Barbie Is Fifty

Sometimes when I watch the evening news I find myself somewhere between shaking my head searching for sanity and scratching my head wondering if there is any sanity. On March 9th the Mattel Corporation celebrated the 50th anniversary of their best selling toy, the Barbie doll. In covering this event the evening news spoke of this long time American icon as if she were an actual person. They even showed an artist rendition of what Barbie might look like if she was fifty years old. “I’ve got one word for you… plastics.” Barbie is and forever will be a stylized caricature of the shallow world of fashion. Barbie is neither the standard of beauty nor the idealized representation of womanhood. She is a plastic toy that facilitates dress up play for little girls. O, I’m not naive enough to think that Barbie hasn’t contributed to a shallow view of beauty by a youth oriented society… but she is just a doll… and ultimately overpriced plastic!

So is this just Barbie bashing or is there an important spiritual lesson embedded in this nonsense? The answer is resolute in that godly women who grace our pews and anchor our church family have well demonstrated Peter’s exhortation, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair and wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is great worth in God’s sight (1 Peter 3:3, 4).” My mother’s legacy to my sisters was, “Pretty is as pretty does.” Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder but “real” beauty emanates from within. Look at the great art of the world and you will quickly see that the standard for beauty is ever changing and cannot stand the test of time. Only that beauty that flows from the heart springs eternal. Ask any youth who they think represents beauty… Twiggy or Marilyn Monroe and you’ll get a blank stare. Who is hot and who is not is a social quicksand that no one can stand on for long. Beauty is a spiritual state of mind that is produced when we instill in our children the love of God and the security of their worth in His eyes.

Now, don’t get me started on G.I. Joe… suffice it to say, may God bless all our families with those who mentor our youth by true examples of beauty and strength that are filled with the Spirit and centered in Christ. Thank you lovely ladies for being so lovely and gentlemen for being so gentle! -DAN