the great leslie

Mattel reported a 15% rise in profits in the second-quarter due to global sales of your favorite plastic doll and mine: Barbie. The feminist voices roared in my head as I thought of all the little girls in the world brushing her blond hair, matching her little outfits, and putting on her little plastic heels. This is my knee-jerk reaction. But you want to know the truth? I LOVE BARBIE.

I loved playing with Barbies. I made her furniture. I organized her closet. I kept her shoes in a little pink box and I never lost a single one. When I was in middle school, our house had a bar with shelves underneath. It was in a relatively remote corner and I had all my Barbies (and a Jem) there. I didn't have a Barbie Dream House, but I had the hot pink metallic Corvette, the Barbie gym, and a Barbie-sized parrot with reversible wings that my father brought back from a trip to California.

I spent hours playing with the Barb, Ken, and Skipper. I had a rocker (she danced when you pressed a button on her back), a Malibu, a silver-spangled Rodeo Barbie. I had clothes for all occasions and my Barbie was especially well accessorized. I couldn't pull off leg warmers, but she sure could.

Astronaut Barbie is still my favorite. She had a shiny pink suit, moon boots, and an air-tight helmet. I thought she hung the moon.

The thing about Barbie is that she's a real woman of the world. Sure, she's got unrealistic curves and a perfect plastic body. But, unlike celebrities of the same description, Barbie did stuff. She was a doctor, a sister, an astronaut, a dentist, a baby-sitter. She worked. She worked out. She made food in a kitchen and had a pet parrot. She could have dance parties and go out in the Corvette with Ken. The options were endless.

Barbie could do anything. Now, girls can create the Barbie of their dreams at BarbieGirls.com. It's all about "fashion, fun, and friendship." You can design your own character, then her room, and then go to a Barbie cafe to meet other Barbie girls. It's the ultimate hang-out!

That Barb, she's everybody's dream girl.