Hot on the heels of Socality Barbie is Barbie Savior. No, it's not Mattel's latest creation but the Instagram account which uses the iconic children's toy for social commentary. If you're not familiar with the Barbie Savior, she's a fictional character whose adventures throughout Africa are documented on the photo sharing app. The satirical account pokes fun at Western millennials who volunteer in developing countries, and uses photoshopped images and humorous captions and hashtags to make some uncomfortable points.
Created by two white twenty-something women, the posts are partly inspired by their own experiences and initial attitudes when volunteering in East Africa.
Barbie Savior's bio reads: "Jesus. Adventures. Africa. Two worlds. One love. Babies. Beauty. Not qualified. Called. 20 years young. It's not about me...but it kind of is."
The posts are regularly framed within the context of Christian volunteering and some of the posts may cause offence to believers, but its anonymous creators intend it to be "an entertaining jumping off point for some very real discussions, debates, and resolves".
And importantly it makes some valid points that all volunteers, Christian and non-Christian alike, need to consider.
Here are four things everyone can learn from Barbie Savior:
1) There is only one world
It is antiquated to refer to developing countries as the third world. Doing so further distances us from the realities of the people who live in these places and perpetuates a 'them and us' narrative.
2) Documenting your selfless acts all over social media kind of defeats the point
Of course social media is a great way to raise awareness for causes but there comes a point where the intent shifts from doing it to shine a light on the realities faced by some of the world's poorest people to doing it so that people build up a particular idea of what kind of person you are.
3) It's possible to be more of a hindrance than a help
Carefully considering what you can offer to an overseas community, and not just thinking about what you can gain from the experience is essential if you're genuine about having a positive impact. As one former volunteer who failed miserably at attempting to build a library in Tanzania writes: "It would have been more cost effective, stimulative of the local economy, and efficient for the orphanage to take our money and hire locals to do the work."
4) It's important to remind yourself that it's not about you
It's not always skills that communities lack, but rather the funding to implement necessary change. Ask yourself whether an overseas adventure will really be more effective than a monetary donation that will enable locals with the expertise to bring about solutions to do the job themselves. It's also good to ask yourself: would you be as excited about this project if it were in that rundown neighbourhood less than a mile from your house?
