Last week, Isabel and Julia cleaned and reorganized all of her Barbie Dolls. I would say that this made Julia fall in love with her Barbies again. However, prior to that, she seldom looked at, much less played with them. Girls playing with Barbies is such a polarizing issue better left for another time. I am pretty ambivalent toward Barbie. Suffice to say, we inherited a huge lot of them, and we put them out there in the playroom. The world around her is so over abundant with things that will warp her self image it's hardly likely that Barbie will be the linchpin.
That said, last night she committed to a full Barbie fashion show. This involved many of the dolls, all of the clothes and shoes, and a spotlight (i.e a mini flashlight). I was two rooms away polishing my nails and listening in. One doll was trying to talk another into walking the runway in a Mandarin style dress. The persuading doll says to the reluctant one, "Look, it's Chinese style. You love Chinese food, and all of your toys are made in China. It's the perfect dress for you." Apparently, that was all the reluctant doll needed. She wore it to great cheers and fanfare.
