Barbie: A Change For The Better

For years Barbie has been a figure of perfection, sought out by women of all ages. Barbie's physique set the beauty standard for skinny waists and large breasts, which we all know isn't always attainable or realistic. In "Mattel Introduces Barbie Dolls With Diverse Body Types", by Melissa Willets, she explains that "If a women were to have Barbie's proportions, she'd have approximately a 39-inch bust, 18-inch waist, and 33-inch hips. Combine that with a size 3 shoe, and you have a pretty unrealistic person." Following the feminist movement, the support for body positivity and the efforts to end body shaming grew massively. So much so, that even Barbie decided to join the cause.
To show their support for the movement, the designers at Barbie came out with dolls of all body shapes, skin colors and various heights. They didn't stop there, they also came out with a new line of Ken dolls all varying in skin color, size, and height as well. Now when little children are perusing the isles of toy stores they are able to find Barbies that resemble themselves. This may seem like a small gesture, but it speaks volumes to the generations of kids to come. Having real characteristics on dolls might just be the move that ends body negativity at a young age!

Meet Sophia

For years our world has built a fantasy around robots. But in this day and age it is no longer a fantasy, it's a reality. Meet Sophia, a product of Hanson Robotics, her chilling hazel eyes and life like features have sweep the nation, making huge strides for the artificial intelligence movement. 

According to Hanson Robotics, Sophia has become a cultural icon and a highly sought after speaker in the business world. She has been interviewed on many major media platforms, including on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Sophia has also graced the cover of one of the top fashion magazines, in 2017, titled Elle. Hanson Robotics states that, "Sophia is an evolving genius machine. Her incredible human likeness, expressiveness, and remarkable story as an awakening robot over time makes her a fascinating front-page technology story." 

Although this is an amazing step forward in technology, I have to say it really does scare me. After binge watching interviews of Sophia online, a bone chilling sensation took over me. The way she processes information and interacts with others is other worldly, and makes me bit uneasy. If this is what the future holds, I will definitely need some time to adjust, but in the long run I can see a bright future for artificial intelligence. If Sophia is any indication for the new technology to come, our world is in for a big surprise. 

Sweater Weather

The world works in such mysterious ways! This week in class we discussed guerrilla art, and the next day on my ACT there was an article on, you guessed it, guerrilla art! As I was scrolling through google images looking for a photo that interested me, I was stopped by (photo to the left) a tree covered in vivid assortments of yarn. Suddenly a little light bulb appeared above my head as I put two and two together. In summary, through the fate of the universe, I will talking about Germany's fabulous guerrilla knitters. 

One might ask, what is guerrilla knitting? According to the website "Young Germany", this form of art "refers to knit or crocheted works of art placed in public area[s]". Similar to graffiti, works of guerrilla knitting happen publicly, often anonymously and without permission. Over the years this practice has acquired different names such as, yarn bombing, yarn storming, knit graffiti, and knit hacking. 

The photo shown on the right - the yarn bombing of Frankfurt's famous bull and bear statue - displays the handy work of the Munich Guerrilla Knitting Group. Rather than being appalled, Germany has taking a great liking to this sort of 'graffiti'. As the website "Young Germany" puts it, "a yarn bomb can bring a pleasant dash of color and whimsy" to urban scenes. In fact, Ute Lennartz-Lembeck founder of the guerrilla knitting group, has nixed anonymity by installing her art publicly during the day. She is best known for the picture shown on the left, a tree in Velbert covered in a multicolored knit sweater.