2023-08-01 23:30:00
August 1, 2023 / 4:30 pm
With the premiere of Barbie, the feminist film that fills movie theaters around the world and that has dyed cities pink with a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, the controversy returned over a collection of this doll that wears outfits from different devotions of the Virgin and saints, and which was created by two Argentine designers in 2014.
The controversy dates from then, and resurfaced a few weeks ago, when some media outlets recalled the collection titled The Plastic Religion which, although its authors, Emiliano Pool Paolini and Marianela Perelli, assure that it has no intention of offending, caused discontent in many faithful.
Many of them manifested themselves through social networks with comments such as: “God, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing”, “What a sin not to respect our Holy Blessed Virgin”, “How horrible!!! People are not aware of what they do. To pray for them so that they understand and do not do these things”, “Honestly, it seems to me in very bad taste”.
The authors themselves responded on their Instagram account, assuring that “this debate ended in 2014” and that the collection was exhibited in Haifa, Madrid, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Düsseldorf, Buenos Aires, Córdoba and “there are even one in the Vatican.
In addition to the Virgin in her different dedications, such as Our Lady of Luján, Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Miraculous Medal, the collection includes images with the aesthetics of the Barbie doll that emulate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, San Cayetano, San Expedito and even the Holy Cura Brochero.
Some of the designs appear with pink ornaments, and in the packaging They contain the legend: “Ask him for your miracle!”.
As a result of this controversy, Fr. Raúl González, priest of the Santa María de Betania parish, in the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina), shared with ACI Prensa a reflection on what happened.
First of all, the priest exposed the argument of the designers of the collection: “Religion represents virgins as the most beautiful women, and today the most beautiful woman is Barbie.”
In this regard, Fr. González wondered: “Is it really like that? Is Barbie the prototype of current beauty?
In answering it, he recalled the words of Giulia Galeotti, doctor of History and professor at the University of Florence, who described in L’Osservatore Romano the type of beauty that Mattel dolls promote: “With their perfect and unreal shapes (… ) has become the emblem of false perfection, of plasticized beauty, of the vacuity blonde, a true anti-model for growing girls”.
And he added: “Not even the attempts to make it more real (since 1997, for example, there is a wider range), has its essence changed. Barbie remains botox-conceived, with her DNA written into cosmetic surgery, before cosmetic surgery even became routine; proving impervious to time and fashion”.
In contrast, and using the words of Pope Francis, the priest referred to the beauty of the Virgin Mary: “What is the secret of the beauty of Mary, ‘all beautiful‘ (all beautiful, ed)? It is not the appearance, it is not something temporary, but the heart totally oriented to God”.
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“The beauty of Mary comes from her being entirely from God, from the fact that her entire existence is free from sin and, at the same time, full of God’s grace,” he added.
For this reason, Fr. González opined, “it is completely understandable that a representation that associates the Virgin Mary with toy brands that reflect a model of life so contrasting with the Gospel causes perplexity in many.”
Said perplexity, he added, “increases when, in addition, in the representation of Mary (and also of Jesus and the saints), strange elements are added, generating pain, rejection and even anger, because someone very dear is hurt: the Mother herself ”.
In conclusion, the priest recalled that artists “have a great gift in their hands and, with it, a great responsibility to use it for the good of all.”
In this sense, he valued “the effort of so many contemporary artists who, like so many others in history, celebrate the beauty of Mary (and of Jesus, and of the saints), achieving precious works that combine remarkable artistic quality with great depth. spiritual, contributing enormous fruits in the lives of many people”.
“The artist, with his work, is called to offer a service to the common good, to unity, to peace, to the dignity of the human person. For this reason, it is desirable and work so that artists, upon discovering in themselves the gift they have received, also experience “the obligation not to waste this talent, but to develop it to put it at the service of their neighbor and of all humanity.” ”, in the words of Saint John Paul II.
“It is a wonderful time to be an artist, to, with your work, facilitate everyone the path to authentic beauty,” he concluded.
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