It's hard out here

If I Could Turn Back Time

I would have an excuse to play with Barbies. Mine were always divorced. The Ken dolls were set aside so that the girls could get into their red convertible and go shopping. Foreshadowing? Perhaps.

(Although recently I have reconsidered my feelings about playing with the Ken dolls, and would love to have one like the one above, maybe with an Italian accent)

In any case shopping for one of my "sobrinas" on-line I realized that the Barbie has developed quite a bit since my last foray into the genre 11 years ago, when a friend gave me the Puerto Rican Barbie (in criolla attire, suitably light-skinned) for my (very) belated quinceañera party. Now I see that they have: President-elect Barbie (a white and a black one), NASCAR, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Teresa, the Hispanic one, is a beautician complete with a blowdrier (el beauti!!!), the ethnic ones include South African and even Spanish (in a flamenco dress, naturally), a Kimora Lee Simmons and a  Beyonce (but no Oprah, Condi, or Ivana Trump, what?!), a Hitchcock The Birds Barbie complete with attached birds attacking the doll.



But the best is above, "1980s Bob Mackie Cher" as she is called. Proof positive that gay men are designing these dolls. Which is why I love them.