From the Manifesto Archives

I took this picture of this tree-cactus, does anyone know the name of it?

On the road to Caliente Nevada. Been there, done that...

I used the power of cyberspace and contacted Oprah, Dr. Phil, some local PBS stations,NBC in San Jose, the journalism department of a nearby University, some feminist activists and, the list goes on. I do not have it all in a neat and tidy order, the events happened in overlapping and a haphazard way.

Here is what I got from some of them:

Your message
To: fm
Subject: Barbie
Sent: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 09:40:26 -0800
was read on Mon, 12 Jan 2004 10:52:15 -0800
***

Here is a hopeful reply from NBC in San Jose, CA.:
SHEILA,

WHAT IS YOUR PHONE NUMBER SO WE CAN CALL YOU?

THANKS,

JOHN Z
NBC 11 SAN JOSE
BUREAU CHIEF
-----Original Message-----From: Sheila Loggan [mailto:***********
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 2:41 PMTo: news@nbc11.comSubject: Barbie Doll
Hi, I am trying to find someone that cares about this: I bought a Barbie doll and inside the package was a little pink book with Barbie image and it says Mattel 2003; ON the book is the subliminal message "Lose 10 lbs in 10 days" and "I lost 20 lbs and you can too". Mattel is not responding to my complaint. I have notified the store where I purchased the Barbie to advise them of the product they are selling. I am a small fish and feel I need help with this. Does anyone out there care???? Sincerely, Sheila ******

NBC11 seemed to be the only ones that cared and they did come through and give me hope, I will go into more detail on that later.
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Dear sheila,
Thank you for your e-mail. Your message is important to us, and we will certainly read it. However, due to the volume of e-mail messages we receive every day, we cannot guarantee that you'll receive a personal response. Feel free to check out our Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
http://www.drphil.com/show/show_faq.jhtml
Thanks again for writing to us, and for your interest in the show!
Sincerely,
The Dr. Phil Staff
www.DrPhil.com
***

Dear sheila,
Thank you for your e-mail! Your message is important to us. Unfortunately, due to the volume of e-mail messages we receive every day, we cannot guarantee that you'll receive a personal response. Feel free to check out our Frequently Asked Questions for additional help.
http://www.oprah.com/tows/program/tows_prog_main.jhtml
Thanks again for writing to us!
Sincerely,
The Oprah.com Staff
www.oprah.com
***
Dear Sheila, Thanks for your message. Can you describe the subliminal advertising in the dolls to me? Is there any way to prove it? Best wishes, Jean Kilbourne
This other email came through also:
Thanks, Sheila. Please do fax me a copy (***-***-****). Was the ad for a specific product? Best, Jean
***
If anyone wants to find out more about Jean Kilbourne and the work she does, this is from a Google search:
Jean Kilbourne Killing Us Softly Can't Buy My Love How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel Women and Advertising Alcohol
Advertising.www.jeankilbourne.com/

I was starting to wake up at night and think about the whole Barbie scene and why was I the only one that was willing to fight Corporate America? I did not have a problem with Barbie dolls, I never did, I simply never understood them. My issue was not with the doll, the doll is a piece of plastic. What in the world was Mattel thinking? I wondered if maybe they had a vested interest in weight loss products or what....I wondered about a LOT of things wide awake at 3 a.m.