Fun with Barbie

This week both Barbie and I had a birthday. The ultimate blond is 53. I’m thankfully, a little younger. Without going too much into her unrealistic proportions, and her on-again, off-again relationships with Ken and GI Joe, I was stunned to discover I actually have a few things in common with miss size-zero.

• Barbie has changed careers as often as I’ve changed jobs and clients
• Her hair has been whacked, curled, primped, fried and dyed about as often as mine
• When she left Ken, he kept the house, she got the car. (Untrusted “news” source)
• We both bought a bad outfit in the mid-80s based on Moonlighting (see images below)
• At our age, we both have nice legs
• Pink (224) is our thing

Things we don’t have in common? Mattel’s marketing budget, blonde hair,  boobs, and the ability to change nationalities.

I bring up Barbie, because More magazine–a publication for aging women–put together a fabulous birthday photo montage of “Barbie’s Careers Through the Years.” Hilarious, right? More magazine featuring Barbie who never ages! Despite that, the photos are a lovely time-waster for a Friday, and while looking at them I did indeed learn a few things:

• Our children are playing with dolls based upon what women are currently “known for.” (’59 she was a fashion model, ’85 a business executive and ’04 a presidential candidate)
•  My Barbie’s legs wouldn’t bend like they do in the article, so even Barbie gets “Photoshopped” these days
• Barbie clearly likes being a ballerina, as she’s done it more than once
• Maybe Barbie is fit because she works out so much (ballerina, gymnast, Olympic skier)
• Barbie doesn’t stick to doing just one thing, and perhaps that’s what keeps her young

I’ll apply a few of those thoughts to my own life. Enjoy the photos of Barbie’s Career changes and have a great weekend.