My sister warns me to watch the Barbie
influence on my daughter. Body image
develops early. She doesn’t like seeing girls
imitate the plastic visage of beauty,
that breasts should swell like balloons,
that legs should extend into the throat, that
hair must be blond and yet this afternoon
my daughter paced the toy store aisle cat-
like, deciding between surfer Barbie
and president Barbie, race car Barbie
and astronaut Barbie, pilot Barbie,
doctor Barbie and scientist Barbie.
And though I agree with my sister’s fears,
my daughter picks Barbies based on career.
