From St. Louis (This story has really gotten traction)
I just became Facebook friends with a new Episcopal priest. According to her profile, she’s a gorgeous, leggy blond who serves at a parish in Malibu, California.
She’s also 11.5 inches tall. And yes, her name is Barbie.
To see the rest of the story of how she came to be, read this story from the Religion News Service. And then tell me that clergy don’t have a sense of humor!
As a feminist raising two daughters, I’ve never been a big fan of Barbie, although I haven’t banned her from our house, either. But this did bring a smile to my face, almost against my will. As a friend put it, “I’m simultaneously appalled and gratified.” That about sums it up. I realize it’s just going to give people who already loathe the Episcopal Church more ammunition for their smug disapproval. But I think this might be one time when we should just lighten up and not mount the ramparts for a big intra-Christian publicity battle.
That said, I can’t seem to resist saying just one more thing about the smug disapproval issue. If you want to heap coals of scorn and ridicule on the Episcopal Church, you won’t be alone. Observers of popular culture have argued for years that Barbie, and how she is reviled or fetishized (or both), is a barometer of our society’s attitudes toward women. This article in USA Today says the same thing about the Rev. Barbie:
The little plastic priest is ideal for making any argument you like about women in the church.
http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/civil-religion/general/2010/04/episcopal-priest-barbie-silly-or-sacriligious/
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