Jesus Barbie

My sister Amy bought my girls another Barbie.  Except this isn’t just any Barbie.  This one loves Jesus.

That's right.  We've added a Jesus Barbie to the collection.  The only problem?  Mattel doesn’t make a Jesus Barbie per se, so Amy went out and bought the look-alike version.  Her face is a little wider, her eyes are a little rounder, and her legs are just a little fuller.  She still has blonde hair, blue eyes, and wears tasteful but trendy jeans.   She also wears a red shirt with a heart on it that says “Pick Jesus.”  Would my girls know the difference?

Of course they would.  Jesus Barbie lasted about 15 minutes, and they both wanted to play with the real Barbie.  Just as I had feared, Barbie was again leading them astray to a spiritually devoid world of halter tops and mini skirts.

I was ready to give up when Abby surprised me.  She ripped off Jesus Barbie’s clothes and put them on the real Barbie.   Now, Barbie proudly wears modest jeans and the “Pick Jesus” shirt, and everyone is happy.

Maybe I’m just a self-righteous brunette who is bitter about turning 40.   Truth be told, I was stereotyping Barbie the same way I hate it when the church crowd tries to define what a follower of Christ looks like.  Just because you're bleached blonde, show too much skin, and work in Hollywood, does that mean you can't be a follower of Jesus?  I think not!

The Devil In High Heels?

I still haven’t finished my thoughts about Barbie.  Is she a suitable role model for young girls, or is she the Devil in high heels?

She only comes in blonde.  She only comes in a size 2.  She doesn’t age, and she wears mini skirts that don’t even cover her bottom.  I don’t think she’s into family values.  Sure, she holds a steady job, but other than throwing parties for her friends in the Dream House, she’s not known to share the wealth.  She’s completely self-absorbed in her Malibu world, and the only thing I can find about her that’s down-to-earth is she’s known to go camping.

Barbie appears sweet and innocent, but she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Shouldn’t I just eradicate Barbie from my house right now?   Shouldn’t I protect my girls from this ungodly woman?

Come to think of it, I used to love to play with Barbie.   She was my favorite toy, and my most memorable  Christmas is the Barbie Town House with the three-story elevator.  My mother never banned Barbie, and if she had I would have wanted to play with her all the more.  Sure, I went through a phase when I wore those tacky mini-skirts, but I never died my hair blonde or tried to escape to Malibu.

So, instead of worrying about Barbie, I’m going to tackle more important issues with my girls.  It’s all about picking the battles (and I’ve got bigger fish to fry).

Any Barbie fans out there?  No disrespect, I really didn’t mean to compare her to the Devil.

Barbie And “Having It All”?

Over Christmas, I was reading Abby her newest Barbie book, My Favorite Friends.  She wanted to read it over and over again, and Barbie really started to annoy me.

Barbie is a movie star!  She enjoys playing different roles in all her films.  From a fairy princess to a mermaid, Barbie can do it all!

After working on movie sets all day, Barbie comes home to the Dream House, a swimming pool, and cool friends.  She and Ken go out on a date to her new premier, and life is good ….

By the second time I read it, I wanted to change the story line. 

Barbie is sick and tired of having to do it all.  After a long day’s work, her friends come over and mess up her house, but no one offers to help her clean it up.  Ken wouldn’t know what a broom looked like if one hit him in the face (not to mention, he has commitment issues).

Of course, I didn’t have the guts to tell Abby that Barbie doesn’t have it all.  She’ll figure it out soon enough.  Maybe someday Barbie will pop out a few kids, get wrinkles, and tell Ken it’s time to settle down or hit the road.

For now, Barbie continues to live the dream life.  I can’t decide if Barbie’s aspirations are positive for little girls, or are they just setting them up for disappointment and unrealistic expectations?