Kinky - BQA correlation

BARBIE IN THERAPY from Kinky

I have two favorite quotes from this passage, “ I feel frustrated.. Barbie finally says, bursting into what would be sobs if she possessed tear glands. What do I wear to therapy? Barbie wants to know.”

“Barbie writes her first check, hoping that just around the corner, she’ll get to the real issues which are full and fleshy, and anything but plastic.”

I picked this passage just because of the name. Barbie in Therapy because psychology is my major and I thought I would enjoy it, which I did. This passage relates to Older Heads on Younger Bodies: “Not all these places and paths of meaning occur in every Barbie story. Not do all Barbie stories contain such a logical correlation between thought and action as does this one – in which hatred lead to destruction and resistance to the doll matches resistance to human referents – although, just as important, some do.” This quote is similar to Barbie in Therapy because it discusses the correlations between Barbie stories and how children play with Barbie. It talks about how the doll matches the child, which is similar to getting down to the real issues beyond the plastic. 

WeEk SiX

Body Outlaws: Intimate Enemies

“So now I am walking every day with two-pound weights on each ankle and wrist, taking my Tums for calcium after every meal, puffing morning and night, telling waiter after waiter ‘I have a severe allergy to eggs’ and I’m still trying to figure out where the freedom and joy went.”

I like this quote because when I first went to college I noticed myself gaining a substantial amount of weigh and I assumed it was the “freshmen fifteen” coming to haunt me. But I found out after my first semester that I had food allergies. As people are going away to college, there is a rising amount of gaining food allergies because of the changes in diet and sleep patterns. I didn’t have a food allergy nearly as bad as she’s describing hers, but I feel for her because of the constant struggle she has just by trying to eat what she can. I remember scanning menus at restaurants and finding very little that I could eat and it was frustrating for sure.

“My body is my own, although it betrays me without mercy. I live with it and take care of it. My body talks to me. I have a talent in knowing exactly when I need to sleep, when I need to eat, when to stop the stress of research papers and exams. I’m so in touch with my body that I sleep when I should be writing those papers. I don’t have less energy than others; I’m simply more aware that I’m running down before I actually run myself down. I have been given a gift of self-awareness, an awareness that other people I know haven’t developed as much.”

This quote sums up the whole reading because she knows that she lives differently than others but she accepts it and tries her best to cater to her body. She is empowered but still cautious of her special circumstances.

Mondo Barbie: Astrology Barbie:

“Barbie’s potential for combining the material world with her inspired philosophical vision would be tremendous.”

Astrology Barbie is about Barbie learning all the things that will come her way in life. She learns that she will have money and fame, while being linked to the handicapped. She will meet Ken and they will be like soul mates. I like this reading because it puts perspective to how Barbie’s life will turn out and it’s all of the stories that have been told about her over the years. 

Week 5

MONDO BARBIE

Voodoo Silences- “Crashing down the staircase, blind with new tears, and into the musty downstairs and then the garage. ‘It’s all right. It’s all right.’ I’m promising myself as much as I’m promising to Barbie. ‘It’s going to be okay. Daddy can fix anything.” –I like this line because as a little girl I felt the same way when any of my toys were broken I would always think my dad could fix it. I never worried as much as I would cry because I knew my dad would find some way. This quote explains exactly how every little girl reacts to the small heartbreaks of childhood.

Barbie Wonders About Buying a Coffin- “She wonders if they will bury her in a ballerina costume, a rodeo suit, if they’ll shave her hair or braid it.” –I like this quote because it seems like even in death, Barbie has to think about fashion and how she will look. It just completes the whole Barbie image of all the combinations of styles and accessories.

BODY OUTLAWS

Memoirs of a (sorta) ex-shaver- “This experimental style was eventually eclipsed by more conventional methods: my own pastel disposable ten pack, a can of Barbosal shaving cream and, a few hours later, a smear of Nivea cream to ease chafing. When I shaved at night, I would lie in bed rejoicing in gloriously silky legs, feeling like a real woman.” I like this quote because she explains how it was a big deal to her and I like that by shaving she feels like a real woman. She thinks of shaving as a huge transformation from herself to this young lady. It’s descriptive and I like her style of writing.

I love the steps for shaving regions on page 58-59. They are funny and it gives spunk to the story. She claims she stops shaving for a short time but can’t stay unshaven, then she gives this list of areas that hair can grow and she gives comic relief to the hassle and pain of shaving.

The Elephant and Ice Cream- “and that’s why people drink. Because it’s guaranteed every time that if you take that four-ounce glass of vodka, your mood will change. You will feel better. It’s fast, it’s easy. And it doesn’t deal with a damn thing.” This analogy of food and alcohol never kicked in for me before. I didn’t realize it is the same thing, people eat when they are upset or angry and other people drink when they experience those same emotions. They are two ways to cop out from dealing with the real issue. It should make people sit back and realize they are just masking the pain they are feeling.