In defense of Barbie doll

Everyone loves to hate Barbie dolls and blame them for every character fault or psychological disease affecting young females, but I'd like to say, I find that a little unfair.

Yes, it's true that Barbie doesn't promote very high values but it's not shown to prevent children from developing them either. It's true that Barbie is unnaturally slim, but then most dolls are somewhat disproportionate. Barbie lives surrounded by glamor and far from worries, and it's only fair, I think, to admit that's how a few of us would like to live.

I'm pretty sure that teenagers and young women suffering from anorexia stemming from a desire to look slimmer would find inspiration in flesh and bone celebrities rather than a plastic one. And those who're actually affected in their decisions and perception of life by Barbie, probably have deeper issues in which blaming the dolls is like shooting the messenger.

That's how I see it, anyway. What I do hate about Barbie dolls and all its paraphernalia is its price. Then again, you can't blame a businessman for wanting to make money, do you?

Clean and clear

Lately I have decided to introduce some little changes (*) in my life. They're very little and essentially harmless in the sense that they don't change the way I approach the things that normally (and naturally) happen, it's just that I've changed one little end of it. Actually lots of changes have been taking place in the past year or so, but these might be a little offbeat - or at least that's what I think because it's not something one normally discusses in polite company.

I only want to make it clear that I'm not fighting capitalism, the big corporations or saving a ton of money. It's not a revolution, not a political statement, and I'm definitely not feeling like the part of a subculture or counterculture or anything too radical or different. It's just evolution, and if I wished other people did the same, then I rather keep it for myself.

Preaching just won't take you nowhere.

(* I'm using this and doing this)

Monday's post

For last Monday I had a post ready on Hello Kitty and Sanrio, and the wisdom of targeting young girls but at the same time targeting moms by sending them to a trip down the memory lane, but after the weekend wave of disasters that are hitting Japan I thought it was a disrespectful thing to say.

Maybe there's something more on topic to say about Japan.

Image from here.

These days I'm loving...

These days I'm loving Gmail and IGoogle's Tea House themes. A Google (of course) search taught me I'm not alone in this infatuation (probably I'm not alone on anything), and I've joined the ranks of those following the little fox through his (hers?) daily chores.

(All the images were taken from this post here, because I'm so impaired with non verbal tools that I can't even take them out for myself. I altered the names though).

Someone even wrote a poem for this theme, that you can find in this other post here.

The Tea House theme is surprisingly soothing and relaxing for a collection of imagery of lovely characters doing things. The unexpected intersection of cute and zen.