Barbie was a lot of girls’ best friend while growing up. She went with us on many adventures, played many games and became whoever we wanted her to be. However, somewhere over her 57 years of existence, people started to bash on her for her body type. People argued that she was a bad role model and promoted a negative body image for children. People took the focus away from her intelligence and placed it on her looks. The very problem that feminist everywhere try to avoid and fight against today. Now Mattel has created a new Barbie that fits every body type to redirect the focus back on the real message of Barbie: To be whoever you want to be.
Barbie is far more than a pretty face. Barbie is a doctor, game developer, museum curator, NASCAR driver, the president and the list only continues. The creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler, said, “my whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” Barbie is an inspiration for all women not just girls because if she can do it why can’t we?
We live in a world that provides us with endless possibilities if we just take advantage of them. If you have a camera you can become a photographer. If you have a canvas you can become an artist. If you have a sewing machine you can become a fashion designer. All you have to do is practice and be dedicated to your passion because, the fact is, your potential has no limit. The best characteristic of Barbie is that she lives life fully. She represents a woman taking control and working hard to become a doctor, the president and so on.
You see these women chasing their dreams and you see people on the internet doing these jobs that seem unachievable for you and you find yourself wishing that you could do that too but, the thing is, you can. Those are the “real-life” Barbies that can inspire you if you recognize that you have the choice to be whoever. They live their life for the journey. A journey of hard work and believing themselves. As children, Barbie taught us that if we used our imagination we could pretend to be anyone.
As adults we should tap in to those same imaginations and say "yes" to whatever adventure that life lays down in front of us. Don’t be afraid to dive headfirst in to a mistake because you will never know if you can make your dreams come true if you don’t try. We are all beautiful and all intelligent so be inspired by Barbie and never give up. Be strong and you can be anything.
