frontlines
Buddha Barbie
Blog tries to bring new meaning to the word 'beauty.'
Judy Greenwald
Special to the Jewish News
F
or Karin Katz, beauty is much
more than skin deep.
It's that idea that guided her
to create her self-help blog, "Buddha
Barbie" (wwwbuddhabarbie.com). The
site has been growing and attracting
many followers since it launched in late
May.
"The idea for the site was formulated
over two years ago after realizing I was
viewed in a very different way than I
really was," said Katz, who lives in West
Bloomfield.
The petite, attractive 44-year-old
mother of three noted that although she
was always told she was pretty, there was
more to her than what was on the out-
side. "It was more important to me to be
authentic and genuine. True beauty is a
quality that stems from within"
Katz grew up in Bloomfield Hills and
graduated with a degree in sociology
from Michigan State. She was busy rais-
ing her children and working at home as
a corporate speechwriter and children's
book author when she realized her pas-
sion for helping people could benefit
from a larger platform, namely an online
forum for women to cope with life's
everyday struggles.
As a single mom:' she said, "I have
faced my share of challenges, and I know
there are so many others out there like
me"
According to Katz, the site's tagline,
"A Zen-centric Journey Into Self-
Awareness:' is meant to convey a focus
on introspection and self-awareness
rather than superficiality.
"My original target audience was
women 25-50 who were seeking to iden-
tify with a more spiritual outlook on life.
However, I believe I'm appealing to both
genders and all ages because my blog is
about embracing who you are she said.
Visitors to the blog can view inspira-
tional quotes and follow humorous and
insightful posts on topics such as love,
relationships and style from the "Buddha
Barbie" (Katz herself).
Though not a true Buddhist, she
affirmed her identification with the belief
system behind its philosophy. This spiri-
tual journey was bolstered by her partici-
pation in a Kabbalah class after the birth
of her third child.
"I consider myself a Conservative Jew
who is very spiritual:' Katz said. "While
I attended Hebrew school and had a
bat mitzvah, I always felt there was a
spiritual component that was missing in
my religion. I wanted to connect with
something that wasn't there. I decided
to enroll in a Kabbalah class, which was
really my first introduction to a more
spiritual direction:'
Buddhist concepts are just part of the
core set of values upon which her well-
meaning advice is based.
"Being the daughter of a Holocaust
survivor — my father — plays a very
JN CONTENTS
Originally from New Jersey,
Karin Katz
active role in the advice I offer because
the world I grew up in was one where
strength and survival skills were taught
early on:' Katz said. "Also, I view myself
as a social scientist, exploring new ideas
and different ways to cope with issues we
all face'
If numbers are any indication, Katz's
blog appears to be making an impact.
Her followers are in the thousands and
come from around the globe: from Brazil
to Turkey, from Italy to Uganda, from
Poland to Canada.
Her mission? "I want to make a
positive impact on people's lives. Human
beings are complicated creatures,
made up of many traits. The point is to
embrace who we are and celebrate it."
❑
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