Why does everyone take themselves so seriously these days? I woke up to this stream of consciousness having suffered through the Barbie movie–suffered being the key word. I still can’t get over how disappointed I was. And, this is NOT because I take Barbie so seriously. In fact, that was my main issue with the movie: why couldn’t it just be fun, like Barbie was (was being the operative word, depending upon who is playing)?
I’m pretty sure that young kids, ages 2-10, are not concerned that Ken might be insecure, or that Barbie doesn’t have a real vagina. Can’t we just leave well enough alone and let Barbie be in high school, or playing house, and she is just nice, happy and pretty? Why does she have to be in the “real world” fighting for her rights and depressed?
Yes, there can be “Weird Barbie,” but there can also be “Barbie Extra,” who is popular and extra, donning a plastic designer raincoat and oodles of jewelry and hair extensions. And, what about Skipper, the meddlesome little sister? To me, they missed the mark on what’s fun about Barbie, and we, too, are missing the mark on having fun today.
For example, I think about my children’s camps and sports. It used to be that camp focused on the outdoors, building trust and friendships, making God’s eyes, and singing songs. It did not emphasize empowerment, social issues, and being heard. There was such a thing as competition and tug of war–things that still exist in the real world. Not everyone gets a medal just for showing up, nor do they get promoted. This may be a disservice to them later.
Social media is also confusing and not fun. On the one hand, a woman who is thin, yet bodacious, with plumped lips, a blow out, and party curls gets a million ‘likes’ for just dancing to six beats of a song. Yet, we are told to support everyone and love our beautiful, curvy bods? Um, last time I checked, the awkward kid didn’t get likes for pointing to the camera and smiling, so the messaging doesn’t add up.
Listen, I am happy that we have moved forward and eradicated many arcane and oppressive beliefs. I also support and encourage everyone’s voice. But does it have to seep into everything we do? Can’t playing dolls just be about that–playing dolls? All this man’splaining and woman-‘splaining, or they-‘splaining is taxing. See? We writers now have to worry about pronoun inclusion, even if it’s grammatically incorrect. I just want to relax. A little bit, please?
I don’t know.
Am I not being fun?
What do YOU think?
I get this. 🙂
Thank you. I was worried, kind of, about posting this, because of the backlash and the SEVERITY with which we view everything. So I am glad it resonated. 🙂