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PAST ISSUES:
13. Fashion & Politics
12. Border Garments
11. Digital Engagement
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9. Fall 2021
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1. Fall 2016
Brian Centrone has been in love with Barbie since the day he walked into a toy shop at five years old and saw her smiling at him through her box on the shelf. His love for Ken occurred when he hit puberty. Brian is a creative writer and a fashion historian.
With your silky smooth,
platinum
hair
and
as silky nylon pink, full skirt,
the one with glow in the dark stars
and the also pink, stiff velour bodice trimmed in lace,
that compliments Ken’s gray, stiff velour tuxedo
which reminds me of my mother’s velour draperies,
the ones in her Spanish-Conquistador inspired bedroom,
deep green and very heavy,
very much like the portieres that Scarlett O’Hara had Mammy make her
a dress out of
in Gone with the Wind so she could get the tax money from Rhett Butler to save Tara.
Always for Tara.
Everything for Tara.
Ken’s vest which matches Barbie’s skirt with glow in the dark stars of his very own
and his hair,
not so silky smooth
and painted Brown,
perfectly molded
like his
flesh-colored briefs
so tighty but,
not so whitey.
Only Beach themed Ken had the plastic mound of
Manhood or lack there of
and that Ken was blonde,
but still all smiles and classically handsome
and so in love with the most beautiful girl in the world
who waltzed in and out of my life
like in the commercial with Ken
designed to sell:
“You can tell it’s Mattel!”
so that all the other girls could never live up to you,
or had to live up to you,
be like you,
look like you,
dream like you.
Our life that could have been,
altered quite suddenly,
unexpectedly,
when one day Ken showed up at MY dream house door
minus his molded briefs.
platinum
hair
and
as silky nylon pink, full skirt,
the one with glow in the dark stars
and the also pink, stiff velour bodice trimmed in lace,
that compliments Ken’s gray, stiff velour tuxedo
which reminds me of my mother’s velour draperies,
the ones in her Spanish-Conquistador inspired bedroom,
deep green and very heavy,
very much like the portieres that Scarlett O’Hara had Mammy make her
a dress out of
in Gone with the Wind so she could get the tax money from Rhett Butler to save Tara.
Always for Tara.
Everything for Tara.
Ken’s vest which matches Barbie’s skirt with glow in the dark stars of his very own
and his hair,
not so silky smooth
and painted Brown,
perfectly molded
like his
flesh-colored briefs
so tighty but,
not so whitey.
Only Beach themed Ken had the plastic mound of
Manhood or lack there of
and that Ken was blonde,
but still all smiles and classically handsome
and so in love with the most beautiful girl in the world
who waltzed in and out of my life
like in the commercial with Ken
designed to sell:
“You can tell it’s Mattel!”
so that all the other girls could never live up to you,
or had to live up to you,
be like you,
look like you,
dream like you.
Our life that could have been,
altered quite suddenly,
unexpectedly,
when one day Ken showed up at MY dream house door
minus his molded briefs.
Issue 13 ︎︎︎ Fashion & Politics
Issue 13 ︎︎︎ Fashion & Politics