Two manly men walk into the Barbie Dreamhouse...

The Dreamhouse. It is a bit creepy!

No, seriously, this isn't the beginning of some silly joke. During the Berlin trip, I was sightseeing with two guys from class. One was a Marine and the other was someone who works for another organization. We were somewhat lost; well, I knew where we were, but we weren't in the right spot. I guess that would still be lost. Anyway, I was absolutely delighted when I spotted the Barbie Dreamhouse.

I had read about it; it's a temporary installation where kids can go experience the plastic world of Barbie, try on her clothes, and continue to foster an unrealistic expectation of feminine beauty, all for 15 euros for kids or 19 euros for adults. That's insanely expensive in my book, but then again, I'm not a pre-pubescent girl wild about a plastic doll so maybe I'm not being fair.

The article I had read about the Dreamhouse was about feminist protestors who burned Barbie dolls in front of the Dreamhouse because they feel that Barbie is part of "sexist propaganda," according to the protesters. While I agree that Barbie is an unrealistic portrayal of femininity, I'm not against the doll that much. I mean, she looks freakish, but if little girls want to play with the doll, have at it, I say. I'm not above telling my nieces that their doll, if she were a real human, wouldn't be able to stand/walk because of her odd proportions, and then steer them to some science experiments, volunteering, or something a bit more affirming.

After mulling over all the implications of the Barbie Dreamhouse, I decided that we absolutely must enter, let's say as a mole. I didn't want to pay, but there was a cafe that open to anyone who wanted to stop in. The guys wanted nothing to do with it. It is my goal in life to make men (especially super manly men like the ones I was touring with!) do things that they don't want to do, all in the interest of expanding their horizons, of course! I was able to cajole them into entering the cafe and even buy a cupcake.

I bought a cupcake, too, in order to express my solidarity. It was soooo creepy; it was peach flavored and there was nothing natural about it. The frosting almost crackled; it was so full of sugar. Don't get me wrong; it didn't taste bad by any means but it definitely tasted laden with chemicals. It would not be realistic to think that a plastic doll, the epitome of falseness, would serve organic cupcakes.

This isn't really what the guys look like, but it's close enough. The chair thing is an inside joke.

The guys whined about the experience like you wouldn't believe, but I think that they secretly enjoyed themselves. I was totally amused to hear grown men whine; I won't lie. I'm glad that we were all able to expand our horizons, but I too was ready to leave. The giant Barbie doll head painted on the wall was staring at us and it was creepy!

CREEEEEEPY! I did not like having her look over my shoulder.