I am a legal adult. I also unironically love Barbie as much as I did when I was a kid.

This is mostly because, in the past few years, Mattel has done a good job with their marketing and rebranding of Barbie into a very modern yet relatable figure for millions of kids (especially girls) worldwide. She's not perfect, but she is Barbie, and that's pretty darn close.

Of course, I must address the more controversial aspects of Barbie. Ever since Barbie was created in 1959, there have been criticisms about her body shape and how it sets an unrealistic standard for young girls. This is totally valid, and I agree. A few researchers have even gone the extra mile to argue that a real-life Barbie wouldn't be able to walk due to the imbalance of her frame. I do think that the media influences how we behave, and this is definitely a concern when young women are already heavily pressured to change the way they look to be "desirable." (Remember the "Barbie Girl" song?) So it's definitely not great that some young girls might want to be thin to look like Barbie, but keep in mind that Barbie is not the only thing that might make them think that way.

Another issue is that the Barbie franchise has, historically, not been very diverse. There are Barbies of almost every occupation, but it took until 1980 for Mattel to produce Hispanic dolls and until 2009 to create a black Barbie that had an accurate face structure and hair type. Plus, the main Barbie, Barbara Millicent "Barbie" Roberts, has always been white (and also rich and able-bodied. She's really privileged.)

So yeah, Barbie is not perfect. But she was a big part of my childhood. I watched the Barbie version of "Swan Lake" all the time as a kid and even took up ballet (for a brief while) just so I could be like Barbie. Other notable Barbie movies of that era include the "Princess and the Pauper" and "Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses". They taught us the power of love and friendship, two very important traits to have in a world filled with hatred.

This doesn't count as a Barbie franchise movie, but still iconic. media2.giphy.com

I personally think Mattel has continued to improve themselves over the years. They've seemed to realize that their target audience is becoming more and more exposed to the internet from a young age and have altered their Barbie content as such. Many of you might be familiar with the Barbie Vlogs that are posted on the Barbie Youtube channel; one titled "The Sorry Reflex" went viral on social media a few months back. Barbie asked us to think about how much we (re: young girls) say sorry, and analyze how many of those instances are actually necessary or just a reflex because society tells us to apologize for existing. She challenged us to go a day without saying sorry (unless you did something wrong).

I failed the challenge, but it did open my eyes. If she could inspire me to reevaluate my actions, just think of all the impressionable young minds that are being impacted by her too.

"The Sorry Reflex" is only one of over 70 vlogs that Barbie has "made" recently. I spent an afternoon binge-watching all of them; It's actually very interesting how intrigued I was by them. Mattel animates her videos as if she's a real Youtube influencer, letting her do challenge videos, baking tutorials, and even interviewing actual people in a weird breaking-the-fourth-wall-but-not-really situation. Her content ranges from reassuring us that it's okay to be sad sometimes but also worrying about what dress to wear to prom. In the last few months, Mattel started posting videos of Barbie teaching her audience about important women like Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart, and Katherine Johnson. There was also a video about Chinese New Year, and one about the importance of bees, and just a few weeks ago one about speaking up for what you believe in. Say what you want about Mattel, but they know what values their consumers hold, which is why they still have an audience for their Barbie Vlogs.

What's the Dream Gap? | Barbie Vlog | Episode 70 www.youtube.com

Barbie was created with the intention of being a role model for girls, and I think she's still fulfilling that original purpose. She reminds them they can do anything and everything from snowboarding to cooking to robotics. She believes that a positive attitude changes everything- and that's something I didn't know I needed to hear until I started watching Barbie again. I'm proud of how far Mattel has come and I can unashamedly declare that I am a fan of this new Barbie, who I know believes in my dreams and validates any emotions I might have.

Sure, there's more that can be done, and at the end of the day, Mattel is still just a corporation that needs to pander to their audience to make money. But I think Barbie is really stepping it up as one of the few online presences that all kids and adults should be watching.

With that being said, please stream "Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures" on Netflix.