ATL
Since the live action Barbie movie dropped on Friday, there have been several think pieces on the pink phenom. And for good reason. Barbie has been a household name for generations. When a production company goes so far as to cause a global shortage of pink paint, it is going to make waves. It, like its predecessors before it, is also going to inspire. Lori Andrews shared the story of how Barbie laid the pinkprint for her successes in The Telegraph:
“Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Barbie For 43 Minutes” was probably not the best choice of titles for this review pic.twitter.com/DPSveSPMoi
— Jason Jones (@jonesville) July 23, 2023
When I was 7 years old, Barbie was my first doll that might need a job instead of a diaper change. I imagined my Barbie as an archaeologist or a veterinarian or, a few years later when the space race began, an astronaut. Her future was unfettered.
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At age 10, I wrote a complaint letter to Mattel — and got action. They sent me a new Ken head with blond plastic hair. By popping the heads on and off, my Barbie could have two boyfriends — a wise, balding older guy or a somewhat clueless but hunky surfer dude.That experience could have inspired me to be a bigamist. Instead, my successful complaint letter led me to consumer advocacy.
And advocate she did. She went on to chair the board of the Human Genome Project, fought employment and insurance discrimination, and wrote a social network constitution meant to rein in snooping tech giants like Facebook.
As SCOTUS and other lawmakers roll back civil rights protections and diversity initiatives, the make up of our country’s universities and law schools will change over time. Affirmative action has been pivotal in increasing the amount of women in higher education. There is no doubt that Republican groups will try to make the most of the recent Harvard and UNC affirmative action decisions to spite sue law schools that admit too many racial and sexual minorities. And though there will be lawsuits that fight for whatever remains of affirmative action, it will be important to encourage a culture where young people see themselves represented and able to self-determine their futures. Seen in that light, maybe the vitriol against the Barbie movie makes a little more sense.
