Like a lot of little girls growing up, we were told messages that liking “girly things” meant that you were vapid, weak, and all around less than. Being told that you did anything “like a girl” meant that you were doing it wrong. Hearing that you were “not like other girls” was seen as a compliment. The anti-female rhetoric was taught to us alongside the civil rights movement and social justice, the growing mental health crisis and social-emotional wellness, and the many LGBT+ movements, but somehow, hating on women was still perfectly fine. It was so insidious for our culture for so long, it was just accepted as normal, a joke even, so stop overreacting you feminazi!
Being female/feminine was seen as unfortunate. Nothing exposed this moral failing more than wearing the color pink.
And Barbie wore pink.
But in my adult years, I started challenging people who said anything derogatory about women. Not in a confrontational way, but more with conversation provoking questions, like, “oh what did you mean by that? Do you think that could be perceived negatively?” or reframing it like, “Would you say that someone cries like a POC? What if instead of ‘girl,’ we used your name?” I’m not sure how many minds it changed, but I’m sure it at least got people thinking. Also around that time, Dove released the “Like A Girl” campaign with the same sentiments. Things were changing!
I realized that I was proud to be like other girls, and that I had to make it a point to have more female friends. Women have to stick together because every institution is trying to tear us down. Being female/feminine is a ✨privilege✨! I painted my bedroom pink, wear bows in my hair, and don dresses more often than not.
However, my disdain for Barbie remained. In my mind, she was a symbol of the feminine ideal designed by the patriarchy. Even after her body was redesigned to a more realistic shape, my mind was made up. No matter her size, Barbie was hurting little girls body image.
Then the Barbie movie came out.
I don’t know what compelled me, but I wanted to see that movie so bad, out of sheer curiosity. What sort of story could they make for a dumb doll? Of course, I saw it on the opening weekend, and cried in the theater several times. I guarantee with all my soul that this is going to be a timeless movie that affects generations to come. The movie was a love letter to the unparalleled strength, grace, and empathy that women possess.
America Ferrera gave a great speech in that movie:
Accentuating her femininity, Barbie lived in a dream house that was entirely pink. This was no man’s house. Ken did not even have a drawer to himself there. Barbie’s car was unabashedly hot pink, and wasn’t a minivan to haul her children around to their extracurricular activities. Her life wasn’t tied to a husband, she didn’t raise any children, and she didn’t support anyone but herself. Since the 60’s, Barbie has had every job a man could have before real women could even have those jobs. No wonder people wanted little girls to hate her, she’s living our dream life!
But you didn’t come here for a movie review!
Since I’ve watched the Barbie movie, I’ve been wanting to incorporate more pink into my wardrobe. No spoilers for the movie, but there is a point where all of the Barbies (and Alan!) are wearing matching pink jumpsuits as they save Barbieland.
I’ve had a drab jumpsuit for the past 6 years that was given to me by a former teacher at my school, and I only used it once as a Ghostbusters costume. Since then, it’s been sitting in my Moonflower bin awaiting a new life. Well Barbies, I think we know what I need to do with it.
Because it wasn’t pure white, I was worried that the color wouldn’t mix well with the dye, so I bleached it first. Luckily it is 100% cotton, so it should take the bleach and the dye very well (famous last words, as you’ll see).
Unfortunately after the bleaching, a few holes emerged. But that’s okay, we can fix it in post, as they say.
Moving on… each box of red dye is good for 2 lb of material, which I think is exactly how much the jumpsuit weighs. I had 2 boxes on hand: petal pink and scarlet, so I decided to blend them and see what happened! Rit recommends adding a cup of salt and a tablespoon of dish soap for natural fibers, so all that went into the pot too.
Once the jumpsuit was in the pot for about an hour, simmering on the stove, it was time to wash and dry it. The box says that it’ll be darker when wet, and you’ll know the true color when it’s dry. However I have a feeling we’re working with a red jumpsuit rather than pink like I intended.
When it emerged from the dryer, I was glad to see it was actually a very pretty rosy pink. But that joy was interrupted by …
Some emergency problem solving needed to happen STAT. I got my French Curve and tried to cut away everything unsightly without sacrificing modesty! It just barely made it, and had to become a sleeveless halter rather than a short sleeved affair.
And here it is!:
I’ll be honest, I’m not in love with it, but I figured it’s worth sharing the experience anyway. All Barbies make mistakes! The Barbie I grew up with was perfect and flawless, but this new Barbie is an icon for having grace with yourself after fumbling the task. That’s something we should all work on.
So what do you think of the jumpsuit? Is there something that you would have done differently?
And also… Have you seen the Barbie movie yet? What did you think?
Later!
❤️~Madeleine
Moonflower DIY 