We are requiring all readers of Strange Country and their partners, families and friends and everyone else to watch the Barbie movie. That way you can fully enjoy Kelly and Beth’s homage to Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie. Learn details about the woman who, really, all of us should have studied in school as an example of an entrepreneur. Women have it tough, people. That’s it. Listen with love and let’s keep holding each other and get through these BS challenges. And no, Greta Gerwig did not pay us for our endorsement. She is welcome to though! PS—Kelly finally got a mattress.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources, dude:

Gerber, Robin. Barbie and Ruth. Harper Collins ebooks, 2009.

Latson, Jennifer. “The Barbie Doll's Not-For-Kids Origins.” Time, no. March 9, 2015, https://time.com/3731483/barbie-history/. Accessed 8 August 2023.

“Who Made America? | Innovators | Ruth Handler.” PBS, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/handler_hi.html. Accessed 8 August 2023.

“Why Barbie Inventor Ruth Handler Got in Trouble With the IRS, SEC.” Business Insider, 31 July 2023, https://www.businessinsider.com/barbie-inventor-ruth-handler-mattel-irs-sec-false-financial-statements-2023-7. Accessed 9 August 2023.