The
Barbie movie would have you believe that the world of little girls was
changed when the Betsy-Wetsy doll was replaced with Barbie in March 1959. No longer were little girls destined to be mothers caring
for, feeding, and diaper-changing baby dolls when they could use all
their talents and become grown-up Barbies who could be astronauts,
Pulitzer prize-winners, or even presidential candidates — AND mothers.
That's
a lovely dream — a pat on the back to Mattel for their prescience and
feminine foresight. The problem is, it's not quite accurate.