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| I'm a Barb-ie girl attending a Barbie movie |
This weekend, inspired by the recent blockbuster movie and a lifelong love of the doll that originated about the same time I did, we are, temporarily, Barb-ie Tea Service. We come bearing some of our favorite Barbies as well as our opinions on the long-awaited Greta Gerwig film that pays homage to the fashion doll that broke barriers while always being well-accessorized.
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| With sister-in-law, Sandy, we were Barbie girls this past weekend. |
Yesterday, along with my sister-in-law, Sandy, I went to see "Barbie" and, unlike "Oppenheimer", the movie I saw the previous weekend, I had to put some thought into what I would wear to the theater. It had to have some element of pink, of course, but also some Barbie-esque accessories. To accompany my pink sweater and pink and white flowery blouse, I donned pink sunglasses, a necklace with a pink flower pendant and a pink ribbon bracelet. Barbie would approve!
The movie is sweet, goofy, funny, outrageous and even has a few moments that tug at your heart. It certainly brought back memories from my childhood as well as when the pink baton was passed to my daughter, Rachel. In that span of time, Barbie had taken on many more professions and was skating on neon yellow rollerblades.
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| My first Barbie, bubble cut, has held up well for several decades. |
My first Barbie was the "bubble cut" edition. These dolls, according to the on-line Fashion Doll Guide, were made from 1961 to 1967 and replaced the original ponytail hairstyle with a fluffy bouffant. I'm guessing I must have received this long-coveted doll (at least a year, as I recall) around 1966, and - considering all the years I've had her- she's held up quite well.
I also had a Francie, Barbie's "MOD-ern" cousin. According to History.com, Francie came onto the scene in 1967 to reflect the modern fashions and swinging bands coming from London. I LOVED Francie. She was adorable and way cool, and, in a bit of departure from the legions of fair-haired Barbie's, she had big brown eyes and long brown hair.
But, along with my other prized Mattel dolls, "Tutti and Todd", Barbie's younger, twin siblings. and their ice cream parlor, Francie has been long gone from my collection for decades. (If I had saved all of them in their original boxes, eBay tells me, I could pack my bags and take a fancy trip).
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| Front and center, a brunette Holiday Barbie. |
In their place, once we were blessed with Rachel, and with the aid of my "enabler" Mom, we purchased Barbies for a new generation. Along with the Holiday Barbies, which like my Francie of yore, has one brunette in the series, I also started to veer into that collector's realm and bought a few for myself. Most, again, according to eBay, have not yielded high returns (but, still better than all those Muffy Van De Bears).
In the big scheme of things, though, it's not really about the financial ROI, - the big payoff is the true joy they bring to big and little kids, whether they're five or sixty-five.
And, that's why I was so excited about the movie, and like the wild fur coat and gold lame boots my Mom bought for my Barbie back in the 1960's, it exceeded expectations. A story about moms and daughters, glamour and independence and the hilarious challenging of the patriarchy (which, it is sadly discovered, has little to do with horses), it moves so quickly and cleverly through real and imagined, you will once again believe in the magic of Barbie.
***spoiler alert***
Rachel and I discussed the Barbie movie and, aside from our mutual "like" of the film, we both had a shared pride in never having possession of a "Weird Barbie". We respected our dolls and never cut their hair of colored them with markers.
We also agreed, one of the best scenes in the movie is the depiction of "depressed Barbie" who, dressed in unfashionable sweats, spends too much time on her smartphone and too many hours watching "Pride and Prejudice" -specifically, our favorite film-adaptation, with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.
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| We vote for "Chillax Barbie" who takes it easy and watches Jane Austen |
So, following suit, after the movie, I became what I would like to call "chillax Barbie" and I summoned up an old film adaptation of "Persuasion". Barbie is still inspiring. ; )
And, for those who take issue with Barbie the movie, we recommend the wisdom of the crew of MST3K, ". . .repeat to yourselves, it's just a show, I should really just relax".
And, for more Barb-ie tea service, see our video on YouTube:
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