BARBIE DOLLS R US

BARBIE DOLLS R US

"... a doll I can carry, the girl that I marry will
be." or "I'm gonna buy a paper doll..." are lyrics
from two 20th century musical "salutes to womankind".
What they tell us is that we are *constructs* of man.
We must be small, cute, perky and shave our body hair
so we continue to be children. Our attributes must be
the attributes that our culture requires and approves
of. It neither wants nor requires brains and ability
from woman.

Someone once wrote that if there was any logic, men
would ride sidesaddle and wear skirts. Except for the
hardy Scotsman, our culture does not support such
logic. Traditionally, males have been wearing clothing
that allows them comfort and freedom of movement. Even
in the fanciest dress, the tux, he wears substantial
shoes and clothing that allow him to react adequately
to an unexpected danger.

Women's clothing was and still is restrictive. A dress
may reach to the floor or barely cover her butt but it
still restricts. Her shoes are usually flimsy, poorly
made and with heels which not only restrict her but are
also extremely hazardous to her health. Women's cloth-
ing is designed and intended to render her helpless.

Men mostly dress alike. Suits vary from brown, black
and shades of gray. Ties may come in a variety of
colors and designs, but the male dress, almost the
world over, is a uniform -- it is our culture's *desig-
nated-person-apparel*. No such conformity can be found
in woman's dress, short of a school uniform or military
attire (and these too discriminate between the
genders). Little boys are dressed in uniform early on
and shown to be "just like daddy." Little girls are
food: "sugar and spice and everything nice" and are
dressed like dollies.

Our culture works on many levels to divide women from
each other. It accentuates and encourages differences
by its support for the "fashion" industry and the women
who genuflect to it. It has caused us to believe that
there is no fate worse than being seen in a dress that
is identical to that worn by another woman. When this
happens, the embarrassment of each woman is acute. We
are well trained to compete with and find reasons to
hate and disparage other women.

Wouldn't it be just great if the two women, who found
themselves at a dance in identical dress, would just
look around them and point at all the males, all alike
in their penguin suits, laugh uproariously and give
each other the high five?

It won't happen. That would take guts and independent
thought. Women are too well trained. Our culture's, not
so subliminal, messages program, condition and control us.
Our responses show that most women are not equipped to be
thinkers and do the world's work as men have been doing
for thousands of years. All they are interested in is what
they can heap on their bodies in the form of cloths, jewelry
or cosmetics. Right? How can one possibly trust such
childish creatures to raise children?

How much of what you and I are, or think we should be,
is the construct of our culture or society? We, who
have worked outside of the home, know that even now,
when there is more tolerance, if a woman wants to get
ahead in most jobs, she must wear a dress. The pant-
suit or jeans give us the freedom of movement and
comfort AND COVERING that our jobs demand but our
culture denies us because of our gender.

Why do we hide what we are with makeup? Why is the
necessity for hair enhancement or destruction, a woman
thing. Are we ashamed, or have we been made ashamed,
of what we are -- woman? We often hear women say, "Oh,
I don't do this for men, I do it for myself. I like
the way I look. It makes me feel good. Never mind:
*`I enjoy being (considered all my life) a girl!'*"

However, when women really think about it, many come to
the realization that their feelings are culturally
induced. Some rationalize by thinking, "we get
Brownie-points for constructing ourselves to fit the
mold that our culture has preordained. Hey, let them
call me what they wish because I can manipulate men and
their world and get what I want without effort."

The question is, who is doing the manipulating here?