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Barbie is a symbol of equal-opportunity imagination
In the buildup to today's release of the live-action "Barbie" film, the world has been thinking pink for months now. It's near impossible to escape any of the Barbie mania marketing, from pink-hued Jordans to Dream House Airbnb listings and everything in between.
So this might not be the best time to admit that I've never been a Barbie girl.
Growing up, I was much more interested in devouring books. Or fashioning rudimentary obstacle courses with my little sister and brother. Or helping my great-grandmother keep her garden impossibly lush in arid West Texas. Barbies (and Christies, the Black Barbie) that I'd been gifted — mostly by extended family and other well-meaning adults who my parents didn't have the heart or foresight to tell that I wasn't that into dolls — were more likely to end up in elaborate sagas involving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures and taking over the world (and some may or may not have been missing hair or limbs, depending on the hero/villain backstory, which never included time as a damsel in distress).
However, in recent months I've been heartened by the stories of what Barbie has meant for so many people, across the spectrum of gender and its role in expression and empowerment. For so many, Barbie was more than a toy; strong, whimsical, bold and fashionable, she represented freedom and femininity, a lifeline for aspirations often stanched by the real world's expectations, biases and challenges.
Barbie, in all of her iterations over the decades, has allowed for equal-opportunity imagination.
In that case, I guess I've always been a Barbie girl.
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In today's edition, entertainment and music reporter Joey Guerra shares the story of a trans woman whose obsession with Barbie feeds bigger dreams; reporter Jhair Romero breaks down what's happening at the border; and reporter Dylan McGuinness takes us behind Mayor Sylvester Turner's push for a direct flight from Houston to Nigeria, which would serve the decades-long exponential growth of the city's Nigerian population.
Welcome back to HouWeAre.
 | Jaundréa Clay, HouWeAre editor |
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Photo by: Frank Hernandez
For this Houston trans woman, Barbie is about freedom
Candy Saldana's whole life has been leading up to this Barbie-mania moment.
While the release of the much-anticipated live-action film has brought out fans, collectors and trendsetters alike, Saldana's memories of the iconic doll are a cornerstone to her own journey as a transgender woman that began in middle school.
"Barbie's ongoing message of 'I can be anything' is partially to thank for the confidence I have in expressing my womanhood. As a trans person, Barbie was something I aspired to be," Saldana says.
Today, Saldana is steadily building her brand as a Barbie drag queen and performs around Houston.
What We're Talking About
- Latino communities reporter Jhair Romero breaks down what you need to know about the reported "inhumane" treatment targeting migrants in Eagle Pass as Operation Lone Star draws federal scrutiny over practices at the border said to endanger and dehumanize thousands seeking asylum.
- A new CNBC report ranks Texas as the worst place to live in the U.S. for abortion and voting rights. The Lone Star State has spent the last decade at the top of the list for business but the bottom half for quality of life.
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