It’s A Barbie World

It’s a Barbie World

Barbie is the most popular fashion doll ever! Millions upon millions of these dolls have sold in the last fifty years. And on this day in 1959, Barbie was born. Mattel toys cofounder Ruth Handler created the doll after watching her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls. Ruth named the new toy “Barbie,” after her daughter. Then she introduced the doll at the 1959 American Toy Fair. Barbie was a hit from the beginning.

Even today, Barbie remains popular. Mattel says 90 percent of girls between the ages of three and ten own a Barbie doll. More than five hundred Facebook groups have been created to honor her. Older women seem to like the doll even more than young girls do. One woman in Germany claims to have the world’s largest Barbie collection with over six thousand dolls. She hopes to eventually own more than ten thousand Barbies. Over the years, Barbie has had 108 careers (including Olympic-medal winner, engineer, model, and four-time presidential candidate) and fifty different pets.

More recently, Barbie has come under attack. Critics say the doll creates an unrealistic body image for girls. One fashion model posed to show how many cosmetic surgery procedures she’d need to look more like Barbie—she stopped counting at ten. Another woman actually had over fifty surgeries in an attempt to look like Barbie. That’s sad.

The truth is, God doesn’t want you to look like Barbie. He wants you to look like . . . well, you. Genesis 1:27 reminds us that “God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female” (HCSB). Think about that: you are created in the image of God. The Creator’s image is reflected in the diversity and differences of people’s appearance. Look around. God doesn’t make cookie-cutter creations. He makes each person unique with different hair color, nose length, body size, eye shape, and lip fullness. So instead of looking in the mirror and desiring to look like Barbie or a famous model, be content with how you look . . . because you’re beautiful.

Daddy-Daughter Time

Believe it or not, dads can struggle with their image too. Not everybody can look like a bodybuilder or a professional athlete. Go stand in front of a mirror. Take turns looking at yourself and saying, “I like me just as I am, because God created me this way.” At first you may feel silly, but as those words leave your mouth, know that you’re speaking the truth.

What’s The Word?

God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.   Genesis 1:27 (HSCB)