Barbie-Q by Sandra Cisernos

Come on, Barbie, let's go party (ah ah ah yeah)

I love a good pun and Barbie-Q by Sandra Cisernos is such a great title. It's an incredibly short-story, clocking in just over one page and could be considered a piece of flash fiction. Yet, despite its compact length, Barbie-Q is an engrossing story packed with thematic depth. At its core, these Barbie dolls serve as an effective metaphor for female gender roles, societal ideals of femininity, and the pursuit of beauty and material success. The two young girls idolize these dolls, longing to embody the glamorous, picture-perfect image they represent. Of course, this fantasy masks the harsh reality of their own impoverished economic status.

Cisneros’ use of repetition and vernacular adds to the story’s charm, capturing the narrator’s youthful innocence and imagination. This playful tone is sharply contrasted with the critique of conforming to cultural standards of wealth and status. The girls’ excitement over acquiring secondhand, fire-damaged Barbies highlights both their resilience and the economic disparity that shapes their experiences. Barbie-Q is as much about childhood joy as it is about the quiet pressures of societal expectations—wrapped up in a deceptively simple yet deeply meaningful tale.

You can read this story HERE.