Ken, Barbie's Hero



the Blue Knight

Ken is a bit of a cipher;  strong, silent, impeccably dressed but an afterthought.

Still,  I thought  a series of archetypical heroes would be a suitable theme for his appearances in this blog.

The Blue Knight is  Ken the Warrior in all his guises.  He's  dressed as a  Knight in Shining Armour, but he could just as easily be a soldier, a airforce pilot, or a sailor.  He stands for the young men who, throughout history, have left their homes and families to join the military and wear a uniform.

I have made this outfit three times now.  The Black Knight was for my brother, the Red Knight was for my son, and the Blue Knight was for Ken.  My daughters accuse me of humiliating their male friends by making them try on the Red Knight costume.

I don't think it was humiliating.  I think it was illuminating. 

Barbie Piaf

Barbie Piaf

Why do we wear clothing?  Protection.  Modesty.  Disguise.  Allure.  And everything we wear falls within those parameters in varying degrees.

Firefighters' clothing?  Emphasis:  protection.

Burqa?  The focus is on modesty.  (I know, that is a very extreme example.)

Girdle? Someone wants to disguise a perceived figure flaw (another extreme example).

And for allure?  Aah, that's a multimillion dollar industry. 

Firefly Ken

I'm sure you all know the sad story of Firefly, Josh Whedon's excellent space western series.   Former Fox Entertainment president Gail Berman cancelled the show prematurely and is still trying to defend her decision.  I think the lady doth protest too much.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds was a heroic figure with a strong if slightly skewed set of morals.  His brother, Ken Reynolds, fought with the Independent Army too.  After the Unification War, Ken bought a ranch on Persephone where he and the missus, Yolanda Saffron Bridget Barbie, raise longhorn steer.

Ken Reynolds

Malcolm Reynolds

Barbie Peaslip

Barbie Peaslip

This outfit was fun to make.  I used  a leaf as a pattern and cut out lots of gauzy pieces from a scarf and then I painted them with glitter glue.  Barbie Peaslip's hair was inspired by Botticelli's Birth of Venus.  The shoes were found in a mishmash of My Little Pony accessories.  Sometimes Barbie hangs out with them.

The stage has many traditions and superstitions.  Never say "good luck" to an actor.  Never say the name of the play Macbeth, say 'the Scottish play'.  Never practice taking your bows until the final dress rehearsal.  Do not whistle, use real money, carry peacock feathers or a real bible on stage and always leave a light on in an empty theater.

I love live theater.  The second live play I ever saw was A Midsummer's Night Dream at Neptune Theater in Halifax.  To start, everyone was dressed in drab and brown shades.  The perimeter of the stage looked like an Elizabethan village street of unpainted cottages.  But then, scene change, all the actors threw jerkins on over their earth-toned costumes.  At the same time flower-shaped pillows were tossed across the floor, the actors all made a whispery swish sound and the black lights were turned on. We were in fairyland.


Some of the minor cast members for A Midsummer's Night Dream are Peaseblossom, Cowslip, Moth, Mustardseed, first fairy and second fairy.  I'll let you in on a superstition sacred to  Shakespearean actors.  First Fairy is always played by Barbie Peaslip.  I know, cool, right!  She is never listed on the credits. So, ta-da! You are now a member of the cognoscenti and you know the secret tradition too.

Time to Get Married Again, Barbie

Sparkly Wedding Barbie

I did not have a pattern for this dress, just some pretty fabric and a handful of beads. 

Barbie really does love getting married.  She's lucky Ken is so amenable.  Most men would balk at having to wear a tuxedo and repeat the same old vows every month or so.  Most of the men I know would balk if asked to repeat their vows at their 50th wedding anniversary.  I wasn't happy saying them the first time.  "I promise to obey".   There's a foundation for  a partnership!  And anyway, I had my fingers crossed.

Little Black Dress Barbie

Little Black Dress Barbie

TGIF!  A thousand blessings should be heaped on the head of the genius who decreed that school should start on the day after Labour Day.  It means the first week of school is only four days long and let's face it, that's long enough.

Barbie is going out in a little black dress.  She's earned a night on the town.

Back to School Barbie Day 3

Back to School Barbie Day 3

Things are settling down at school.  All the students know the schedule for coffee break and lunch.  They have established their territory at the tables in the classroom and in the lunchroom.  They have figured out the bus routes and bought a bus pass for the month.

They are making new friends.  The people in my class represent many different countries and speak many different languages.  In the lunch room,  they tend to gravitate to people who share their first language but in the classroom, proximity shapes and limits their choice of friends.  Sometimes the friendships extend into their personal lives and that makes me very happy.

I'm not sure why Barbie wore gray clothes again on day 2.  The clothes were very simple and completely unadorned save the necklace and the ribbon in her ponytail. She seemed to be trying to fade into the mist.  That's a funny attitude for someone who is the center of attention for a classroom full of people all day.