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In this short post, a mother reflects on why the Barbie doll cannot impact on her daughter anymore!
I used to be scared of Barbie.
Then I became a mommy to the most wonderful, impressionable and sensitive little girl. She is seven now and loves to play with dolls. Barbie with her hyper-sexualized body parts and emphasis on appearance, was making me highly uncomfortable. She represents the trap of ideas that a woman is only of use if she is pretty.
Until I grew up. Until I looked at how my daughter looks up to me . Until I realized that I have the edge here, because I am and always will be her primary role model. I will be the operating system she will download and the point of reference she will always internalize.
Barbie doesn’t stand a chance because with this in mind, I try.
I have run two half marathons in two years. I am a physician and I regularly bring my daughter to my hospital to show her where and why Mom occasionally gets delayed. I write and I have even started my own website . My home is an equal opportunities area – my husband is a wonderful partner to me (who plays badminton and occasionally quills with his daughter). My daughter and I bake, walk and most importantly, talk about everything . She knew what a period was at the age of 3 and she is very comfortable with (and proud) of the fact that she was breast fed until 5 years of age.
Most importantly, though, I am raising her to be the best version of herself – she has no need to be a wife or a mother unless she chooses to.
Barbie can’t hold a candle to me, because in everyday life I try very hard to impress on my seven year old the value and joy of being authentic and creative. With no room for the preening and primping and passivity that this foreign doll implies.
And with that reflection I am okay with my daughter bringing home this doll .
Because Barbie, you don’t scare me anymore!
Barbie dolls image courtesy Shutterstock
Megha is a physician , a mother and an avid gardener. She did a course in Mindfulness Meditation in 2009 and has applied those principles to transform the way she lives and works .She is convinced read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Menopause is a reality in women's lives, so Indian workplaces need to gear up and address women's menopausal needs.
Picture this: A seasoned executive at the peak of her career suddenly grapples with hot flashes and sleep disturbances during important meetings. She also battles mood swings and cognitive changes, affecting her productivity and confidence. Eventually, she resigns from her job.
Fiction? Not really. The scenario above is a reality many women face as they navigate menopause while meeting their work responsibilities.
Menopause is the time when a woman stops menstruating. This natural condition marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. The transition brings unique physical, emotional, and psychological changes for women.
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