[Whitley]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Barbie broke a billion and it did not take long.

Saw it with my daughter Boomette. We both loved it. Entertaining, fun to watch, with a sidelong dose of wicked satire for us grownup women. . .

The satire joyfully mocks the patriarchy.

I guess that’s why those insecure, shorzenabunch types got all upset and ranted idiotically about a cleverly creative movie that also makes a point. They had not done such wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth since that little piece of candy they had been objectifying changed her shoes.

And then came the Barbie movie. Horrors! That too smart for her own good Barbie, with her own house, and her own car, and all those good jobs, and enjoying her life, with a little Ken on the side — how dare she not know her place!

But at the end of the movie, everything works out fairly for all. If only………(sigh)

Anyway, after the movie, I apologized to Boomette because I was one of those moms who wrongly assumed that Barbie was shallow and a bimbo and would send the wrong message to my little girl. It never occurred to me that Barbie was actually a true pioneer woman.

(Of course, Boomette secretly played with Barbie at her friends’ houses. So all was not lost. She is way into fashion though, but that’s OK. She has a couple of degrees and can buy her own shoes.)

If you like Barbie and would like to know all about Ruth Handler, her creator, you probably would like a podcast titled, “Barbie and Ruth Handler: A History.”

You can listen to this podcast, along with a lot of other podcasts about famous women throughout history by looking up The History Chicks. This particular one about Ruth Handler was from a few years ago, but they did a re-run for the movie.

The History Chicks are fun to listen to. Their podcasts go into some fascinating facts. I think most of them run over an hour but hold your interest. They cite their sources and suggest further reading at the end — at least in the ones I have listened to so far. There are a whole lot of the History Chicks podcasts now. They have been around for a while, but I found them recently. Take a scroll through the list. I bet some of them will grab you and then The History Chicks can join you on your next road trip or while you need to catch up on mundane chores or sit around the pool.

Boomer

Hoping we all know that Barbie is a plastic doll. A REAL woman who took control of her life and made her own money is insulted by some of the very posters complimenting a plastic doll.