Publisher Description

Barbie is an American icon. But Barbie becomes a problem when the adult fantasy collides with the child's fantasy. All that misplaced Barbie angst of our youth, all the childhood conditioning, and the adult results are revealed at last in Mondo Barbie. "Barbie is in the air, all right! "Since we began this anthology, we've seen articles on Barbie in magazines as wide-ranging as Parenting, People, and the Utne Reader. . . . We're not the only ones. Friends, acquaintances, and contributors (real and imagined) have flooded our mailboxes with clippings about Barbie look-alike contests, cable TV shows, photography exhibits, sculptures, you name it. "Everyone had an anecdote. . . . "[Barbie] is an American icon. The product of an adult fantasy of a girl-child's toy. Or is Barbie the adult's toy and the child's fantasy? What happens when the adult fantasy collides with the child's fantasy? . . . "In the end the book divided into two definite strategies for dealing with the Barbie phenomenon--poems and stories from Barbie's point of view, or writings about Barbie's impact (as either doll or flesh and blood) on specific characters. These works are just a sampling of the vast array of material inspired by Barbie. Perhaps, as one writer suggested, we should start a Barbie hotline. A way to reach all those warped by Barbie. . . . After all, everyone loves Barbie, don't they?" --From the introduction by Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole

Author Biography

Mondo Barbie, edited by Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole, features contributions from Sandra Cisneros, Alice McDermott, Julia Alvarez, Marge Piercy, A.M. Homes, Denise Duhamel, Jeanne Beaumont, Gary Soto, Lynne McMahon, Kathryn Harrison, Patricia Storace, Richard Grayson, Leslie Shiel, Laura Costas, Sharon Henry, Cookie Lupton, David Trinidad, Lisa B. Herskovits, Belinda Subraman, John Varley, Ellie Schoenfeld, Sparrow, Lyn Lifshin, Gregg Shapiro, Cathryn Hankla, Wayne E. Kline, Philip Levine, Rebecca Brown, Jose Padua, Jeff Weddle, Roberta Allen, Lynne Barrett, and Hilary Tham.

Table of Contents

Introduction / Lucinda Ebersole & Richard Peabody Barbie Doll / Marge Piercy A Real Doll / A.M. Homes Miss America 1990 / Denise Duhamel Kinky / Denise Duhamel Astrology Barbie / Denise Duhamel It's My Body / Denise Duhamel Barbie-Q / Sandra Cisneros Playing with Barbie / Jeanne Beaumont Barbie / Gary Soto Barbie's Ferrari / Lynne McMahon Thicker Than Water / Kathryn Harrison Barbie Doll / Patricia Storace Twelve-Step Barbie / Richard Grayson Barbie Dolls / Leslie Shiel That Night / Alice McDermott Experience / Laura Costas Voodoo Silences / Sharon Henry Barbie Meets the Scariest Fatso Yet / Cookie Lupton Playing with Dolls / David Trinidad Living Doll / David Trinidad How Barbie Warped Me / Lisa B. Herskovits The Black Lace Panties Triangle / Belinda Subraman Barbie's Crank Call / Belinda Subraman The Barbie Murders / John Varley Barbie's Little Sister / Ellie Schoenfeld Barbie Disappeared One Day / Ellie Schoenfeld Barbie: A Memoir / Sparrow Navy Barbie / Lyn Lifshin Barbie Hunts Thru Medical Books / Lyn Lifshin Barbie Wonders About Buying a Coffin / Lyn Lifshin Floor Show / Julia Alvarez Call Me Barbie / Gregg Shapiro Triangles / Cathryn Hankla Bar Barbie / Wayne E. Kline Barbie & Ken, Ken & Barbie / Philip Levine Barbie Comes Out / Rebecca Brown Barbie / Jose Padua Hell's Angel Barbie / Jeff Weddle Confederate Barbie / Jeff Weddle Barbie / Roberta Allen Beauty / Lynne Barrett Barbie's Shoes / Hilary Tham

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