Barbies are taking over our household, with naked plastic limbs spilling out of cars and bedrooms. Anna is at a fever pitch of excitement today because *gasp* Barbie Fairytopia Legend of the Rainbow arrives tonight via Netflix. She won't say Barbie Fairytopia. It's always 'Barbie Fairytopia Magic of the Rainbow'. It's impossible not to laugh when she says 'tonight we get to watch Barbie Fairytopia Magic of the Rainbow'. Breath.
Thanks to Netflix we don't have to own these things, just borrow them. They get a lot of air-time, and while pretty nauseatingly pink and blonde, there is often a 'girls kick ass' message instead of the usual Disneyesque boy meets girl, which is good. Barbie 'Mermaidia' features a surfer girl, and an interview with Stephanie Gilmore - the #1 world ranked female surfer. That is something my Teeny Wahini can get excited about.
I can't believe I'm describing the finer points of Barbie movies, but such is my life. Anyhoo, they do get requested a lot, by both girls, and despite me concluding that they had a positive overall message, they seem to have a subversive underbelly. Case in point, Lucy's vocabulary:
No = Mo
Yes = Shesh
Bellybutton = Beyn
Please =Peez
Orange = Unge, not to be confused with,
Lunch = Untch
but,
Barbie = Barbie. Barbie! Peez TV Barbie!! Possibly the only world she has so far mastered.
This week at school Anna was the 'shining star'. Picked completely at random it basically means she gets to be 'interviewed' and her responses, along with favourite photos are put on the classroom noticeboard for all to admire.
Some sample questions:
- I am proud of myself for?
- Something you like about yourself?
- What are you goals for the future?
Anna's responses:
- My blue eyes
- My golden hair
- To be nice
If she'd have said 'world peace' I would have fainted on the spot. LK told me off for 'coaching' her on her answers to produce a slightly more acceptable:
I stand by my editing. She was beginning to sound a bit like a barbie, and by that I mean Klaus Barbie. Those answers were one step away from 'I love being white and I believe Islam to be a cancer on the Western world'. I did coach a little in terms of 'perhaps you should say something you've been proud of achieving, instead of proud of being'. Much eye-rolling from LK, which is why the 'blue eyes' comment remains - but most of her class can't read, only the parents, and I did not want everyone to think we were the Ayrian supremacists of Kindergarten.
It should go without saying, but perhaps it doesn't - we are not rocking the 'Master Race' at home by the way. LK's Lederhosen are strictly for play.
As usual, I'm over-thinking things. What would you have done?
4 comments:
Ha, ha. I'm laughing my a$$ off at this.
I know what you mean about the whole Barbie thing. My daughter is too young but I watched a Barbie movie with my niece a couple of years ago and I definitely was impressed by the strong, capable female characters. But still. . . it's Barbie, you know.
I don't know what I would have done. Hopefully I'll be homeschooling so I'll have my own issues to figure out. Good luck!
It can be educational watching things like the Barbie animation shows. It made me aware of a whole B List of voice actors, writers, animators, etc. They're not bad and occasionally they have a great scene. But there are weird absences too. Sorry I can't think of a good reason. (But that's because I haven't watched one for about two years. Yay!!)
I would totally have coached the shining star response. What are you proud of 'actively doing' is not much of a nudge after all. Do you feel a little stage-mother phase coming on?
Awesome details, many thanks to the writer. It is incomprehensive to me now, but in common, the effectiveness and importance is frustrating. Thanks again and fantastic luck!
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