Dear Barbie,
I recognize that it’s insane to write a letter to a plastic toy, but I feel as though I owe you an apology. Like Justin Bieber, Twilight and Ugg Boots there was a period of time where I thought it was cool to hate you. I want to shoulder the blame on my own but, we both know that my hatred towards you wasn’t entirely my own.
We live in a society where traditionally feminine media is looked down upon because, instead of making the world a better place for women, many choose to seek acceptance from men. And all of a sudden people hated the color pink. They hated dresses. They hated heels, frills, and bleach blonde hair. They hated you Barbie. I hated you Barbie. Because, that’s what men wanted women to do.
The thing is that you are flawed. I don’t want to say that you aren’t because, in the past you had a history of problematic behavior. You used to come in only one shade of skin and a perfect size zero. But, recently I saw a Barbie who looked like me; and I knew that my hatred towards you wasn’t simply criticism.
You have evolved into the embodiment of what it means to be a woman. You come in different sizes, disabilities, and nationalities. You are able to wear heels when you want, you are able to wear flats when you don’t, you have a career, you have the guy (Honestly, I’m waiting for you to get a girlfriend too), a dream house and anything else in this world you want. You are bonafide proof that women do rule the world. There’s movies that I’ve watched with my sister where you stand toe to toe with misogyny and prove that a girl can do whatever a man can.
And that’s why, Barbie, I want to say that I’m sorry that I’ve projected my insecurities of being traditionally feminine in a man’s world onto you. I hope the next time that I find you in the Dream House with a sister, a daughter or just passing by, you know that I’ve learned to love you again.
Love,
Destiny