Why I Never Wanted To Be a Barbie Doll

As a little girl who loved dolls and the land of make-believe, I would play for hours with my Barbie doll. I had the Barbie camper and the Barbie house and I had all kinds of adventures with Barbie. I would make her go camping and make her take her little sister Skipper with her. I always made sure that Skipper was annoying. At times, Barbie would even visit her grandma, named Mrs. Beasley. It was fun when my cousin would come over and then our imaginations could take us anywhere and make Barbie do anything we wanted her to do. Until one day, the realization came to me that I’m never going to be a Barbie Doll.

Why? Because Barbie was tall, thin, blonde and always had the coolest clothes, friends and shoes. She had a nice car, home, camper and anything else one could ever wish for. As I grew older, I realized the influence a simple Barbie doll had on girls, including me. Everybody wanted to be her. There was a false world created which made me believe if I had the attributes of Barbie, my life would be wonderful, maybe even perfect. I would have it all. However, it eventually dawned on me there were very good reasons why I never want to be a Barbie Doll.

First, she had no brain. She was controlled and manipulated to only do what other people wanted her to do. She was never able to think for herself or share her own voice. She had no opinion or ideas. She had to wear what other people chose and wasn’t allowed to have her own taste. Her friends were never real. She always had a fake smile, but was never able to be authentic. She never cried. She never got angry. She could only speak the words which were put in her mouth. She would never be asked for ideas based on her intelligence, but only because of her looks. She had to endure insane amounts of pressure because she was always expected to be perfect. She could never eat anything she wanted because of the fear she wouldn’t fit in all those clothes. She could never go barefoot. She could never have a bad day. Let’s face it, she had no real life. She was a fake.

Barbie taught boys that breasts should be an obsession and anyone who didn’t fit the mold should be treated like garbage. She made every girl who was different become filled with insecurities and develop a poor sense of body image. She made girls believe they were incomplete if they didn’t have a boyfriend. She made boys believe girls are stupid and could never be successful in occupations such as CEO of a corporation, or even an airline pilot.

Something good Barbie taught me was to quit constantly comparing myself to everyone else. As perfect as she seemed, she wasn’t. She had her own imperfections and so do I. I’m a whole lot better at being me than someone else’s toy. I love having my own ideas and the ability to choose what is best for me. I don’t want men to look at me as an object, but rather as a woman of intellect who can make a difference in the world. I do not want fear to be my constant hindrance to moving forward. I want all of my relationships to be honest and authentic. I don’t want to have to wear high heels every day. I want to enjoy ice cream once in a while without guilt or shame.

God never expected girls to become a Barbie Doll. We are not mass produced. Share on X God created each of us with a unique design.  Each of us have our own unique mold. We may have similarities, but every fingerprint is different. Barbie was just a doll until the world made her more. She is a counterfeit the enemy has used to distract, confuse and make us lose our perspective on what is real.

Keep this in mind. Barbie was never real, but YOU are made in God’s image, not Mattel’s.

Psalm 139:14-17 (NLT)
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!