Us Girls Live in a Fantasy

Waist not an outfit, Barbie with her slip-on shoes, fairy-belts; plush hair, sometimes in ponytails. Forget-me-not her impossible figure. Why do some suppose that Barbie should be fat or ostracised? So what we dream in fairytales! So what, feminity is only skin deep and doesn’t include secret places. Us girls always knew what was there. It’s all pretend. We live in a fantasy. So what, Ken is not the doll he’s cracked up to be. He still represents those others, when we were too young or shy to approach those males. I loved my Barbie dolls! I didn’t have enough - my aunt had a whole boxful that I’d play with on yearly visits. I had a Barbie wig, the kind for a doll’s head. Missing a wig that just happened to be at my neighbor friend’s. She said it was hers…it could have been. I didn’t believe it then…do I believe it now…I do if were meant to stay friends, even at a distance, because I might fight for a boxful, but a wig - that’s just ridiculous. Even in swimsuit stripes, Barbie is striking. She bares her shoulders. She has those long, luxurious legs. I’m short, but I can have fun dressing her up. I must buy my wardrobe on the spot, if it looks good; if it’s a good fit. But Barbie, she can wear anything. She was better than paper dolls though I still enjoyed dressing them. Barbie can be dolled up or wear a tweed suit. She can have a modern do, wear gloves and a hat. This trending doll grooves through the ages, changes colors, hairstyles, and outfits. Lastly, covid inspired a book idea, for Karen Feder, Barbie Takes The Catwalk. I saw this Mattel doll in my library’s oversized book collection… I had to bring it home, as if it was a puppy dog.