• The Hub

    News, Notes, Talk

    Poets take note: there is now a Maya Angelou Barbie.

    Jonny Diamond
    By 
    January 19, 2021, 9:39am

    I’m not sure how to feel about this one: poet Maya Angelou is going to be a Barbie. I have limited experience with Barbies, both in my own childhood and as a parent, and I find their weird, distorted physical proportions disquieting. And while I can’t imagine it’s a good thing to hold these weird and distorted proportions up as an ideal of beauty, I also know that millions of kids play with them and that representation matters.

    So. As part of their “Inspiring Women” series, Barbie has released an Angelou doll because “as an author, activist & teacher, Dr. Angelou is an inspiration for what can be achieved when we speak up, stand out & refuse to be silenced.” Angelou, of course, is a beloved poet, memoirist, and activist, and is perhaps most well known for her 1969 memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, along with her 1993 appearance as Bill Clinton’s inaugural poet.

    Poets, you now have a new life goal.

    Barbie I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings inaugural poets inauguration is this weird? Maya Angelou poets

    • Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member: Because Books Matter

    For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience, exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag. Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

    Become a member for as low as $5/month

    Dismiss without supporting Lit Hub
    x