Barbie Blunder

Some moron decided it would be a good idea to see what Barbie would look like had she aged with the rest of us and here is what they came up with:

 

Yikes!  Now, let me first say that true beauty is internal and it radiates from within.  All other forms of beauty are external, and let’s face it, if you don’t first have the internal, the external plight is hopeless.  What I mean is this:  if you’re ugly on the inside, it doesn’t matter how outwardly pretty you might appear, because that internal ugliness will shine through and your outer beauty will quickly fade.  We’ve all met people who look gorgeous and then they start talking and you realize they are just plain ugly; and we’ve met not-so-good-looking individuals who start talking and become more and more beautiful as they speak.   

Inner beauty trumps outer beauty every time.

That being said, Barbie possesses no internal beauty because, obviously, she’s a lump of non-living matter.  She has only one source of beauty and that is dependent on how she is made in the factory.  Barbie needs her cute little figure, her perfectly plumped, pink lips, her shiny blonde hair and her dynamite smile to attract not only Ken and GI Joe, but potential buyers as well.  See, Barbie is a tool for imaginative play.  Barbie is a toy and like any other toy, she must appeal to the child.  Now, I ask you, does this aged, non-make-up-wearing Barbie appeal to children?  Not any children I know!

What are parents supposed to do…give their daughters this version of Barbie and say, “See, honey, in forty years you’re going to have no waist, your boobs will sag to your belly button, you’ll wake up looking like you tied one on last night even when you didn’t, your hair will thin and turn gray, and you’ll wet your pants when you sneeze.  Ain’t life grand!”

Really?!?  What child needs that dose of reality to spoil their imaginative play time?  Helloooo?  Does anyone else find this idea ludicrous?  Hell, why not sell some Barbie Depends as an add on, and Barbie hormone pills…and while you’re at it, you better make sure you get some boner-building meds for Ken too, that is, if the makers plan to have him age with her.  I'm not sure, in her current condition, that she could handle eighteen year old, Ken's erection.  But, maybe I'm wrong... maybe we slap some wrinkle cream on her and some bright red lipstick and she could become Cougar Barbie. 

Let’s face it…aging sucks.  We all know it.  We all try to fight it but it’s a reality we face daily…and our kids see us age.  That’s real life; but guess what…kids play with toys to escape real life.  They don’t want to play with ugly, hung-over, fifty year old, sagging Barbie.  They want perky, fun, pretty Barbie. 

Hell, don’t we all?!? ~

 

Heads in the Sand

I was talking with a couple of ladies the other day, discussing parenting and the challenges children face in the world today, etc.  In regards to sex, one of the women said, “We don’t discuss sex in our home because I think it plants a seed in their minds and increases the chance that the kids will want to engage in premarital sex; and that’s wrong.”

I didn’t join the debate at the time, but it got me thinking…

I’m an idealist but I’m also a realist.  I believe in miracles and I also believe in statistical probability.  When it comes to premarital sex, I take a very realistic approach.  Teenagers have raging hormones and they’re entering a stage of life where they often find first love.  When you put those two things together, it usually results in sex. 

There are rare cases, like Tim Tebow, where people have chosen to wait until they are married.  I think this choice is commendable and I support it; however, it isn’t the statistical norm. 

When it comes to parenting and sex, I’m preparing my kids for everything.  The first lesson conveys the hope that they would abstain from having premarital sex.  The second lesson is to teach them that sex is not a tool or a weapon to be thrown around casually; that it is an expression of the love two people share.  The third lesson is to protect themselves through the use of contraceptives. 

In an ideal world, I’d tell them that sex can only be had after marriage…but we don’t live in an ideal world.  By the time they reach sixth grade they already know how it all works.  There is no stork.  Mommy and Daddy have body parts that fit together and make a baby.  Teenagers get pregnant.  Hell, there’s a reality television show about teen moms, none of which are married.  And politicians argue over something called ‘abortion.’  Whether or not we, as parents, discuss it in the home, the seed has already been planted and their minds are filled with questions…questions others will answer if we don’t. 

Regardless of the topic, as parents we have two choices:  either stick our heads in the sand and ignore the real world or teach our children everything we know and pray like hell we’ve taught them enough to empower them to make wise choices.  Smoking causes lung cancer.  Drugs can kill you.  Never drink and drive because you could kill yourself or accidentally murder someone else.  If you’re going to have sex, only do it with someone you truly love and always, always use protection.  These aren’t fun topics, but I think it is our responsibility to engage in these conversations with our kids.

Even then, just as we did and our parents before us and their parents before them, our children will make mistakes.  I guess my hope is that those mistakes are made out of momentary foolishness and not out of genuine ignorance.  Until the ideal becomes the real, I don't think we have the liberty of sticking our heads in the sand. ~