Free Range Learning

In the spirit of my two colleagues' (Dan and Ryan) previous quirky posts, I figured I was due one. Apparently, the doll/toy that many women love to hate has gotten a new profession: meet Rev. Barbie. Unfortunately, not an official Mattel toy, Rev. Barbie was created by an Episcopal priest in Ohio.

A career choice for Barbie that isn't typically feminine is not terribly new — her latest vocation from Mattel is a computer engineer. She comes fully equipped with a pink laptop, matching pink glasses (purely to indicate that she means business, no doubt) and a pink cell phone.

I'll confess that, as a child, I played with Barbie and her sidekick Ken and not once did it cross my mind that perhaps she wanted to be a priest. Damsel in distress? At times. Shopper extraordinaire? Frequently. Priest? Or other serious profession, for that matter? Never.

I grew up in a church where preachers didn't wear vestments and women weren't preachers. So I can see the appeal this doll might have for young children, especially girls - fun clothes to dress her in and a chance to dream of doing something or being someone never before imagined. I will be surprised, however, if Mattel ever adopts Rev. Barbie as its own, unless, of course, pink becomes a liturgical color.