Childhood Toys
I can clearly remember seeing the commercials on TV for the "New and Limited Edition Barbie!" with some amazing features that the last Barbie didn't have. Taller, longer hair, more makeup, and lets not forget the "neon pink and turquoise blue" house it comes with. These are even more effective when every other girl (or guy I'm not judging here) has a bucket filled with Barbies. As children, we learn that the Barbie also has a companion Ken, the male Barbie doll. Ken is percieved to be "that one really popular white dude at school" or something like that. What both of these dolls both have in common is that role model status that they give children. Ken and Barbie's relationship is like the dream relationship that a little second grader dreams about. In fact, having just watched an episode of Criminal Minds, two co-workers, Penelope and Derek, talk about their dates and their plans for Valentines. When they coincidentially meet on the street...