Change is in the air!

Since today is the second day of … well … SOMETHING, change seems to be a good topic to discuss. Rumor has it that it is actually a "new year" when everyone is deciding how life will be different from the old year, despite the fact that without a calendar no one would even notice the difference … unless one counts a sudden snow storm. But somehow that seems completely appropriate to a culture that has quickly become defined by how many different types of the same thing we can manage to live with, usually with an obligation to PICK one over another without going insane.

Such are the benefits of capitalism.

Of the several thousand Facebook Groups I now belong to (I might be exaggerating … slightly), most of which are basically the same conversations over and over, just change the topic of complaint and the name of the complainer, one that I have recently been invited to actually stands out. This group, called The Fellowship of the Riverbank, has no discernible purpose, no agenda, and no room for anybody with a closed mind … in other words a think tank that will eventually change the world as we know it. Today we had a very insightful conversation that I feel impelled to share here … brace yourself.

"generationalThe topic was variety and change, in the form of how many possible choices for a certain product. Said product being nothing other than the staple for gender roles everywhere … Barbie and Ken. Barbie has defined the role of woman in our culture for many years now, with little change (how can one change perfect mysoginism?), other than her fashion sense. And Ken remains Barbie’s not quite understood partner.

Now that the world has become more (open? nah) aware of the concept of people actually being DIFFERENT from each other, the role of these societal icons is shifting a bit. Unfortunately the market is not yet sharing the plenitude of new persona … a definite profit fuax pas if you ask me. Fortunately, The Fellowship of the Riverbank has put its collective genius to good use, and we now have a whole new generation of Barbies and Kens to accurately represent the times. Here are a few of the suggestions:

I think of these as the Career Path models …

And these are the Lifestyle models …

I think these ideas will not only vastly expand the earning potential of such dolls, but also better prepare our children for the altering realities of our wonderful culture. Get yours today!