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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Faux African American Barbie?

Before I start my rant, let me say I am a lifelong fan of Barbie.  When I was little, I wanted to be Barbie when I grew up.  Not the blond hair, but the boyfriend, convertible car, multiple careers, jet setting, and Malibu home.

When adults would tell me I would be a mother when I grew up, not a career woman, I'd point out how wrong they were, as evidenced by Barbie's life.  My mother, whose main dream for me involved being in a kitchen without shoes and chronically pregnant, was maddened by this.  Eventually she took away my Ken doll so I'd stop playing "career girl with boyfriend".  I just borrowed my neighbor's Planet of the Apes doll, which in some aspects prepared me for actual dating. 

Then there was Growing Up Skipper, Barbie's younger sister who would grow boobs when you cranked her arm.  My mother returned it to the store once she realized what the doll did.

Barbie's had more than her share of criticism if you ask me.  The folks who think she's a bad role model, she's too grown up for a young girl's toy, and her measurements are impossibly unrealistic.

But today I found something that's just a hot mess:  African American Blow Dryer Barbie.  I don't know what they're thinking over at Mattel.

You can check her out in all her glory here.


Notice anything odd?  As in, she's not African American?  Are we back in the 1920s when it was preferable to be light skinned?  Very disappointing, Mattel.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Inflatable Religious Decorations

You know it's coming--Inflatable Yard Decor Season. Yes, right now it consists of ghosts and pumpkins, but pretty sure it will be Santa and reindeer.

I was wondering if they come in a Jesus model, so I did a Google Image Search for "inflatable Jesus". What I found was good for several full-on belly laughs. I give you Inflatable Jesus:

Here, Jesus has lost both his legs in a terrible skiing accident and they've been replaced with a double row of ginormous teeth.  With shrunken legless children situated in their cavities.  Holding hands, of course.

If Joseph was a clown, this is exactly how Jesus would have looked.  He's got killer abs, swollen toes, and a strange Flintsone-esque shorts.


I am pretty sure these are the same ladies I saw on 9/11/02 posing with Ground Zero in the background, smiling.  They really don't pay attention to what they're posing near.  They just want pics for their MySpace page.

At first I said to myself, "Of course this is a joke."  But then I realized there are actually people who make nativity scenes out of marshmallows and haunted houses with a Revelation Hell theme, without intending a joke, so it could be for real.  Which would make it even more hilarious.

The makeup is a nice touch.


This is presumably from a nativity scene.  Or Charlie Brown's newborn brother napping on a yellow mattress while people....what are they doing, exactly?

Oh.my.gawd.  I SO want this one!  It has wormy looking hay, a very evil looking Santa, and an odd red tree, all in one creche scene.  Is there anything it does NOT have?

I have to stop now.  My sides hurt.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

America's True History of Religious Tolerance | History & Archaeology | Smithsonian Magazine

Smithsonian has a fascinating article about America's *real* history of "religious freedom". Click the link to read it--worth the read.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Amazon.com: Sterling Silver GOD'S WATCHING YOU Talking Pendant ©: Watches

Why oh why would anyone want a necklace that says, "God's watching YOU"? Click the link to see the product. Oh my. Some people are really screwed up!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

HOW SPRAWL IS LENGTHENING OUR COMMUTES AND WHY MISLEADING MOBILITY MEASURES ARE MAKING THINGS WORSE.

The secret to reducing the amount of time Americans spend in peak hour traffic has more to do with how we build our cities than how we build our roads....Click the title to read a very interesting report.