Barbie and Ruth

The first Barbie (1959) - Mattel, Inc.

Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, was a bad-ass bitch. She pummeled through the toy business and broke gender and financial barriers during a time when many women were busy in the kitchen, and not in the office. I picked up Barbie and Ruth, randomly, on one of my library trips. I hadn't even heard of the book before I saw it. I'll be honest with you - I judge a book by its cover. If it catches my eye, I'll pick it up. If the back cover has an intriguing summary, no doubt it is coming with me to the checkout line. So a book about Barbie, with a smooth tiptoed Barbie foot/leg and curvy pink lettering on the front? -- Mine.

I never wanted to be Barbie. I didn't dream about having long luscious blonde locks. I was happy being a brunette and opting for Barbie's BFF Teresa whenever I went to Toy's R Us. But like any little girl, I did have Barbie-fied green-eyed monster moments.

"It takes a smart brunette to play a dumb blonde." - Marilyn Monroe

My friend C was the queen of all things Barbie. She had all the covetable items, which included: Barbie's Dream House (with elevator) and Barbie's convertible. I also remember her having tubs of Barbies. Not just one or two. She had Mattel's entire collection. A happy jumble of Skippers, Kellys, Malibu, Princess and Business Barbies. Play dates at her house consisted of lavish parties, dramatic fashion shows, intricate love triangles and so much more....it was an imagination explosion.

And even though my parents sometimes spoiled me with toys I wanted -ALL the limited edition Spice Girl dolls- they did not indulge me with what they deemed unnecessary (ha). Stretch your creative mind as we take a walk on memory lane and look back on my Barbie "accessories". At my house, this included my white hamper as the "dreamhouse"- and one of my Dad's old slippers as Barbie's busted up hooptie. I was living the dream, people.

Maybe my experience is different from others, but like I said, I never wanted to be Barbie. I had no desire and did not dream up scenarios where I dressed up in designer wedding gowns and never got married. And maybe I'm just naive to think that a little girl's make-believe doesn't always translate into adolescent psychological turmoil. I remember having fun with my friends and then moving on to play different games. Barbie has gotten too much flack. She's too thin, she's too blond. She creates eating disorders. Blah blah blah.

Listen, if you're going to raise your eyebrows suspiciously in this plastic diva's direction, it should not be, because Mattel just created a new line of "Totally Stylin' Tattoos" (a.k.a. - tramp stamp) Barbies. I am more concerned by the fact that Barbie has been "dating" her gay brother, Ken, for the past 51 years.