Miss Possible: A New Way To Empower Girls

By Erin Lin on December 1, 2014

Almost every girl has a story of her first experience with a Barbie doll. Those were marvelous creations; I could dress them in whatever I wanted, comb her lovely hair and admire her always perfect lipstick and eye makeup. And let’s not forget the times when six-year-old girls would one day strip their Barbies and notice the two mounds that sit upon her chest and the gentle curve of her waist.

Even before we knew about the birds and the bees or that wonderful thing called puberty, we saw our Barbies naked. Any genius could have noticed that her body did not look quite like our flat chested and vertically shaped mid section.

http://www.fashion-doll-guide.com/2012-holiday-barbie.html

And that’s where it begins. Without even realizing it, young girls are exposed to their first sexual encounter. This is Barbie: she is a woman. One day, when you become a woman, you will be like Barbie. This is not a question, this is merely a fact.

See what she carries, what she wears and the colors she likes. Look at how pretty she is. Always smiling, never jealous and full of life. One day, your body will look like hers. Don’t fight it, it will happen. But just in case it doesn’t, try a little harder to achieve that look.

The man she has by her side. Ken, is it? Look at how strong he is, athletic and handsome. That is a man worthy of Barbie. One day, you will find your own Ken. A woman needs a man: a real testosterone filled man.

http://nandabezerra.com/en/index.php/2014/02/05/the-barbie-and-kens-syndrome/

And that’s where it needs to end. Or if at all possible, never to have it begin in the first place. It’s not news that Barbie and countless other dolls in the industry have created unworthy goals and ridiculous expectations to young girls as well as boys. We hear this time and time again, but the real question is, what do we do?

http://www.minck.co/home/be-miss-possible

Here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a group of brilliant young students decided to take matters into their own hands by creating a start up company called Miss Possible. With a passion and a drive for change, these talented few are creating a new line of dolls based on historical females with magnificent dreams.

From Marie Curie to Bessie Coleman, their goal is to inspire children to dream big and see all that is limitless and possible in the field of science, mathematics and the arts. Miss Possible gives them a way to see that their future is not an array of designer purses, clip on earrings and pink pumps on their heels.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/miss-possible-dolls-to-inspire-across-generations

Dedication, passion, resilience and a desire to learn are the commonalities these dolls have to offer. An app that allows kids to play with these dolls on their tablet while reading the story of these inspiring female leaders is just one way this company wishes to inspire young minds. Marie teaches the kids scientific experiments and explains how and why things work the way they do.

http://news.illinois.edu/postmarks/fall_2014/miss_possible.html

It’s not wrong for girls to love their clothes, designer sunglasses and makeup splurges, but this company is trying to allow girls and boys from a young age understand that there is no gender specific passion or career or life long dream.

Looking at what women have accomplished in the past lets these children know a beautiful truth. They could lead the next step in critical theory. Maybe become a part of a scientific discovery or  perhaps even create a new medical treatment. They are not limited, nor is it impossible to dream a little bigger and reach a little further.

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