My Childhood Role Model was a Plastic Doll— Nothing Has Changed

It’s astounding how a tiny figurine with plastic fingers and breasts was more alive to me as a child then any other human. All throughout my childhood my idolize conception of a role model came from my favorite doll: Barbie.

Throughout majority of my childhood I had few role models or people I looked up to. Growing up I found, being an eldest child, That I had no person to look up to and to give me guidance into what I felt my adulthood would look like. I never felt comfortable as a child as I was always an adult in my head. The frustrating part was that every time I look in the mirror my mind never matched my body, which was more similar to that of my classmates than the idealized conception of my tiny, plastic role model.

I know that today and even back when I was a child that Barbie had a negative stigma that associated her with the damaging side of the beauty industry and sex appeal. I believe that I stuck with her being my role model in private rather than publicly claiming her because back then it was more common to hear that a family member or some elder figure in your life was to fill that role. I never felt any truly fit my description of a role model, but rather my plastic friend did.

What I liked most about Barbie and why she resonated with me as a role model, was that she was an adult woman who was entirely in control of her own life and held many occupations, none of which held her back from achieving success and fame. Today I still look towards these aspects of my day-to-day life as I start my journey into new projects and fields. I don’t think that I would have the mindset nor the courage to go after my dreams and aspirations, even as a change across time, without Barbie being a part of my life. she was and still is considered to be an icon for controversial feminine topics, most of which revolve around sex and the sexualized stigma that is her appearance. However, I choose to look past these superficial dramatizations of her appearance and focus more upon her accomplishments and character, as that is how I would like to be treated by my peers.

With a newfound change in the conversation surrounding the brand of Barbie, especially with the help of the documentary Tiny Shoulders on Hulu and the launch of the Project Dawn campaign, I felt it important to necessary to discuss my three lessons that Barbie taught me in my childhood that I have brought with me into my adulthood.

The first lesson that I ever learned from Barbie was that as a woman I am capable of doing anything I desire, but my desires are not without consequence. Barbie over her long career, since 1959, has held a plethora of jobs most of which are held by a patriarchal majority. This notion has since giving me nonstop inspiration and confidence to ensure that my life as well lived regardless of what I do, and more importantly that I can do anything I set my mind to so long as I am willing to put in the hard work to get to where I want to be.

The second lesson I learned from Barbie is that a reputation is important but it can’t be changed over time. They say it takes years to build a reputation and second to destroy, And I don’t think this could be more true for a brand like Barbie. This became especially evident after watching the documentary Tiny Shoulders, in which viewers gained a in depth look into what a powerful brand can accomplish over many decades. The documentary made it incredibly evident that even with a strong and powerful name backing a message, occasionally that packaging has to change in order to keep getting the message across to the people who need it most.

The third and final lesson that Barbie taught me is that strength is often found within and that beauty is subjective, however, together both can be a powerful weapon for women of any age. What was more important and incredibly evident to me as a child, was that Barbie would never compromise her integrity just to appease another, but she also knew when to admit her faults. This characterization and humanization of the doll that I had in my bedroom prove to me to be more of a honorable and reputable human than anyone else I knew. Nothing has changed for me.

Though I no longer have a Barbie doll, I do carry on these life lessons into my adulthood as I venture into new career paths and begin to feel unsure of my decisions. Barbie has, and will always be, a controversial topic point and role model to me.