Barbie for President

Barbie for President.

Go Vote.
Go Run.
Go Lead.
Go, Girl!

It must’ve been a typical Monday evening when I came across a video on TikTok that stopped me in my tracks. So, I stood up, sat down on my table, and decided to write this because I felt like it needed to be written.

It’s the Monday before November 5th, the eve of the U.S. elections. This little video slides across my For You page: a Barbie. But not just any Barbie. A 2004 President Barbie, created as part of the White House Project, a campaign meant to inspire young girls, to make them see that they could be leaders, changemakers, future presidents. To remind them that the future of the country could be theirs to shape. That they could belong in every room where decisions are made.

Barbie has always been a symbol. For me, she was the symbol, my constant companion, a source of comfort. I know she’s faced criticism over unrealistic beauty and body standards, but for me, she was the one thing that always brought me joy. She is the feeling of my best friend coming around with a new Barbie in her hand; it's her and me on the carpet of her bedroom floor playing with them. It's us creating entire new universes in our minds and making our Barbies live in them. It’s us. 

Barbie is us.
Barbie is me.
Barbie is you.

She taught me that we could be anything because she had already been everything. A fashion designer, an engineer, a doctor, a model, a vet, a pilot. And yes: a President.

Barbie had limitless roles, limitless dreams. And in a way, so do we.

So, when I saw this video, I felt a pull to write all this down. Because here she is, this Barbie from 2004, still waiting. She’s been waiting 20 years to see a woman president in her lifetime. To see a real-life reflection of all the possibilities she represents.

It's November 7th now, and yesterday, I hoped she’d finally see it. I hoped for every woman. For every little girl. For all the Barbies past and present. And for every dream that was yet to be realized. But once again, this Barbie will have to wait a little longer, left in the box, as the world hesitates to embrace the idea of women in the highest office.

So, President Barbie will have to wait. She’ll wait for the day when a woman’s ambition, experience, and vision aren’t seen as exceptions but as qualities worth celebrating. She’ll wait for the moment when equality is more than just a word, when young girls everywhere know, without doubt, that no door will be closed on them. She waits so that every girl, every woman, can one day step fully into her power, knowing the world is ready to let her lead.