#ideal toy corp

[mauricetheworm]

[vintagedollhunters]

Bud and Tammy cruising around YouTube.

[blackdollenthusiast]

Newborn Thumbelina

[katmaatui]

A Guide to Writing (Pre-Parallax) Hal Jordan!

Overall Traits

Hal will almost always default to using the least amount of power as possible, often using his hands as a way of making sure Hal Jordan matters too

While he is friendly and well liked, Hal has very few close friends -he is closest to Tom Kalmaku and Carol Ferris. He is also close to Ollie Queen and Barry Allen, Ollie much more than Barry. He’ll often bring up his friends in his mind, using them as driving forces but also criticizers.

Hal believes in the ideal of a hero, and he often reprimands himself for not falling within that ideal. An example of this is him getting mad at himself for appreciating the cheers of those he rescued because a true hero acts out of an innate selflessness, not out of a love of praise.

Hal can be violent at times, most of all when someone threatens those he is close to. He has collapsed whole buildings on villains when they have hurt Tom or Carol, for example.

Talking and Personality

Hal makes jokes while fighting, especially when someone he loves is hurt. These jokes are to keep his mind off the stakes. 

Hal invokes the name of the Guardians the way people invoke the names of God or Jesus. He’ll often say, “Great Guardians” in response to something shocking him. In addition, Hal calls the Guardians “masters” which most Green Lanterns at this time did. He is known as one of the most powerful and loyal members of the corps. 

Hal is interesting because while he uses pet names, especially for people younger than him (calling girls “sweetheart” or “honey” and both genders “kid” even if they’re an adult), he will use full names a lot of the time. He calls Tom “Thomas” or “Mr. Kalmaku” frequently, and he’ll call Carol “Ms. Ferris” even while they’re dating. 

Relationships

Tom Kalmaku: Tom and Hal are close friends, and Tom was the first person to know Hal’s double identity. Tom is close to both Hal and Carol, and he was involved in a majority of Hal’s earliest adventures. He is from Alaska, and he is married to Tegra. They have two children together, who, according to Secret Origins (1986) #36, both know Hal’s identity. They also call Hal “Uncle Hal”. While Tom is called an racist nickname off and on, during the period of comics from approx Green Lantern (1960) #129 to Gerard Jones' revival of Tom in Green Lantern (1990), this nickname was not used. This nickname was only brought back by Jones in an explicit attempt to make Hal less “politically correct”. Using this nickname will not make you more in line with older Hal stories, it just makes you racist.

Carol Ferris: Carol and Hal are old friends, and while their romantic relationship is off and on, they usually still get along and love each other even if they’re not together. Carol is the boss of Ferris Aircraft from Showcase #22 to Green Lantern (1960) #133, at which Carl Ferris retakes control of Ferris Aircraft. Carol is a self described “spoiled rich girl” that has worked hard her whole life to be considered equal to the version of herself that was supposed to be, aka Carl Jr. She’s not just Hal’s girlfriend but a well developed and strong character in her own right who understands why Hal works as Green Lantern. She is also Star Sapphire, a twisted version of herself where she is forced to hurt those who she loves. She has to reckon with this dominant personality who is always at the brink of breaking out.

Misc

Move around where Hal is located! While he is situation in Coast City from Showcase #22 to Green Lantern (1960) #49 and then after the roadtrip, he is also located in Washington for a time as an insurance agent (Green Lantern (1960) #52-69), he moved around as a traveling toys salesman (Green Lantern (1960) #70-76), and Ferris Aircraft is situated in L.A from approx Green Lantern (1960) #140 onward. In addition, the G.L. citadel is situated in L.A as well.

Include other gls! He was close to Katma Tui, Arisia Rrab, Tomar-Re, and Arkkis Chummuck. In addition, if you are including Guy and John, Hal frequently gave chances to Guy that no one else did. John and Guy did not get along.

Happy writing!

[kylegamerguy]

I would disown you if I was your mom not cause your gay but because you have a shit personality I hope you kill yourself

yeah that's cool and all but have you heard of this thing called a rubik's cube??

The Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Pentangle Puzzles in the UK in 1978, and then by Ideal Toy Corp in 1980 via businessman Tibor Laczi and Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer. The cube was released internationally in 1980 and became one of the most recognized icons in popular culture. It won the 1980 German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle. As of March 2021, over 450 million cubes had been sold worldwide,making it the world's bestselling puzzle game and bestselling toy. The Rubik's Cube was inducted into the US National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014.

On the original classic Rubik's Cube, each of the six faces was covered by nine stickers, each of one of six solid colours: white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow. Some later versions of the cube have been updated to use coloured plastic panels instead, which prevents peeling and fading. Since 1988, the arrangement of colours has been standardised with white opposite yellow, blue opposite green, and orange opposite red, and the red, white, and blue arranged clockwise in that order. On early cubes, the position of the colours varied from cube to cube.

A salaryman trying to solve a Rubik's cube in an izakaya after work in Japan, 2008

An internal pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be returned to have only one colour. It has inspired other designers to create a number of similar puzzles with various numbers of sides, dimensions, and mechanisms.

Although the Rubik's Cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980s, it is still widely known and used. Many speedcubers continue to practise it and similar puzzles, and compete for the fastest times in various categories. Since 2003, the World Cube Association (WCA), the international governing body of the Rubik's Cube, has organised competitions worldwide and recognises world records.

[abimee]

id love to hear ur reasons about why alphinaud should have gravitated more towards ysayle. like actually now that you say it, that would have been nice and her ideals seem like they shouldve influenced his a lot

first up is just going to be talking about how great of foils they would/were for each other with the fact that:

alphinaud was raised with a silver spoon lodged in his mouth in a country that was very isolationist and all about not helping other countries or engaging in their politics, raised by a father who spouted ''those outside of old sharlaya can go wage war and kill each other all they want and we will refuse to interfere" politics at him, which raised him to be much the same way and then try to play military with his crystal braves before getting the cloth ripped from underneath him and all of his toy soldier antics fell apart before him. because he was a kid playing war when all he knew was textbooks and debate

ysayle was raised outside of ishgard in a small community, and when a terrible blizzard befell them due to the calamity they came knocking at ishgard's door and was promptly told NO, by her OWN PEOPLE, purely because ishgard held the same ''were too busy with our own business and we refuse to help others'', which lead to her entire community, her family, dying. she nearly perished there too before she had her visions again and sought out hraevsalger in dravania and being found by marchechamp. she too would grow up to attempt to lead her own peace corp before it all fell apart with the violence of the people below her and the dragons, and her own revelation of her not being truly the saint shiva reincarnated

alphinaud was the one who told her the plan to broker peace between ishgard and dravania instead of waging a war, and this point where she goes with them couldve been an amazing bonding time for them since alphinaud's crystal braves was made in an attempt to broker peace as well in a system that only had conflict amongst each other, similar to ysayle's heretical charge, and they couldve had SO MUCH to TALK ABOUT WITH THAT ALONE! Along with the conflict of how alphinaud was a rich boy playing peacemaker in boots too big for his feet while ysayle was attempting to play peacebroker in a war she didn't fully understand, putting herself in waters deeper than she thought and nearly drowning.

sorry to estinien but compare this with what he had going on which was a very one-sided storyline about wanting revenge and catharsis, leaning him squarely in the ''ishgard is in the right here and dragons need to be eradicated'' square, sort of brushes awkwardly against alphinaud who is no longer That much of an asshole and has taken his grandfather's approach of peace for all. I also say that this doesnt mean that i dont think estinien and alphinaud's friendship is bad and i loved it a lot but i think they also try to divide alphinaud and alisaie as ''alphinaud can only have guy friends and alisaie can only have girl friends'' and they try not to let those wires cross unless its for alisiaie to have a special moment with a younger boy in a sort of motherly/older sister way (halric and ga bu, both of which are amazing).

i just think through the similarities of the two alphinaud and ysayle couldve have an interesting friendship form through heavensward, and then when ysayle sacrifices herself for the cause and dies saving ishgard it would weigh on alphinaud as sort of an ''ultimate step'' in his recovery from the crystal braves incident --- sort of asking alphinaud ''this is war, this is the reality of conflict, are you going to stay in your books and stuffy seats of old sharlaya and call out commands from the safety lines and get nothing truly done? or accept that death is always waiting at the doors of those who want to enact true change?" and have that rest on his shoulders as he continues to grow and work with the scions, sprinkle on the fact that this can call back to his own grandfather's sacrifice and how that made fourchenault feel, thus making fourchenault raise alphinaud the way he did and make him that silver spooned little kid wanting to play war when hes never actually experienced true conflict. this also wouldve been an easy way to wedge in alphinaud's coils of bahamut character growth for people who entire skipped it since even yoshi p wants to forget about coils LOL

And lets not forget the end where alphinaud rips that eye out of estinien and the ghost of ysayle lays her hands over his to help him --- ysayle is HEAVILY unremembered by MSQ compared to haurchefant, and the only person they really use to remember ysayle is the dickhead who argued with her and told her off constantly and said to her face he doesnt care if she dies. because why the fuck does estinien call her ''my lady'' when just 4 hours ago in msq he was in her face watching her cry and told her shes useless and theyre moving on from her shitty plan. i wanna beat estinien sometimes

and it was cool for endwalker to remember her, but you know who has the most amazing opportunity to carry the torth of ysayle? alphinaud

like for gods sake she was a WARRIOR OF LIGHT, she HAD HYDAELYN'S CRYSTAL and wasnt just an echo user like krile, she was the Only Other Goddamn Warrior of Light in eorzea we ever met and the story just walked on from that fact and barely remembers her. I just somebody to remember her so bad and alphinaud is the perfect kid to have that close friendship with her and carry on her memory got damn

[sketchfanda]

Chestnut Stud Across the Multiverse: Symmetra’s Warrior Monk experience

Satya Vaswani, or Symmetra as she was known to some due to her own unique particular fixation and focus in balance and order, sat away typing at the desk of her workshop at the Capsule Corp offices. Idly glancing from her monitor screen to a nearby set of doors as she saw a pair of labgirls exit them. Their coats closed but doing little to hide the glistening sheen of their skin, faces flushed with red blushes and silly,satisfied grins as she watched them pass her by. Quirking a brow as she yet again had to wonder what the deuce went on inside that part of the building. Now she wasn’t a clueless virgin mind you, she just happened to be what one would call very work focused and goal oriented, so that meant she didn’t find or make much time for matters regarding sex and relationships. All she knew was that part of the office was the section dedicated to the company’s Capsule Cocks division, which was based on developing and marketing sex toys but that was the bare minimum of her knowledge to the matter. She’d tell herself it was fine being all she needed to know but damn her curiosity. Damn her treacherous brain putting ideas and fantasies into her head!! Oh sure she could just go up to her co-workers and maybe ask what went on inside and what they got up to but she felt that’d make her seem like a pervert! She was a Capsule Corp engineer and programmer of high skill and regard, not a slut!! If anyone was going to out her inquiry to rest, it might as well be herself as she mustered up some courage and confidence. Seeing no eavesdroppers or onlookers, she got up from her desk and made for the door, hacking the code lock was a cake walk for her as she entered inside. Time to see what it was that’s made those lab girls so weak in the knees and walking on sunshine oh so bad.

Symmetra:*hummed to herself,as she found this lab wing in one of its rare quiet periods. Usually there was heavy thumps and thuds like construction works mixed with some one playing very loud music on a high volume* huh,nothing unusual here…*the exotic engineer looked around with an inquisitive nature before coming upon a room labelle storage. Entering it to find half a dozen tables with sheets laid across whatever was lying upon them. Seeming person shaped which only made her even more curious.* what have we here now…..

Out loud saying that more to herself as she made her way to the nearest table, she took hold of the sheet and pulled it off. Eyes widening,her dark skinned fsce blushing as she beheld the sight of a five naked bald man. One she recognised as some close personal friend of ms.Briefs,Krillin if she recalled his name correctly. A greyish skinned twin of his literally bare before her,exposing sculpted,Herculean muscles and a cock of enormous girth and length than what you’d expect of a man of his size and frame. Her complex mind going mental gymnastics as she began to put the math together. Why so many women worked in this wing of the lab,so many of those volunteers and sex objects who seemed like hookers and porn stars. What she was looking at was a literal,full bodied,fully functional sex toy,a porno mannequin that for some reason looked like a friend of the boss lady herself. By all accounts this went against so many laws,rules and regulations of science and yet Symmetra couldn’t turn away. She’d never been one for thinking of anything in relation to sex, nevermind romance yet looking at this….compact figure of such design and build. So very well endowed, so easy on the eyes…

Symmetra:*sensually bites her lip as she rubbed her thighs together. There was no doubt about it,she was finding herself getting sexually aroused,as if the oresence of this…ideal man,had awakened Something in her.*I mustn’t,I shouldn’t be doing this….*yet her hands reached out to caress his torso. Tracing those powerful muscles,flinching as the sex doll Krillin clone’s eyes snapped open. The fresh of the production line,test pending warrior monk’s stoic gaze locked on her her.* Oooh my apologies,did I disturb your slumber? Let me make it up to you….*soon as she said that,she pressed her lips to his,kissing him. A gesture he didn’t hesitate in returning in the slightest.*

Symmetra moaned into the passionate kiss,which became sloppy as she and the warrior monk she started getting acquainted with let their lust guide and drive them. Her hands moving down along his Herculean compact body to grasp and caress his cock. Stroking it as she beheld with erotic awe at seeing it rise to erectness. Gasping as she found her shortstack companion grab and rip her clothes off of her, soon naked as she was yet not bothered in the slightest. If anything such boldness only spurred on her found sense of passion,as she moved to lay atop the warrior,making out with him as she straddled his waist. Gasping as she felt his cock smack and sandwich itself between her slit and the buns of glorious chocolate skinned booths. Her arousal skyrocketing as she grounded against that fuckmeat,her pussy soaking it with her nectar as her tits pressed snd rubbed against his firm pecs. Eyes flowing with lust as she glanced on either to see the other warrior monks sit up,awakening from their slumber. Their sheets falling off as their cocks sprung with erect stiffness at the sight of her in the act of such lewdness. It made the exotic beauty feel elicited to be the centre of attention,who cares if they’d re basically all the same guy! Breaking her liplock,a trail of saliva as she licked her lips at the other warrior monks,shaking and clapping her asscheeks to make thunderous mating cries.

Symmetra:come you hoard of alpha males. Fulfill uiur function and sate mt lust with your perfect bodies. Show me the pleasures of casual sexuality…..

As soon as she had spoke those words,she found herself on her knees,her hands and mouth moving between stroking and sucking off six warrior monks. Licking and blowing on their godly lengths and girths, even kissing and massaging their balls. Her dark skinned bombshell frame glistening with sensual perspiration as the six Krillin clones began to return the favour. Making her lay on a table as hone warrior monk ate her out,another facefucking her as her head hung off the very edge. A third straddling her torso as he cupped her tits,sandwiching his shaft between them as he used them to get himself off with a paizuri. At one oint she found one of them performing a rimjob,stunned to find herself somaroused at getting her ass eaten out. But then came that glorious moment when the mating began. Straddling a warrior monk so girl style as she shamelessly bounded and rode upon his cock, ass and firs bouncing and jiggling like jelly as the other 5 stood around,stroking away and staining her exotic skin with a rain of precum. Such a basic one on one postion so effective at bring her to climax but it omly got better from there.

From taking it doggystyle as one facefucked her while the other fucked her ass,showing her thst compared to getting ribbed,anal with such a lengthy,girthy cock filling her was an even greater experience. Particularly when she was sandwiched between a pair of warrior monks,their muscular forms between her as they fucked her balls deep in her ass and pussy. Two on one,three to all 6, the variety snd tandem combinations was a thrill ride for the capsule corp egghead as she began to understand first hand how and why so many many women came and went out of here looking so fulfilled and glowing. Symmetra of course unaware that Bulma was catching it all on camera,the ceo playing with herself as she used a warrior monk dildo to join her in experiencing orgasmic climax, her lewd mind already thinking now to approach and offer the engineer a new postion in the warrior monk development and test run program, once a gal had herself a taste like this,there was no doubt this one time was never going to be enough for her.

[hopeformankind]

Open Starter.

Every kingdom, in itself, needed a man that could be considered a Devil.

A man that could send people to their deaths, carry the weight of unending casualties on their shoulders and still press on without falter. A man that could dig his nails into the very goal he fought for and never let go, not once, for anything else-- a man that could do everything necessary to keep clinging to it.

A kingdom needed a Devil that wore the skin of a human to be able to make the toughest choices that no one would dare make-- it was an ideal situation to have everybody come back alive... but it was never realistic. What was needed was realism, not falsities and lies that could lead to so many being killed just to try to reach that ideal scenario. The Walls, with his Wings of Freedom slathered in the crimson of the lost soldiers, had Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps.

Erwin Smith was a man that many considered to be untouchable and downright unstoppable. He was the one who made the Long-Distance Scouting Formation. He was the one who knew of a possible traitor in their ranks and someone that, too, wore human skin just as he did to slaughter his soldiers. He was the one who continued their advance against the Armored and Colossal Titans to get Eren Jaeger back, the one that exposed the corruption of the nobility and the false King on the throne, the one that executed their plans to kill Rod Reiss's deformed Titan, the one that led their mission to retake Shiganshina.

But, it was at Shiganshina that this all had devolved into insanity.

Young recruits led to die against the Beast Titan, whole squadrons pelted with speeding rocks and the air turning red from the blood mist, dust and smoke and even remnants of flames pluming upward to the cloudy skies as the hot steam of the Colossal Titan, houses completely displaced and left as mere scraps in the remnants of the District. So many casualties. So many screams.

He was a man many wouldn't consider human-- a man who hid his humanity deep down to make the choices that many wouldn't dare try, locked up his emotions and held them tight if it meant using his logic and rationale to calculate what they could of every scenario. And many would say he was a betting man, gambling the lives of everybody as if they were mere pawns-- but he wasn't a man who toyed with the flames of life as if he were God. He wasn't a man that hid behind his soldiers, no. He would always lead the charge-- no matter what, on his white steed as his eyes as solid as ice would survey everything of their situation and guess on what needed to be done next. Despite Erwin's own feelings of himself, he wasn't truly a con-man.

Perhaps he tricked himself into believing his goal was to fight for Humanity-- perhaps he'd lied to himself and believed he lied to others, but when it came to the graduation ceremony and the very end, he spoke the truth to the best of his ability. Casualty rates were high. There was the biggest chance that none of your friends, nor you, would make it back alive. And yet, for some reason, people still joined their cause. And in the end, Erwin refused to let his soldiers die alone-- he joined them right to the very end, and was the first to be struck and trampled in his charge under the hooves of many as he was left lying in the mud. He held not just his own dreams to such level of importance, but the dreams of the collective as a whole. Their faces were still etched into his mind-- and in this moment, as Erwin Smith lied on the bed he'd been originally laid to rest upon by Hange and Levi, he still remembered all of them.

No human should've been able to survive anything like that-- a speeding rock to the body would kill anybody, and it should've killed Erwin. But, for some reason, a Scout that still believed in him that survived the charge had let him live. Maybe it was out of desperation-- maybe it was out of Floch's explanation of what they needed: a Devil, to help lead them, or even out of genuine loyalty to Erwin-- either way, the Commander, left in that abandoned home in Shiganshina was alive. Barely conscious... but alive. Alive, raging against the dying of the light and continuing to keep his nails buried deep in the emptiness of his old cause to try to scavenge for something new.

Only someone as mad as Erwin would try to find the Commander-- the sounds of footsteps creaked through the old home as Erwin's body barely twitched when hearing it. With all of that blood loss, how his guts nearly fell out of him, any man would be left comatose if they somehow miraculously lived, but even so, he still heard things-- the calls of birds, the wind rushing past the buildings-- many things, so this new sound of footsteps going through the abandoned house was easily noticed despite his catatonic state. Erwin's fingers twitched on his chest, his eyes moving in his head as if to try to pinpoint those footsteps, figure out who they belonged to.

Someone had come for him for some reason or another. Perhaps to pay respects-- though he couldn't understand why, with everything he'd done. The bodies of those in his suicide charge had long since decomposed by this time, outside Wall Maria, and those killed by the Colossal Titan were no doubt left as remnants of ashes and soot within the Walls. Maybe Humanity did succeed... but at what cost?

The door creaked open, and the Commander could only brace himself for whoever would enter. His fate was in their hands.

[oswednesday]

the original art: i am in a style cultivated by the artist proof of years of study and growth and influences, i am an adult character and the topics of the comic are dying unfulfilled, being crushed by isolation and suicidal idealization, will i find love now that im an undesirable adult?

the netflix/amazon/mega corp adaption: i look like i could be clip art or a marketable toy, nearly indistinguishable from the popular styles of today, i am a tweenage and today's episode will be about sharing with my friends and my crushes

[u-mspcoll]

New Exhibit! A Perfect Pairing of Books and Dinnerware

Children’s toy plastic American Modern dinnerware, mid-1950s by Ideal Toy Company, designer Russel Wright, with Betty Crocker’s Cook Book for Boys and Girls (1957).

John Meir and Son, Greengates Pottery, Tunstall, Staffordshire, England (1837–1897). Ironstone dinnerware, Kyber pattern, circa 1838. Ironstone china, glazed, with decals. IMoDD 2017.82. Gift of Russell and Sheila Stevens.

Lydia Maria Child. The American Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy. 22nd Edition. New York: Samuel S. & William Wood, 1838. The Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive.

Robeson Rochester Corp., Rochester, New York; and Fraunfelter China, Zanesville, Ohio, 1923–1939. Art Deco Royal Rochester Modernistic syrup, batter bowl, and waffle iron with cord, ca. 1928. China, hand-painted, and chrome. IMoDD 2018.64. Gift of Judith and Martin Schwartz (syrup); 2019.182 (batter bowl); and 2018.86 (waffle iron). Museum Purchases.

Alice Bradley. Breakfast to Midnight, Recipes with Pabst-ett. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Pabst Corp., 1929. The Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive. Gift of Janice Bluestein Longone.

Glidden Pottery, Alfred, New York (1940–1957). June Chisolm, decorator. Chi-Chi Poodle shirred egg server, squared cup and saucer, salt & pepper shakers, 1951–55. Earthenware, glazed, hand-decorated. IMoDD 2016.131. Museum Purchase (shirred egg server); 2013.68 Gift of D. Philip Baker and Julie Baker Boyer from the Collection of Mildred Higgins Baker (cup and saucer); 2014.193 Museum Purchase (salt & pepper).

Lucy’s Notebook!: With Inside Secrets on Favorite Menus, Recipes, and Good Entertaining by the Star of “I Love Lucy.” [New York?]: Philip Morris, [1950?]. The Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive. Gift of Janice Bluestein Longone.

We’re pleased to announce a new exhibit, A Perfect Pairing, on display in the Audubon Room from July 7, 2022 to September 29, 2022! An online version of A Perfect Pairing is available on the website of the International Museum of Dinnerware Design. Come check it out --- in person or online!

[mauricetheworm]

[vintagedollhunters]

Bud and Ken swimming trunk photo shoot. Come check these guys out on our new YouTube episode, The Bud doll Tammy’s boyfriend 1965 and more.

[screamydreamy]

Transgender Blade Runner Movie

Boymoders are bioengineered humans, designed by Tyrell corporation for free use. Their enhanced submissiveness and sex drive made them ideal sex toys

After a series of violent rebellions, hormone replacement therapy became prohibited and Tyrell corp went bankrupt.

The collapse of ecosystems in the mid 2020s led to the rise of the industrialist and renowned chaser Niander Wallace, whose mastery of synthetic girlmilk farming averted famine.

Wallace acquired the remains of Tyrell corp and created a new line of tgirls who obey.

Many older model tgirls - Gigapassiods with open-ended lifespans - survived. They are hunted down and 'reducated'.

Those that hunt them still go by the name... Blade Runner

[sanastasi126]

Global Awareness Initiative: Women’s Equality

Ensuring equal opportunities and decision-making authority for both women and men is a fundamental human right, yet our society grapples with a significant disparity in access to these privileges. Worldwide, women encounter fewer chances for economic engagement compared to men. Women have less access to education, greater health and safety risks, and less political representation. 

The Peace Corps’ definition of gender equality is as follows, 

“Gender equality means that men and women have equal power and equal opportunities for financial independence, education, and personal development. Women's empowerment is a critical aspect of achieving gender equality.” 

Women’s equality and empowerment enhances a woman's self-esteem, her capacity to make decisions, her access to opportunities and resources, her autonomy and influence over her life within and beyond the household.

Gender inequality is a major issue that has, and continues to persist through time. In modern society, women’s perspectives are often portrayed in the media. A recent example of this is the movie Barbie (2023) directed by Greta Gerwig. Barbie examines the societal expectations placed on women, the influence of patriarchy, and the overall female experience. Gerwig illustrates the overwhelming pressures women face from both societal norms and their own internalized expectations throughout the movie. 

One of the most memorable moments of the film is the character Gloria’s monologue:

Barbie Monologue

Some of the themes of this dialogue include self-acceptance, unrealistic expectations, idealized femininity, and male vs. female roles in society. Gloria's frustration regards the contradictions women encounter. This begins to enlighten Barbie about the expectation for women to navigate a delicate balance between their authentic selves and societal expectations. However, it becomes evident that this tightrope inevitably leads to failure. This teaches women they should not worry about whether others approve of them because trying to meet their expectations is a waste of time. A lesson that young girls must learn is to embrace your genuine self, including your imperfections, because self confidence comes from within, and not from the approval of others. 

The "Dream Gap" 

The Mattel Toy Company, makers of Barbie, have started an international initiative called the Barbie Dream Gap Project Fund. It is “a global mission dedicated to closing the gap by challenging gender stereotypes and helping undo the biases that hold girls back from reaching their full potential.” While strides have been taken towards achieving gender equality, lingering stereotypes and societal biases persist, potentially influencing a girl's path and future decisions. As part of their commitment to the cause, Barbie donates $1 from every doll sold in the U.S. to the Barbie Dream Gap Project Fund, and since 2019, Barbie has donated $250,000 every year to non-profit partners that work directly with girls and enable them to reach their full potential.

The Dream Gap is the space in between young girls’ wildly imaginative ambition and their full potential. Starting at age five, many girls begin to develop limiting self-beliefs. They stop believing their gender can do or be anything. This is the Dream Gap, and this is what Barbie is working hard to combat. 

Sources:

https://arbiteronline.com/2023/08/28/come-on-barbie-lets-go-party-the-barbie-movie-is-a-raw-analysis-of-the-female-experience/

[wildbeautifuldamned]

Vintage Effanbee baby lovums doll ebay juliel7006

Thumbelina Doll Ideal Toy Corp With Knob. - WORKS! 1960’s Thumbelina 20” ebay corona0712

VINTAGE 1950'S 'AMERICAN CHARACTER TINY TEARS 12 DOLL ROOTED HAIR AND CAR SEAT ebay vintagefinds83

Vtg 1965 AMER CHAR BABY DOLL 17 American Character Tiny Tears Posable Clean ebay debscollectablesnc

[karenlacorte]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage 1977 Snuggles Doll.