Volume XXX, Issue 1
1
Volume XXX, Issue 1 The Tennessee Tech University Women’s Center and Commission on the Status of Women
Inside This Issue:
Barbie Dream Gap Project This project is a global mission dedicated to closing the gender pay gap and helping girls reach their full career potentials. PAGE 2
Which Barbie Are You? Quiz Take our quiz to discover which Barbie you are! PAGE 5
Is Barbie a Feminist? With her hyperfeminine appearance that opposes stereotypical ideas of feminism, the question remains: is Barbie a feminist? PAGE 7
Toxic Masculinity in The Barbie Movie The Barbie movie offers a refreshing perspective by using satire and humor to shed light on the absurdity of traditional male gender norms. PAGE 10
Celebrating 30 Volumes of Attune A letter from our director about Attune’s history and growth. PAGE 11
T H E
W O M E N ’ S
C E N T E R
J O U R N A L
A Letter to Barbie Elizabeth Andrews Hi, Barbie! My name is Liz. We haven’t really met yet, but I wanted to officially introduce myself and tell you a little about me. Currently, I am a college student and I work two jobs. When I’m not doing either of these, you will most likely find me catching up with my family and friends. I really wanted to reach out to you and let you know that I just saw your movie not too long ago, and I LOVED IT! In probably too many ways, I related to it, but I guess that was what made me want to reach out. I know we were never that close, even though I wanted to be. My parents didn’t think you were a good influence on me which devastated me when I was younger and saddens me even more now. In some ways, I feel like I missed out on an important friendship, you know? I like to talk to my friends about our childhoods and how my own was filled with playgrounds, hikes and baseball, and at the time, I loved it. Even now, I am sincerely grateful for the opportunities I had, but I have grown to envy my friends who had makeovers and dress up parties and dolls. It just feels like there is a whole part of my life that I have missed out on. In no way am I trying to sound ungrateful for the life I was given or the opportunities I had, but I wish I’d had the choice to do both. I so badly wanted a Barbie when I was young, but my parents didn’t want me to become “too girly” or “too materialistic.” They didn’t want a daughter who was too into her looks, her clothes or her makeup, but as I’ve gotten older, I question: Why is that bad? Why is it bad to
want to feel and look pretty? Did I have to give up playgrounds, hikes and baseball to experience girlhood? Now, at 21, the idea of Barbie represents a child-like longing and desire for an accepted expression of my own femininity. On the other hand, I do think you would be proud of me. I’ve been trying some new things lately, things that might seem silly to most people but have been healing my inner child. I’ve started putting makeup on in the middle of the night, just to take it all off right after. I know I’m not going anywhere, but I get creative with a mean cat-eye. I don’t mind my messy room much anymore because the clothes that are sprawled out on the floor show the time I spent carefully piecing together an outfit that I feel confident in. I also like to tease my curly hair, make it as big as possible and put butterfly clips to add a pop of color. But Barbie doesn’t just stand for clothes, makeup and silly hairdos. Barbie is confidence, determination and inspiration. Barbie can be anything she puts her mind to. With representation like Doctor Barbie, President Barbie and Pilot Barbie, Barbie shows me that I can be whoever I want to be and do whatever I put my mind to. I can be smart, and I can be pretty. I can be strong, and I can be sweet. I am confident, I am determined, and I am inspired by Barbie. I just want to say that even though I haven’t known you for very long, you have still had such an impact on me. I am late to the game at self-acceptance and feeling comfortable in my own skin, but you’ve helped me more in the past year than you will ever know. Thank you, Barbie. Your Friend, Liz