Madame President

Let's face it, the girl has everything. From a 57 Chevy to her own jet, and from a mansion to her own horse stable, she's got it made. She's a fairy princess, a S.C.U.B.A. diver, a Hollywood actress, an Olympic athlete, a pilot and a ballerina. She even rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle. And now, Barbie is running for president.

Mattel Corporation, the maker of Barbie, has recently released "Presidential Candidate Barbie." Dressed in pearls and a blue suit, Barbie has her hair styled in a sophisticated blonde bob, a la Tipper Gore, and comes with a campaign pin and her own podium.

But, like so many times in the past, Barbie again finds herself in the midst of controversy. Feminists have recently criticized Mattel for yet again sending the wrong message to young American girls--that a woman must look like Barbie before she will be elected president. They have protested that President Barbie is another example of our society's double-standard: That a man is rewarded for intelligence and hard work, while a women is only allowed to achieve success if she fits our culture's standards of beauty. God forbid we have a frumpy woman president!

But the fact is that the presidential candidate is one small step for Barbie, one giant leap for womankind. Never before has there been a female President doll, regardless of her physical figure or her dress. President Barbie is the same "woman" who can be anything she wants to be--including a wonderful example for young girls. She has certainly come a long way from where she started, as a 1960s fashion model.

Besides, what's wrong with having a good-looking president? Barbie's critics say that she sets an unreasonable physical standard for young women and girls. While most women do not have Barbie's perfect figure, attractive and intelligent women should not be discounted as bimbos simply because they are beautiful. A woman's worth cannot be judged by her looks, good or bad.

Barbie does not set any worse of an example through the way she looks than our real life president does in disgracing his own family and the entire nation through his perpetual distortions of the truth. A man who lies under oath and cheats on his wife with a woman half his age is a far worse role model for American youth, male and female, than a well-proportioned doll. Mattel's efforts to foster a sense of achievement and self-worth among young girls should be applauded.

The development of President Barbie demonstrates that they are thinking far beyond the majority of the American population in realizing that a female president will be a reality in the not-so-distant future. They have even set up a Campaign 2000 website for Barbie, which outlines her campaign platform. Not surprisingly, Barbie is a liberal whose primary concerns are equality, world peace, animal kindness, education and the environment. The site, which is geared toward girls ages 5 to 14, encourages them to think about issues which are important to them. It also features a section devoted to real-life women in government and a daily updated local and national survey.

Mattel could even expand Campaign 2000 in the future by giving Barbie an opponent who supports a different political agenda. Skipper could be her running mate. And once Barbie is elected in November--she'll obviously win--Mattel could manufacture her own presidential accessories. Instead of a "Dream House" she could have her own White House, complete with Rose Garden and Oval Office. Instead of a pink corvette, she could have an Air Force One Jet.

And best of all, Ken would be the First Man.

Allison A. Melia '03, a Crimson editor, lives in Canaday Hall.