I came across an ad for Barbie Dolls in the Kmart Christmas catalogue this morning. To see the image of a four-year-old girl behind three sexualised dolls makes me wonder... have we reached the stage that for a girl to remain untainted by a sexualised culture, must they essentially refrain from Barbie Dolls, pop music and teen magazines? But these are normal things! It is not as if we are dealing with porn magazines or illicit websites. Music, dolls and magazines - these are everyday realities... school playground talk!
We cannot simply "ban" girls from Barbie dolls, Dolly Magazine etc. That would be ridicuolous. The challenge is to build an alternate culture that is equally as attractive.
Girls WILL respond to the message that they are Princesses destined for goodness and purity. Girls will respond to the message that they are creatures of beauty, a mysterious beauty, whose bodies deserve respect. God has set within us a femininity that is powerful and tender, fierce and alluring. If girls come to understand the gift of their femininity, an 'alternate' reality is possible.
I wonder if there is a market for courses similar to those of June Dally-Watkins, with a focus on elegance, class, ettiquette and modesty. There is definitely a market for quality teen magazines.
I look at the first Barbie Dolls. Maybe we could bring back the "vintage" Barbie dolls... dolls that know what true elegance and style is!
There is SO much potential. If girls come to know the gift of their femininity, elegance and style will flow...
Ash xx
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