Dear Barbie,

On March 9th, 2018 you will be turning 59 years old, Happy Birthday!

I don't know how you pull it off, but you don't look a day over 20.

I am writing this letter to say thank you, thank you for the lessons you have taught me these past 18 years of my life. I remember when I was a little girl, we had some wild imaginative adventures together. You taught me to be creative, think outside of the box, and most of all that I will never be you and nor should I want to be.

You see, the society I live in, they fantasize you, and made every little girl want to be you. I remember growing up, I always thought the prettiest girls were blondes, because I was taught to look and play with you every day and that's the hair color you had.

You were skinny, so we were taught that beautiful was skinny. You had the most stylish outfits (I mean, I dressed you after all), so girls were taught that we had to wear all the expensive brand name clothes if we wanted to be "cool."

You're a big hit in the movie realm too, as you have over 30 movies just about you. I loved watching every single one, and I have to say Barbie as Rapunzel was one of my favorites. Watching movie after movie about you, it brought the perfect image of you to life. Not only did your perfection come from my own mind, but I watched how you got your happy ending and perfect life figured out, movie after movie.

Through this all, you have taught me one of the most valuable lessons, a girl could learn.

You have taught me that, I shouldn't want to be like you and that I should take pride in the beauty of my uniqueness. As I have grown up, I no longer envy you, in fact, I feel kind of sorry for you.

Barbie, you are plastic, something no girl should want to be. You are a manufactured version of perfect and have a thousand versions of your self that are the same.

I am unique. There is only one of me. I have brown hair, don't have the most perfect body and that's OK.

You didn't choose to be the way you are, but you have empowered me to be the way I am. Your creators have brought a thousand girls down and have made them insecure, but I choose to not be put under that spell.

Thank you for showing me that beauty is everything you are not.

Beauty is being real, not fake.

Beauty is overcoming struggles, not having a "perfect" life.

Beauty does not depend on your hair color, your size, or how expensive your wardrobe is.

I am beautiful. And I learned that from you.

Here's to another 56 years of showing girls, that we should not strive to be compared to a plastic doll, but to embrace the women we were created to be.

Sincerely,

Your biggest fan.