Barbara Millicent Roberts turns 50
People are very interested in the fact Barbie is 50. But it is not only to praise the icon for her long run. When Mickey turned 50, he got a lot of applause. When Barbie turned 50, she got … menopause jokes.
In the British Times on 7 March, it was give Barbie a push-button menopause with comments like “Menopause Barbie could have push-button hot flushes, and empty-nest Barbie a whole new career as her testosterone levels rise and her youthful uncertainties fade and she starts, Thatcher-like, to speak her mind.”.
On Canada.com 12 March, Elizabeth Payne welcomes the over 50’s to the “age of invisibility”. In this piece, Ms Payne is addressing Barbie and the apparent Barbie clones amongst us whom she claims think ”their value was all about how they look” . She cautions that the value of that particular commodity drops rapidly after 50 so they better start using their brains. I think she got the age 50 confused with the year 50. No-one born in 1959 thinks that their value is all about their appearance nor do they think being over 50 means, by definition, they are any less attractive.
But it begs the question of how women are defined in society. You can’t even turn 50 without the subject of your reproductive status being mentioned! Let’s see what they say about toy boy Ken when he turns 50 in 2011!
