I have to admit that growing up, I never really "got" Barbie. My younger sister had platoons of semi-dressed and naked Barbie dolls all over the house. But despite the evident sexuality conveyed by her pulchritudinous charms they always seemed asexual to me. My own daughters flirted with the phenomenon in the mid 90s, but again, Barbie seemed like some unattainable perverse ideal . In the era before internet bullying, Barbie induced many a case of bulimia and self loathing in young women who didn't come anywhere near the physical ideal she represented.
Now comes the Barbie movie. I have to admit it will be a guilty pleasure to see Greta Gerwig's take on the Mattel icon. It can't hurt to have Margot Robbie in the title role! In a strident post feminist world, Michigan governor Gretchen Witmer has a Governor Barbie doll and glories in its signing legislation. In her case, may we anticipate a President Barbie in 2028?
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