©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com
I found Malibu Barbie when going through boxes after my mom died.
Wearing an aqua swimsuit and big bold sunglasses, Barbie’s missing a small section of her long blonde hair that at some point I must have decided to trim. I have no memory of that and honestly had not thought of that Barbie until I found her tucked tenderly away in a shoebox on an upper shelf of the guest room at my parents’ place. Mom had kept her even as they had downsized and moved. A remnant of my childhood saved by mom.
Today Barbie sits atop a shelf in my study, her legs dangling over the side. Why? Perhaps because she is a part of my childhood; maybe because she beckons me to a time of relaxation, of playfulness, to the beach. But I think the main reason is because my mom held onto her for me.
March 9th is National Barbie Day, and since it’s also the day of her introduction to the world in 1959, let’s take a couple of minutes to think about a spiritual truth or two we can glean from Barbie’s life. Really. (Barbie-bashers, stick with us; you may be surprised!)
Envisioning the Future
Ruth Handler, co-founder with her husband of the toy company Mattel, Inc., came up with the idea for a doll that would allow girls to dream of the future and what they could accomplish in it.
While watching her daughter play with paper dolls and using them to act out roles, Handler thought a place existed in the toy world for a doll to open the minds of girls to imagine who they could become.
Inspiring Dreams
Women throughout America couldn’t even have their own bank accounts or have a credit card in their own names at the time Barbie bought her first house in 1962.
Barbie has more than 200 career pursuits to her credit including soaring into space as an astronaut in 1965. That was four years before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. She’s also been a CEO, robotics engineer, firefighter, Air Force pilot and surgeon among other career roles.
Recognizing Value
Originally only $3, a Barbie in mint condition today can go for as high as $25,000. My Malibu Barbie isn’t worth anything to anyone else with its damaged hair, its discolored leg, and without its original box. But the memory she brings to me is knowing my mom, who loved me unconditionally and supported my dreams, chose to keep her for me.
God sees value in us, even when we’re not in perfect (or good) condition. Even when we’ve got bruises and scars. His love is the most valuable thing we can ever experience.
Changing the Image
Many may not be aware of Barbie’s complex origin. The Bild-Lilli doll, whose appearance Barbie was fashioned after, depicted a “high-end call girl,” a flirty “floozy” originally portrayed in a German comic. As a gag gift, the Bild-Lilli doll was sold in tobacco shops and later at newsstands. Although marketed to adults and originally bought by many men, the doll eventually ended up catching the eyes (and playtimes) of children too.
As the story goes, Ruth Handler and her 15-year-old daughter Barbara spotted the Bild-Lilli doll in a shop window while traveling overseas. Barbie became the official nickname for the doll who became the namesake of Handler’s daughter.
Mattel bought the rights to Bild-Lilli and opened the door for Handler to put the past of Bild-Lilli behind and to create a new doll with a fresh look and outlook.
The rebirth of the doll that subsequently became known as Barbie reminds us:
What we once were doesn’t have to be how we remain when given new life by our Creator.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NIV
No matter our background or the circumstances we’ve found ourselves in, we can be changed by our Creator and Savior if we put ourselves in His hands.
Continuing Growth and Change
The development of Barbie didn’t just stop with her initial transformation from that racy and risque doll Bild-Lilli to a child’s popular playmate. Sure, her outward appearance did change. Barbie lost the heavy makeup of Bild-Lilli, and her “feet” weren’t stuck in painted stilettos but were free to be barefoot or to wear a variety of footwear choices!
The changes in Barbie would continue over the years, both in physicality and in lifestyle. At her creator’s hands, she was able to incorporate skill sets not only to broaden her career choices but to motivate and encourage others. Her persona grew to embrace those of different experiences, physical abilities, races, and cultures to stimulate hope and dreams in the lives of youngsters and the young-at-heart in some 150 countries around the world.
From that one Barbie born anew and remade as her creator envisioned, now an estimated 58 million Barbies end up being purchased every year.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 NIV
Is Barbie perfect? No.
Nor are we.
But thankfully our Creator is.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18 NIV
While it’s interesting and fun to learn about Barbie’s creator, the Creator I hope we all come to know more is the One who fashioned the world.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:4-6 NIV
God alone has the power to change us, to recreate us, to give us new life, and to continue to develop, grow and sanctify us.
When we stay connected to Him and allow Him to continue to work in us, we will be able to live in such a way so that others will look at our lives and see the impact of the Creator in us.
- Did you ever own or play with a Barbie? If so, which one(s)?
- What in God’s creation have you experienced this month that most reflects His plan and purpose to you?
- How have you changed in the past year to look more like the person you believe God wants you to be?
- While God is Creator, He also holds many other roles in our lives. Which ones come to your mind right now?
- What steps can you take today – with God’s help – to become more reflective of the image of His Son, the Christ?
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 NIV
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV
Remember…
Life is Better When It’s Full – Joy-full, Thank-full, Purpose-full and Friend-full! ™