What’s With This Barbie Phenomenon?

I hear there is this Barbie phenomenon going on right now. Some smash hit is playing at the movie theaters, but that’s all I know. You see, Barbie has never resonated with me because I didn’t grow up playing with dolls. When I was nine, my mother gave my twin sister and me a Barbie doll. I think she was hoping to feminize her two tomboys, but it backfired. We demolished that doll. First, we twisted off the arms and legs and threw them into the gully like hand grenades. We then tore off her head and tossed it into the neighbor’s yard. Finally, we found a black marker and colored in all of her private parts. My mom didn’t have a lot of money, so that was a true waste of her hard-earned teacher’s salary. We wanted to play army, kickball, and hunt for fossils in the gully. I’ve always thought that dolls symbolized the feminine role that was expected of women. Easy bake ovens, dollhouses, and playing dress up were not for us. We just wanted to play sports like the boys. Gender rules seem to be evolving, but when I was growing up, women didn’t have as many options. Along with participating in gender-based activities, were always expected to smile, cooperate, and not rock the boat. Women were primarily valued in terms of their looks. Look at some of the shows that were popular when we were growing up. Father Knows Best, I Dream of Jeannie, and Bewitched were a few examples of TV shows designed to put women in their place. <a href="https://medium.com/crows-feet/whats-with-this-barbie-phenomena-99287c04a8ac">Website</a>