Friday, July 13, 2007

I believe in girls

We all grew up with Barbie. My favorite Christmas memory is the year that I got the Barbie townhouse. It was spectacular! I came running down on Christmas morning to find it there, in all of it's pink plastic glory! As a child, I played with my Barbies until their hair stood out in a big blonde ratty afro. Now, with four girls of my own, I get to relive my Barbie memories. A few Christmases ago, one of my daughters got the Barbie fashion mall. I think I got more joy out of putting that beauty together than she has ever received from playing with it. I guess to a very real extent, we never outgrow Barbies, and hopefully, we never outgrow our girlhood.

That's why I am so excited about Mattel's new campaign for Barbie. It's called, "We Believe in Girls." Basically, it's about celebrating girlhood, that precious innocence of being young and feminine. Check it out here: www.webelieveingirls.com. I think our culture encourages girls to grow up way too fast. Pigtails give way to highlights and pink jumpers yield to belly shirts. Girlhood is great, and it's time we let our little girls celebrate it. Join me in a girl revolution. I would love to hear your thoughts.

3 comments:

Carianne said...

Hi, Hannah,

This web-site is a good idea and I'm glad Barbie is finally catching up with American Girl! They (AG) are truly what girls (and Moms) love and they have been going strong for twenty years with books and dolls, and recently, movies. No, I don't work for them : )

Bonbon63 said...

Yes, they do grow up way too fast. I have a 13 year old daughter and it seems like yesterday she was asking for a coloring book or new outfit for her Barbie when we went to WalMart...now it's eyeliner or the newest CD! And this is the age too they distance themselves from you. Somedays it really tugs at my heartstrings that we'll never go for a walk, holding hands, to throw rocks in the creek by the house or pick daisies. She'll never sit on my lap again for "one more story". We won't play Barbies or Candyland or watch Cinderella together. I'm a sentimental person myself and that doesn't make it any easier to let go of these things...but that's part of being a mom I guess. So if you have little ones, enjoy every moment you can. I was fortunate to be given the chance to do it over again with Morgan, my now almost 4 year old, but she's growing up too fast too. Hold their hands as long as they'll let you!

Hannah Keeley said...

That last comment made me cry!! How true. I remember the last doll that my oldest daughter received. I remember her holding it, and I knew that would be the last one. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it.

The stories, the paper dolls, the braids and bows,..Gosh, I miss it with my older girls (14 and 12).

Girlhood is so precious! I'm so happy that I get to do it again as well, with Klara, who is almost four and Kenna, who is 18-mos.