The other day I was shopping at a discount drug store and passed a
display of Barbie dolls. Throughout the course of my life I have seen Barbie
wear many hats. But this one stopped me cold..
There on the end of the aisle between bargain shampoo and no-name potato
chips stood the blond-haired blue-eyed idol of every girl under five.
Instead of the queen of aerobic fashion wearing rollerblades and a headset,
she wore a graduation cap and gown.
Now there are those of you who might find the coupling of Barbie and
graduation to be an oxymoron. I have to admit it is hard to imagine Barbie
under the glow of a library lamp studying trigonometry. I don't mean to take
anything away from Mattel whose promotion of Barbie since the 1960s edged out
Hasbro to make them the world's largest toymaker.
But as I stood in that store and considered how Barbie had undeniably
become an icon of modern society, I couldn't help but wonder what humanity
would be like if as much notoriety had gone to the world's most definite
female role model -- Mary..
Mary held the most important role of any woman known to mankind. She
was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, God's son. This pure and simple
woman trusted and believed in God, gave of herself and asked nothing in
return. Definitely not a woman of the 90s.
Yet society chooses to venerate a symbol of free enterprise and
capitalism that has been crafted by marketers to portray the "model" image.
In the past several years I have admired that Barbie has chosen to pursue
careers such as Veterinarian and Chef. These are achievements indeed for the
girl whose motto is "Accessorize!"
But Mary was not a doll whose concept fluctuated with mall fashion
tends. She was not a fabrication now made in China at the expense of lost
jobs from the American people who lead to her success. She will not need to
be reconstructed in 1998, as Barbie is, to reflect a softer more realistic
"woman of today."
Mary was a person who epitomized the nature of grace. There isn't a lot
written about Mary in the Bible. No surprise. She didn't seek fame. She
simply mothered her son in the most humble manor. And in that she found the
greatest peace..
Although there will never be rows of Mary dolls on store shelves, her
essence rings clear through the lives of those who glorify her name in that
same peace. Hail Mary!
I am a freelance columnist for the Pittsburgh Catholic.
Mary Lee Gannon
135 Springohuse Lane
Pgh., PA 15238
412-963-1436
