £1.24 |
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TWO Vintage BARBIE DOLLS 1966 !!! One With US PATENT PENDING MARK !!! £6.32 |
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Barbie – Fairytopia [DVD] £19.15 |
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BARBIE FASHION TABLET Touch Screen 30 ACTIVITIES 8 Themes Ages 4-7 LEARNING GIFT £34.97 |
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Mini Retro Metal Patio Chair Set 4 Poppy Parker, FR, Barbie 1:6 Scale Furniture £13.91 |
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Barbie Colouring Set £0.01 Set of 8 colouring sheets, 6 colouring pencils and 15 resuable stickers Age 3+… |
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Rumble in the Bronxs [VHS] [1997] £9.98 In Rumble in the Bronx Jackie Chan plays a visitor to America who agrees to fend off a biker gang’s designs on his uncle’s market in the Bronx. If you can get past the Vancouver skyline substituting for the New York City neighbourhood, and the cheesy dubbing job, this is another of Chan’s startling, balletic takes on martial arts action. (It’s also his first breakthrough American film.) Even if yo… |
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Barbie & The Rock Stars – Out of This World [1987] “Hi I’m Barbie. My group the Rock Stars, and I are taking off to ‘Out of this World’ in our very first video! Ken, Dana, Diva, Dee Dee, Derek and I are going where no group has gone before.. into outer space! Now our music is rocking the outer limits because we’ve launched into an adventure that’s totally ‘Out of This World’. So strap yourself in for action , because the countdown has just begun! … |
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Barbie – Rockin’ Back to Earth/Out of This World [VHS] £9.99 TWO EXCELLENT ADVENTURES………… |
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Barbie Wallpaper Border £28.00 Wallpaper Border (not self-adhesive) - Width 12 cm, length 17 m. - For a better and convenient stick, the border us cutted in 70cm pieces and used together. The pattern fits together exactly, infinitely expandable. The special, hard-wearing paper with elevated white clay has the strength of 120g / m². The vibrant colors make aware the perfect color scale…. |
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Night Light Barbie £8.28 NULL… |
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Barbie: Jet, Set and Style (Nintendo DS) £12.99 Jet the Globe with Barbie as her top fashionista in this all-new, ultra-glamorous video game, Barbie Jet, Set & Style. There are tons of styling activities for you to do in the jet salon as you travel with Barbie to 10 different exotic cities from Paris to Los Angeles to Milan and more. Design totally-new HAIRtastic hairstyles using “real styling moves” with the Wii Remote and stylus; cut, hi… |
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