I was on a rant the past few days.  So now for something a bit lighter.

I was sent a newsletter and one of the articles pointed out that today Barbie, the plastic doll, is 58 years old. There was a list in the article of all the occupations that Barbie has held in her lifetime. One of the occupations listed was ENGINEER.

WTF? Engineer? I didn’t know there was a “Engineer Barbie”. As an engineer, of course I had to look it up.

Barbie has been criticized as an unobtainable symbol of beauty for little girls. Desirability ISN’T one of the qualities normally associated with ENGINEERS. In fact,

“What does an ENGINEER use for BIRTH CONTROL?”

“Personality”

In 2010 Mattel released their first “Engineer Barbie”.  Here she is: 

Actually it was “Computer Programmer Barbie” though many were calling her an engineer.  We knuckle-dragging engineers don’t consider a programmer as an engineer.  The affectionate name we call them is “Code Monkey”.  There’s an old adage:

“Beware of programmers carrying screwdrivers”

Last year Mattel released another “Engineer Barbie”. Here she is: 
And what does Barbie work on? Washing machines. I guess Mattel wanted to keep Barb close to her “Domestic Engineer” roots.  What caught my attention is what she’s holding in her hand.  Why she needs a biological lab microscope to build a washing machine, I have no idea.  Perhaps Mattel is just reinforcing her blondeness.