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Her.meneutics is edited by associate editor Katelyn Beaty and online editor Sarah Pulliam Bailey.

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April 14, 2010

A Higher Calling Than Barbie

Why do women want to be represented by a plastic doll?

Alicia Cohn

Last week in a coffee shop, a complete stranger felt compelled to show me an article in the local newspaper. It was an article about career-oriented Barbie dolls. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that a recent poll on Mattel’s website asked people to vote on what career the next Barbie doll in the “I Can Be . . .” category should have.

Barbie.jpg

“Mattel gave them a choice of architect, anchorwoman, computer engineer, environmentalist and surgeon,” the WSJ reports, resulting in more than 600,000 votes during a four-week period. “Girls the world over overwhelmingly cast their ballot for anchorwoman Barbie. . . . But by the end of the first week, a growing flood of adult votes for computer engineer Barbie trumped the popular choice. Female computer engineers who learned about the election launched a viral campaign on the Internet to get out the vote and ensure Barbie would join their ranks.” Both dolls are now available on the Mattel website.

The kind, quirky woman brandishing a page out of her newspaper seemed far more excited about Barbie’s new career aspirations than I did, but the WSJ story suggests that a lot of women feel strongly about the symbolism of Barbie. What is it about these dolls that women take so personally?

Perhaps I would be more interested if Barbie’s career path more closely mirrored my own. In Ohio, a female Episcopal priest recently took that matter into her own hands, creating her own version of career Barbie: the High Church Reverend. Although she’s not available for sale by Mattel, this Barbie has attracted 6,000 friends on her Facebook page and a story by the Religion News Service last week.

My first thought on reading about the Rev. Barbie was hesitation over the idea of encouraging girls to “aspire” to priesthood. Isn’t that a calling rather than a career?

Then again, any career path we take should be God-ordained, regardless of where it goes. “I Can Be . . .” sounds inspiring on the surface, but the drawback is that only God’s aspirations will fulfill our heart’s desires.

That day in the coffee shop, the article sparked a conversation on the controversial topic of Barbie as a role model. “I thought for a minute she was talking about Mattel making a Barista Barbie,” I said to the other barista there.

“Nobody thinks girls should aspire to be baristas,” she replied. I didn’t argue with her, because I knew she was probably right. But that’s silly, because even though there might not be a plastic icon to it, it is entirely possible to have a profound impact on the people around you no matter where you are or what career you have.

There’s something compelling about an iconic representation of who we are. But a plastic doll can, of course, represent only the most tangible qualities: she is defined by what she does (her career) and how she looks (much has already been written about that). Even the Rev. Barbie is only characterized by the physical tools of her trade: her clothes and the items of her sacristy.

It may not translate well into plastic, but the Christian life is defined in far different terms than “I can be…” For instance: “I am the righteousness of Christ” (1 Cor. 1:30). And “I am the seed of Abraham” (Gal. 3:29). Our relationship with God is not a status accessory. It’s a good thing for us that the Barbie standard is manufactured, and that Jesus didn’t wait for us to measure up to save us.

We can’t expect Mattel to represent faith in plastic, or to encourage girls to look for a calling beyond a career. Yet evidently, Barbie continues to have an impact on female culture and childhood imagination, and so I wonder: How do intangible qualities such as faithfulness and wisdom connect with girlhood dreams of being a grown-up woman?

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Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey on April 14, 2010 9:13 AM

Comments

Barbie - and Ken, although he isn't featured in this article - are icons of the humanist trinity, i.e. "me, myself, and I". It is no surprise, but deeply distressing, that these dolls have such an impact on many of us as children, and even into adulthood (not to be mistaken for maturity). Intangible qualities such as faithfulness and wisdom will connect childhood dreams with grown-up realities when we cease catering to the "buff and busty" values of modern American society.

Posted By: John | April 15, 2010 2:45 PM

I believe that these qualities relate to being a grown -up woman because we need to wait on the Lord for our calling. He has a special job for each of us. It may match our desired calling, or educational background, or it may be a totally different calling. This article about Barbie brings up many issues. The world will always try to make you feel as though you need to listen to your desired calling, and thus become successful as a result. This includes making a ton of money, climbing the corporate ladder, etc. What if God wants you to reach out to children or the elderly, and the paycheck is not big? I believe that you must be willing to make that sacrifice.

Posted By: Claire R. | April 16, 2010 10:08 AM

It is indeed an unpopular notion that the husband is the head of the wife, that authority in the Church rests in the male, and that women are to learn in godly submission. But this does not mean that the Christian church should listen to the wisdom of the world, for it is not wisdom at all. Like it or not, the Scriptures teach that eldership, and pastor ship, is to be held by males. This is not to say that women aren't talented or even able to do their jobs in the church better than some men. But practicality does not trump doctrinal truth. We need to be faithful to God's Word.

Women are, unfortunately, underappreciated, underused, and undervalued in the church. They contribute so very much to the smooth running and well-being of the sacred community. Nevertheless, whether men like it or not, they are the ones responsible in the church to teach sound doctrine, to refute error, and to lead an a godly manner. But, when they don't, then women pastors and elders are evidence of their failure.

Posted By: Linda | April 16, 2010 11:48 AM

I have no problems with Barbie. She's a doll, plastic,
breakable, dressable, playable, etc., etc. just like any other doll. She's also collectible. She represents an adult doll while a baby doll represents a baby doll and does what a baby doll does, uses a diaper, drinks from a bottle, crys, burbs, etc. Sometimes adults make too much of toys, sometimes adults make too little of toys when they can truly represent danger like a toy gun, which I'm not against but kids need to be taught that a toy gun can be dangerous. Kids need to be taught that Barbie needs to be dressed appropriately although dressing the doll as a hooker is better than the kid dressing as a hooker. Let's put our emphasis on teaching the kids to be good kids as they play with Barbie like any other toy. And, I would love a Barbie dressed as a minister, what better career for a little girl to grow into, to follow Jesus as a life long committment.

Posted By: Original Anna | April 16, 2010 2:41 PM

Great article! Thanks for the insight into the Barbie conversation. I am thankful for the words but I struggle with a team of female engineers pouring that much time and energy into rallying against a Mattel campaign. Part of the Barbie problem is that we consistently give Barbie our attention. If we stopped caring so much perhaps she would begin to fade a little bit more into obscurity. I rarely meet a woman who honestly says that Barbie shaped her identity. Cute as all the little gimmicks are, they are just that, gimmicks. There is a very real world out there where the business attire and briefcases make a difference in people's lives far beyond plastic. I would love if we could keep pointing them toward real women rather than worrying about how plastic is portraying those real women. Barbie is a real issue indeed but one that I fear we put too much energy into fretting over. Thanks for the conversation, fun stuff.

Posted By: Tracey Bianchi | April 16, 2010 3:35 PM

I have no problem with Rev Barbie. Maybe she has a calling from God and not just a career. What's wrong with the way she's dressed? She looks like a minister to me. Can't women ministers be dressed in professional clothes as male ministers are? And if God happens to make them buff and busty, that's God's choice.

Posted By: carol | April 16, 2010 5:31 PM

What if a young girl aspires to be a wife and mom? Is there a barbie for that? There would probably be an outrage about "limiting" women's choices, when in reality, it is a valid and noble choice too!

Posted By: LizC | April 17, 2010 11:17 AM

Barbies are a bit silly, yet ultimately harmless. So, why not Rev. Barbie? Spritually mature people know that the verses prohibiting women from leadership in the church were for that specific period in time and not for all time, just like the verses on slaves obeying their masters. As for faithfulness and wisdom, children will learn them when the parents emphasize them.

Posted By: K. | April 18, 2010 10:32 PM

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