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Debbie Kish's avatar

I loved my Barbie. I never gave a second thought to her oddly small waist. Actually the Barbie I speak of isn't my original Barbie. I traded in my red bubble head Barbie for a bendable moded in the late 60's. A marketing "trade in plan " from Mattel. I just Googleed it. It was 1967. Trade in old Barbie plus pay $1.50. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was so excited to go to Atlantic Thrift to get my new bendable Barbie. Plus old Barbie had a deformed foot so her shoe never stayed on that foot anyway. I'm guessing my brother did it, messed up her foot. He broke a lot of my toys back then or maybe I just blamed him....ugh brothers.

When we were youger we'd go to a place called Discount Harry's, mainly to purchase pool supplies I think. They also sold toys and I'd go right to the Barbie cloths. Even back then I was a fashionista. I played Barbies with my neighbors. I made outfits for Barbie that I had sewn by hand. I made her a flying nun outfit. I had a Barbie car. It wasn't the pink corvette of today but a turquoise roadster convertible with a red roll bar. I had that car until I moved in 2014 and sold in at one of my moving yard sales. But not my Barbie. I still have my her. I have her sister Skipper. Im not sure if I still have Ken. They are all in my black Barbie case in my bedroom closet. Which brings me to pink. When did Barbie go pink? That wasn't the case in my day. I'm not a pink girl. In fact my least favorite color. Maybe if I was of Barbie age today I wouldn't love Barbie like I did back then. I guess someday I'll part with my Barbie or maybe I just let her live forever in my bedroom closet and my kids will sell her at my Estate sale along with about 5 or 6 "Collectors" Barbie s that I purchase in my adult years.

My Barbie memories are good. I never thought about the negative effects that we hear of today. Those were simpler times. Yes, she was perfect with a tiny waist perkey boobs and great legs. I never worried about trying to mold myself in her image. She was just a doll I played with. A toy that gave me lots of fun and my love for clothes

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Julia Williamson's avatar

Barbie was never a thing in my life; I never owned one. I’m sure plenty of her cousins lived in my small New England town, but my friends and I didn’t have a lot of time for them. We were tomboys in a Venn diagram with jocks and brains. Who had time for fashion?

If I could create my own perfect Barbie, she’d have a buzz cut. She’d sport a bunch of tattoos, have a bunch of kids, and drive a hybrid minivan with feminist bumper stickers. She’d have plenty of hot pink accessories, of course: water bottle, cell phone, Crocs and glasses. She’d have a dozen pairs of glasses, because middle-aged Barbie is always setting them down somewhere and forgetting about them.

This Barbie doesn’t wear heels. This Barbie spends too much time online. This Barbie has a crush on Idris Elba. This Barbie will have the sushi, please. This Barbie misses Nirvana. This Barbie is solidly unbranded. You couldn’t market her if you tried.

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