or One of Her Friends
 |
| "Barbie" and some of the clothes I made for her. |
When I was growing up, I had toys. I
had dolls and stuffed animals. I had a bike and a tree swing. And I
had the ever important sticks and rocks. But I didn't have any of the
TV or popular toys. That was until my older sister got one for her
birthday from a friend. She got a Barbie. I was only four at the
time, but I understood the importance of this doll. There was status
associated with having a Barbie.
It was my older sister's doll for a
long time until it eventually got passed down to me. I loved “my”
Barbie. Many hours were spent playing with this grown up doll.
However, eventually “my” Barbie became my younger sister's
Barbie. That was okay with me because I understood that she was a
family toy.
So recently when my mother was cleaning
up and found Barbie, I was thrilled that none of my sister's wanted
her. They said I could have her. However, they told me she wasn't
Barbie. She was Midge, Barbie's friend. No, that couldn't be. I made
them prove it to me and they were right. All of these years when I
thought I had a Barbie, I only had her friend. It shouldn't have a
difference, but it did. I felt like I had come in second place when
only the first place got a prize.
My reaction surprised me that something
so long ago of very little consequence still meant a lot to me. But I
guess some things never change. We all want to fit in one way or
another and having a Barbie made me feel like I fit in in an
important way. As an adult, I can convince my grownup self that
things don't matter--actions do. However, my young self still wishes
that I had had Barbie and not just her friend.
I had a friend that grew up next to the real Ken and Barbie. The real Ken and Barbie were nice and no, the real Barbie did not look like the Barbie doll. I knew that you would be interested in this tidbit. This story is almost as interesting as the time I met one of the Pips of Gladys Knight and the Pips. I'll tell you that another time.
