ABINGTON, Pa. — As the director of academic services at Penn State Abington, Eva Klein plays a crucial role in the success of students. Her portfolio includes managing areas such as disability resources and academic advising.
When she isn’t supporting students, Klein pursues a lifelong interest in collecting dolls and accessories from the world of Barbie. The runaway success of the "Barbie" movie this summer makes this administrator, who has amassed almost 500 dolls plus accessories, currently one of the hippest people on campus.
Klein said she is thrilled with the resurgence of interest in the dolls, especially since she thinks people should reconsider how Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, revolutionized the toy industry — and its impact on women.
“For years people have said that Barbie gives girls unrealistic expectations of their bodies and of women. What people fail to realize was that before Barbie, little girls played with baby dolls and they could pretend to be mommies. Ruth Handler changed all of that by creating a blank canvas,” she said.
“For me, and for other little girls, Barbie was a blank slate. She could be and do anything. The only limit was my imagination,” Klein said.
In the "Barbie" movie, all the characters are professional women, which echoed Klein’s experience, she said. Growing up, Klein's family and teachers encouraged her to be independent and thoughtful about her future, so each of her dolls had a career, as doctors, lawyers, news anchors, ballerinas and even opera singers.
“My value as a girl and then as a woman was directly impacted by my family and by my teachers. I was always told that I could be and do anything I set my mind to. This is the message I hope all children receive growing up and a message that resonated with me after watching the movie,” Klein, who went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry, said.