Barbie and happiness
Jan. 9th, 2004 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miriam_eTwo interesting things:
Today my sister Sue bought a Barbie book for her youngest daughter (Sophie is Barbie-crazy). I chuckled derisively and started reading it aloud in the car on the way home and I have to say I was astonished. Not only is it extremely well written, but it is full of empowering ideas. This was a great suprise to me as I tend to think of Barbie as little more than shallow exploitation. Here was a book aimed at very young children, but which didn't shy away from large, multisyllabic words, had Barbie carrying a torch in her purse, unfazed by the building being thrown into darkness, and able to find a fuse box to fix it. She chatted with royalty as if they were old friends on the opening of a new hospital for children. The story even ventured into morality and the causes of antisocial behavior -- a guy stole some jewels so that he might be able to afford to get medical treatment for his son. I was gobsmacked! When I was a kid we had books about Jack fetching water from a well and a cat that sits on a mat.
The other interesting thing I wanted to note here is that there seems to be some tentative evidence that happiness grows brain cells. Looks like the puritans and fundamentalists got it even more wrong than is generally thought. Self deprivation is not only not a good thing, it would appear to be positively retarding. (To be completely honest here, the research I'm basing this upon notes that there is a link between depression and a lack in production of new brain cells. It actually couples absence of depression with proliferation of new brain cells. I'm extending this a little bit further in a way that seems fairly obvious to me, though there is the remote chance that I'm not completely warranted in that.)
Heheheh :D
While I'm writing this one of the big green tree frogs is walking up the outside of the window stalking moths. This is sooooo cool. I love this place!
Today my sister Sue bought a Barbie book for her youngest daughter (Sophie is Barbie-crazy). I chuckled derisively and started reading it aloud in the car on the way home and I have to say I was astonished. Not only is it extremely well written, but it is full of empowering ideas. This was a great suprise to me as I tend to think of Barbie as little more than shallow exploitation. Here was a book aimed at very young children, but which didn't shy away from large, multisyllabic words, had Barbie carrying a torch in her purse, unfazed by the building being thrown into darkness, and able to find a fuse box to fix it. She chatted with royalty as if they were old friends on the opening of a new hospital for children. The story even ventured into morality and the causes of antisocial behavior -- a guy stole some jewels so that he might be able to afford to get medical treatment for his son. I was gobsmacked! When I was a kid we had books about Jack fetching water from a well and a cat that sits on a mat.
The other interesting thing I wanted to note here is that there seems to be some tentative evidence that happiness grows brain cells. Looks like the puritans and fundamentalists got it even more wrong than is generally thought. Self deprivation is not only not a good thing, it would appear to be positively retarding. (To be completely honest here, the research I'm basing this upon notes that there is a link between depression and a lack in production of new brain cells. It actually couples absence of depression with proliferation of new brain cells. I'm extending this a little bit further in a way that seems fairly obvious to me, though there is the remote chance that I'm not completely warranted in that.)
Heheheh :D
While I'm writing this one of the big green tree frogs is walking up the outside of the window stalking moths. This is sooooo cool. I love this place!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-01-09 09:55 am (UTC)barbie
Date: 2004-01-19 03:27 pm (UTC)After reading about Barbie I got to thinking about my own Barbie experiences. When I was I think in the 3rd or 4th grade my mother bought me a Barbie. I think in the hopes of getting me more interested in "girl" things. My "aunties" immediately took it over and spent a good few hours playing with it. After I was able to retrieve it, I think I played with it for a few hrs then it made it on to the toy box lid. It then languished there until some girls down the street wanted to play Barbie's. My poor mother made me a bed for it and hand sewed clothing for it. She even bought me a carry case and i think a little house for it. I try-ed piercing her ears once not being able to figure out how to attach her earrings with out them falling off. My Barbie then developed green ear syndrome. As I recall I think I kept possession of that Barbie until I was about 20 or so and was cleaning out the closet when I came across her still tucked into her home made bed, green ears and all. If I remember correctly that was about the time it finally made it into my nieces hands.
Thank you for the jaunt down childhood memory lane it was pleasant.
Jenna