"My Barbie stuff was a mirror of her values. She never told me that marriage could be a trap, but she refused to buy my Barbie doll a wedding dress. She didn't say " I loathe housework," but she refused to buy Barbie pots and pans. What she often said, however, is "Education is power." And in case I was too thick to grasp this, she bought graduation robes for Barbie, Ken and Midge."