Bad Mom: Bad to the Bone

Cue up George Thorogood and the Destroyers because Totally Stylin’ Tattoos Barbie is making her debut. Of course, it only makes sense: Barbie turned 50 this week. Poor thing had to do something to cheer herself up. I’m simply relieved to know she’s older than me.

Some parents are in an uproar about the whole tattoo thing. Other parents are buying body-art Barbie faster than you can say, “You want to do what with that five-headed needle?”

Bad to the bone.

Let’s face it, Barbie is not cool in feminist or Christian camps. Feminists think Barbie is degrading and presents an unattainable standard of beauty. Christians think Barbie sexualizes our daughters far too early. But in truth, I just don’t care. I mean, she’s a doll right? And no one is forced to buy her.

B-B-B-B-Bad.

Maybe I ought to make a confession: I absolutely loved Barbie when I was a girl. And I bought Barbies for my daughter when she was young. Between us, we had California Barbies and African-American Barbies, red-headed, brunette and blonde Barbies, Barbie cars, Barbie houses and even a hip Barbie RV. (Okay, maybe not “hip”. . . ) And, yes, we had Kens aplenty (though everyone knows that big brother’s GI Joes make more interesting boyfriends.)

B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone.

All that is to say, this Bad Mom thinks Barbie is getting blamed for a lot of stuff she’s not responsible for. I see the 11-year-old girls in my middle school classroom. They wear more makeup, have more boyfriends and try to get away with shorter skirts and deeper necklines than any Barbie on the market. You tell me that’s Barbie’s fault?

Bad to the bone.

While I’m at it, I might as well make another confession: my family has more than it’s fair share of tattoos. Whether I personally have one is none of your business. But I guarantee you, it’s a growing trend among the feminists, the Christian women and the Christian-feminists I know.

B-B-B-B-Bad.

So, here’s a thought. What if we just focus on raising our little girls to be little girls, until they’re actually not anymore? Maybe that means we don’t buy Totally Stylin’ Tattoos Barbie. Or, instead, maybe it means we don’t let them wear makeup at age 10. It might even mean we build real confidence in them, rather than simply bemoaning their lack of healthy self-image and age-appropriate sexuality, blaming it on a plastic doll that won’t be in our house if we don’t pay $22.99 plus tax for it.

B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone.

There. I’ve had my say.

Caron Guillo thinks Barbie got a rotten deal when they made her undergo breast reduction a couple of years ago. Visit Caron’s A WORK IN PROGRESS blog.