Recently I read an article titled "The Barbie Battles." The name immediately intrigued me, and I started reading, not surprised to find the article focusing on the negative images that the media foists upon your girls. Girls as young as seven and eight are dieting, concerned that they don't fit the Barbie mold of beauty as defined by today's society.
And isn't that sad?
While it isn't strange that commercials, television shows, and movies influence our definition of beauty, it strikes me as more than distressing that little girls, second and third-graders, are worried about their sizes, the shape of their noses, the color of their hair. Will they be the next victims of the "boob job" fix that I wrote about in an earlier year's post?
I admit, however, that I was disappointed when the author stated, "Help children understand what defines real beauty." Just another "Beauty is on the inside" cliche, I thought. I was wrong. "This isn't just the talk about how beauty is only skin deep. This is the discussion where you give your child the tools to recongize their own divine heritage, individual worth, and priceless self-identity."
Wouldn't it be great if all of us, whatever our ages, had a real comprehension of our "divine heritage, individual worth, and priceless self-identity?" Wouldn't we all be more apt to make decisions based on those eternal principles rather than the fleeting qualities of youth and looks?
Joy for today: understanding eternal values and letting go of those of the world.
Sounds like a great article. I also think I heard recently that Barbie is getting a makeover as to not be so disproportionate.
ReplyDeleteYou mean like not breaking off at the waist if she were real? Yeah, nothing like realistic role models. Here's something they won't fix: Barbie will still have nothing between her ears. Not that I feel strongly at all.
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