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Is Barbie bad?
Posted by Shiley • 3/05/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: barbie
West Virginia Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge is proposing to ban the sale of the Barbie. Why? Because Barbie is too pretty and he says she doesn't promote education.
mythoughtsalways.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-thoughts-always-great-i-hear-dumb....
So, do you think Barbie should be banned?
User Comments
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I saw that on the local news the other night.
As soon as I saw it, I got to wondering what this guy's ulterior motive was. It seems to me this concept of Barbie as inappropriate for girls has come around many times, but usually through womens' groups, saying Barbie is not a positive role model.
I imagine this gentleman who wants it banned has not seen little girls using Barbie to enact all sorts of adventures-- not just being a beauty. Speaking only for myself, my Barbies were investigative reporters, detectives, teachers-- wherever my imagination would take me.
Creative play goes beyond the doll in the box.-
I almost think he wanted his name in the spotlight. I agree. My Barbie had a thing for G.I. Joes in Tonka trucks.
Many of those things you just mentioned were also some of Barbie's occupations when she was promoted. So, if it passed I wonder if they would arrest or fine me because I collect Barbie. -
I think he's discovered Barbie's celeb appeal and is using the old addage 'no publicity is bad publicity' and he's making a name for himself, by rubbishing a non human celeb, pretty clever really. Of course if he's serious then he's nuts. That doll has been around decades and I don't see many barbie look-i-likee's!
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But... barbie promote lifestyle and creative barbie owner already make something extra-creative by attending barbie cosplay, selling barbie own custom made dress and add-ons. I like that. without barbie, there is no barbie car, withour barbie, there is no barbie shirt, without barbie, maybe the is no who knows... Maybe in the future, barbie can use it influence to promote education, green environment, peace etc. -
Barbie does all of those things and more.
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This guy might well be a feminist, just because he's a man doesn't mean he necessarily thinks that barbie is a good role model.
I hated barbie when I was younger. It was the most boring toy you could get...wow! she has different outfits and you can brush her hair! ...talk about out-dated gender roles! I wanted an action man because he had cool stuff and he was meant to DO stuff...Barbie, in all her guises, always seemed to be pretending to be a doctor/vet/teacher/astronaut etc. Even as a child I felt like she was just playing dress up rather than actually being any of these things. That's how she's advertised.
I'm not sure about banning barbie, but she isn't a good role model. She has a disproportionate body that instils a warped body-image in girls even before they start reading magazines that confirm this idea. It's not just that she's 'pretty', scaled up she would be 8 foot tall because her legs are too long, her waist is too small to support her upper body, her breasts are too big for her 'weight', and her feet are too small for her to be able to stand. That's not just me bitching, someone worked that out.
If you imagined your barbie as an empowered and capable character, great, but she isn't designed to be that and I think that these little but fairly important things have an impact on equality issues.-
So, then, should we ban the Bratz dolls because their head is way too big and they dress like Barbie, Ban G.I. Joe because most men don't have a six pack, ban the incredible hulk because no one has been affected by gamma rays and no one turns green. The list could go on and on.
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While I respect what you're saying, in seeing this guy live on the news, the impression I had was, he felt Barbie needed to be banned to protect girls from themselves in wanting to play with them.
I don't see that as a very feminist perspective. -
@Shiley
I didn't say they should be banned.
-The Bratz dolls are obviously stylised caricatures and no child is going to think that's how adults are supposed to look (their feet come off and their eyes are too big for a start). I don't think the Bratz dolls are a good role model either as they seem to focus on boys and makeup and other inane crap.
-GI Joe (Action Man in England) may sport an unlikely body for the majority, but at least his frame is a healthy one. He's supposed to be in the army or something so he's supposed to be fit...Barbie is a teacher so she has to be 8 foot tall, super skinny with big tits?
-The Hulk is a character from a comic, he's not pretending to be a realistic representation of normal adults.
I'm not saying that all toys have to be realistic, but if little girls are looking up to Barbie as how they want to be when they're older that is damaging. -
@thriftshop
I just watched his press release. I don't know what you're talking about...he's saying that promoting beauty as an ideal sends the wrong message to children. Protecting little girls from themselves is not sexist, it's bringing up your kids properly. They need good role models and if they are presented with this warped image and made to feel like it's what they should aim for stopping them from feeling like that is not oppressing them. -
As a child I did not "look up to Barbie." She is a toy I played with. I looked up to my grandmother and mother. It's the adults that turn Barbie into an anorexic or what ever it is that adults see as a negative role model. Children just play. If you didn't like Barbie great! There are children who do and I would bet they don't say they want Barbie's boobs, butt, or hips.
This "warped image" comes from adults not children. -
We're gonna have to get rid of all the boy's action figures that have muscles next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Don't be so naive, Shiley...just because a child is not consciously looking up to Barbie doesn't mean that she is not being impacted by it. Yes, it's up to parents to teach their kids what is important and what is not, but children take a great deal from the things they like. It's not just a toy, it's not like a slinky or a kite, it's anthropomorphic and the children who have a great deal of affection for their Barbies will admire them and look up to them, even if they don't know it.
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@busylizzy
see my above point about GI Joe/Action man -
Certainly the child is being impacted but not to the extent that people think. Positive parenting is the key.
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How can you measure it? How do you know that it isn't affecting them a great deal?
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Because I'm a girl, I played w/ said doll. My mom is a girl played with the doll. My aunts all girls played with the doll. My friends nearly all girls played with the doll. If you're going to bash any toy show me scientific data the toy is bad. Not words because you hate how she looks.
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Are you interested in make-up and fashion? Do you think that a completely smooth body with long legs, a thin waist and big boobs is how you'd like to look? Do you think how you look is important?
If the answer to those is yes, that might well be a result of the societal programming of women that starts with Barbie.
...and no, I'm not suggesting it's a conspiracy, it's how our society is, and it's not something we should support. -
Siuil, my answer to all of those questions is, "Not really". I also have no interest in decorating, though I decorated my Barbie house as a child. I've found that my interests and focus and ability to see reality changed as I left pre-school and moved along the path to adulthood, and I expect that happens to most people. -
"most people" ...that would be why the fad-diet, make-up and fashion industries are struggling so much, eh? I'm not saying everyone who plays with a barbie is going to have a bad body-image and get her priorities wrong, but quite a few will.
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Lol! I am overweight. I like to draw clothes that I can't afford this is because I was obsessed with celebrity as a teenager. I would see them on the red carpet and I would long for that gorgeous chiffon. Before kids I used to look exactly like my avatar. I used to own 76 pairs of shoes. Oh, wait that's my "superficial" side. This does not define who I am. Who I am is a mother of three wonderful and beautiful children. I believe in community service and helping others. I read books like "Wheeling Willie" to my children to teach them that they should respect those who are "different." None of that had a single thing to do with Barbie.
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Are you wilfully misunderstanding me? I'm not suggesting that if you like clothes and makeup you must vacuous and self-obsessed.
How many men do you know with 76 pairs of shoes? I'm guessing not many...Are women born with an interest in shoes and dresses? I really don't think so. While caring for babies is part of genetic coding, caring for chiffon and heels isn't. So why is the difference between the typical interests of men and women so clearly definable? Could it be to do with the influences they had when they were growing up? -
Has nothing to do with Barbie. It is an ingrained behavior. Go back in history you'll find this behavior common way before Barbie. Get into doll collecting still all way before Barbie.
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and again...
I'm not saying Barbie is the cause of bad body-image and sexism, I'm saying it is the kind of thing that holds women back by encouraging them to think that superficial inanities are important.
It's not "ingrained behaviour", it's learnt behaviour. Women have been excluded from education and intellectual pursuits throughout history. Women have been kept in the house throughout history. Women have been treated like property throughout history. The idea that women are supposed to look pretty and be interested in their appearance in order to be valuable is one of the remaining facets of the oppression of women. A hundred years ago someone would have said that wanting to be nothing but a wife and mother and having no interest in academia was ingrained behaviour.
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The government needs to stop micromanaging and focus on the bigger picture! I saw an interview with the lady who invented Barbie. She said the only dolls available back then were baby dolls which reinforce the idea that all little girls must grow up to be mommies. She wanted to break away from that. Later on Mattel bought the rights to Barbie dolls. I think consumers should put the pressure on a toy maker if they disapprove of something. I think the government should only get involved if it's an issue of safety or a legal matter. I think Elridge should focus on what he was hired to do and leave little girls' dolls alone. There are violent and vulgar products out there that are better choices to pick on...
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I agree. I think if women are given a poor self image because of Barbie it goes further than Barbie. Maybe parents should be parents and teach self esteem instead of turning all of that into a piece of formed plastic.
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depends on what you make barbie do..-
Lol! I'm not touching on that.
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Ha : )
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Years ago they reshaped Barbie - smaller chest and wider waist. All those Barbie clothes that I had saved from my childhood did not fit my daughter's Barbie!
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They made her body shape more realistic. I've kept my childhood Barbies and the clothes to some same thing here too.
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Just plain silly - the Barbie franchise has created a whole host of very-kid friendly - positive message movies about fairies and flying ponies etc. -- with Barbie "playing the starring role". Meanwhile dolls like the horrific Bratz promote every negative stereotype and sexualize even babies for cripes sake. IF you're gonna target anything why not at least start with something that IS bad...-
Yup, My kids now LOVE classical music because of Barbie.
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I never approved of Bratz. I thought their fashions were slutty.
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Good or bad, it seems a silly thing to worry about with the state of the world we're living in at the moment. There was some major entertainment value in the guy's direct quote, though.
whatswrongaroundus.blogspot.com/2009/03/apparently-barbie-isnt-our-biggest....-
That was funny! I couldn't help but chuckle and that is exactly the point I was making.
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Little girls like glitz and glamour. So what? They see pretty women in the store and gaze adoringly at them; they like princesses with flowing gowns and tiaras. Toy race cars go faster than our kids will be able to safely drive, and they can crash and flip and just start right over again. Action figures are held out to have superhuman abilities. There's a reason we call this "play". If we want to impose strict reality, should we only let our kids play with toy cash registers that are clunky and gray, because we wouldn't want them thinking everything is going to be fun and colorful out in the world? Take the fire trucks away from the kids who aren't physically strong and healthy because we wouldn't want them setting themselves up to see a profession as desirable that they'll never be able to achieve? There's a fine line between protection and paralysis.
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MadameX on this we are two birds of a feather.
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So, let's see, we've got a plastic doll who's tall, blonde, independently wealthy despite never having done a day's work in her life (cute outfits notwithstanding), has had TV shows and movies, and is subject to the whims of whoever picks her up. Wait, that's Paris Hilton. No, wait, that's Barbie.
I don't think that Barbie has warped the fragile little minds of generations of American women. I do think that the potential exists, but only under unusual circumstances. How many of those poor, twisted little girls were raised by pageant moms who had botox, dyed hair, designer clothes, and generally were obsessed with appearance?-
and again that leads to parenting. If we ban Barbie we may as well ban things like The Thundercats for giving this guy www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1052934/Cat-Man--human-tiger-enjoys-climbi... an unhealthy image.
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Barbie has had lots of jobs throughout her history.
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Oh, you poor thing you're losing your battle and you have to resort to insults. So, this is where I stop feeding the trolls.
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@SiuilARuin
If we're all adults here, we can disagree without resorting to petty insults. -
Number 1, I'm not losing my battle. And 2, you're comparing women having a bad body-image and confused priorities to a guy who has had plastic surgery to look like a cat. That is stupid.
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You don't think that having plastic surgery to look like a cartoon character is an example of poor body image and confused priorities? Why doesn't Ken get crap for his chiseled abs, WASP-y face and wardrobe, and lack of genetalia? I don't even like Barbie, but you seem to be singling out one example from the hundreds or thousands of toys that give children a subtext for their play. What about the EZ-Bake oven (for which my boys have asked, as they love the idea of baking tiny cakes that they can eat)? What about toy vacuum cleaners and kitchens? Holy crap, thank heavens I never had those things as a child because surely I would now be unable to hold down a job! [Whoops! /sarcasm]
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The thread is about Barbie so I'm talking about barbie.
That guy is not exactly the typical person...which is why he is newsworthy. Women who want the 'perfect' barbie-doll body and are very interested in how they look are pretty common... -
How many of those poor, twisted little girls were raised by pageant moms who had botox, dyed hair, designer clothes, and generally were obsessed with appearance?
This made me laugh so hard, because of those programs on television like "Real" Housewives of Hoboken or The Girls Next Door.
Those aren't aimed at children -- they're aimed at grown women. Talk about unrealistic! -
Shows like that are why we don't have cable TV. That, and Nickelodeon and other shows "for kids" that generally espouse snottiness, lying, and other behavior for which my children get punished. It's hard enough to teach my children how to treat people without those kids who live in a hotel teaching them that being mean or rude is funny.
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I really dont see what the problem with Barbie is.I had heaps of them as a little girl and I honestly cant remember ever hoping I'd grow up to look like her. I'd usually cut her hair off and draw on her face [I was a destructive child]..lol
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I used to pop the heads off regular Barbie, Malibu Barbie and Skipper and switch them around! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I used to beat my brother up for popping her head off.
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Did he interchange Barbie and GI Joe heads?!
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No, just popped them off to see me cry. Brat!
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Think back on my own Barbie experience. I was more into all the stuff than Barbie herself....
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My Barbie rode Tonka trucks with the boys.
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My daughter stopped using her Barbies. Instead her Beanie Babies rode around in the vehicles and even got stuffed into the clothes.
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Those clothes are awful tiny and beanies aren't so tiny. See even her clothes taught hand eye cordination.
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Wow -Barbie is great for fine motor skills! My daughter was very good at craming her Beanie Babies into those clothes! I think the trick was getting all the little BB's moved around just right.
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You know, as a child, I played a good deal with Barbies. Here's my perspective:
Barbie was the only "adult" doll available -- the rest were babies. Even now as a mother, I find it odd to give a baby(doll) to a baby. What message does *that* send?
My barbie was a pilot and a race car driver. She was wonder woman a la Linda Carter. She was shockingly confident, even when completely nude. My barbie rode horses, fixed her own car, and played the (toy) piano.
She was a remarkable woman, not because of her body shape or what clothes she was wearing, but because she was an adult and within my control. I could pretend her to be or do or know anything. As a child, I never felt limited by the fact that only "certain" toys were scaled to fit barbie. I would play with her and matchbox cars or the fisher price farm or create her office out of couch pillows or put her in the sink to swim.
I never had a Ken doll, so there was very little that was overly-mature (you understand what I am saying) about my barbie play.
Now, I am the mother of a 3 year old. She got a ballerina barbie for her last birthday from her godmother. (My daughter takes ballet). She has tossed Barbie aside at present. I'm totally fine with that, because my daughter should be able to make her own choices.
When I go to the store, I am not offended by any toy because I realize that I am the parent, so I choose what my child is exposed to. As far as subconscious messages about beauty that Barbie may convey, I know that my daughter is surrounded by real, strong women who have the potential to be far more influential. And if I am actively parenting her (which I am) we can talk about burgeoning body-concept issues as she gets older.-
Being a good role model outshines anything any "damage" a toy could do. If they focused on say making a big deal about parenting classes teaching parents how to be that role model I would be much happier. I want legislation to stop doing the job for me. You can't change anything with toys. Another will come out and it could be much worse.
If half of this delegates issue was to bring Mattel back to America I would have more respect for him as a government official. -
I agree, Shirley. Toys don't parent; I do.
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I think Barbie is a very small piece of a very wide-spread problem - people in the US have been told for decades that spending and getting and taking are the ways to happiness. You can't be happy without a three-story townhouse, a convertible, and a private jet. Life is nothing without an extensive wardrobe and accessories to go with it, including cute pets that can be accessorised to go with your outfit.
The Bratz dolls and any other dolls for which parents can spend hundreds of dollars on accessories all send the same message: that how you look/dress and what you have acquired are more important than who you are. The "movies" and TV shows based on these toys just send that message more strongly. Having some quality pretend time, regardless of the toys used, offers much more benefit, especially when mom and/or dad play along. When I could even be bothered with dolls, they got short haircuts and rode around in a Jeep with GI Joe, or they played veterinarian or zookeeper to my stuffed animals. I'm with the others, here, in believing that parenting plays a far greater role in the influence that toys and media have on children than the actual pieces of plastic.
Now, about banning Paris Hilton... -
Can we ban Paris? She is after all anatomically correct and I think I have seen more of her than my Barbie. Oh, please, please, please.
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Yeah, at least they never had to come out with Rehab Barbie or DUI Arrest Barbie.
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Lol!
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I think it's odd to ban a doll - an inanimate object because it's "too pretty". What kind of message does that send? Pretty girls shouldn't or can't be normal? That a doll has more weight than parental teaching? That all of the real people out there who are real role models who may or may not be the best role models for kids have no impact?
We have entertainers like Brittany Spears strutting around half naked (and her new tour is all S&M), pageant toddlers who are made up to the hilt at the direction of the parents, celebrities getting plastic surgery, making porn, and entering into and out of rehab constantly...and we're worried about the influence of a plastic doll?
We have violent video games, violent music, and violent movies, inappropriate webpages that kids are accessing, young girls posting disturbing and damaging photos of themselves on Myspace - and we're worried about a doll because it's "too pretty"?
Really?
I'm more worried about the girls who are imitating runway models and celebrities than I am about them playing with a stupid doll. At least with the doll they're using their imaginations. You know, Punky plays with Barbies (As well as other Barbiesque Disney dolls) baby dolls, stuffed toys, play tools and bench sets, race cars, GI-Joe type dolls, puppets, boy's toys, girl's toys you name it.
You know what piece of fantasy land affects Punky most? Fairytales. Stories. Punky is far more attached the notion of Kings and Queens and Princes, Princesses, Knights, witches, fairies etc... than any other toy.
Maybe we should ban GI Joe for promoting aggression in boys. And Ban toy kitchens for promoting subservience in girls. And ban tool benches and kits for promoting for teaching boys that they need to work on cars, and ban housecleaning sets for promoting a negative stereotype about girls, and ban fairytales for promoting unrealistic life expectations...
Oh, wait...maybe us parents should stand up and teach our kids that playing is learning, and that boys can use the kitchens, and the girls can use the tools, and that they can both play with cars, trains, pretend vacuums, Barbies and Gi Joes and teach them that in order to be successful in life - you need to be able to handle adversity, and know how to take care of yourself.
Yeah, that sounds more reasonable.-
You rock, Ninja-mom.
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She sure does.
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I try
I made a very conscious decision when I had Punky - no gender assignment with regards to toys. Punky gets girl's and boy's toys - and I use each and every one of them to teach Punky about something.
The play kitchen teaches about how to cook, healthy foods, and how to clean up. The tool bench teaches how to build, construct and design things, the barbies are there to encourage creative play - telling stories with dolls, just like the puppets, dress up costume box and stuffed animals. We have "cleaning toys" and playing toys, and active toys, and quite learning toys, Punky does have a love for fast cars and motorcycles though - I haven't yet found a decent lesson for those toys -
You can set up a rug or track w/ stop signs and stuff. She can't drive but she can learn the rules and laws.
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Punky drives like my husband 0_o fast and furious!!
We just have fun with them right now, and I try to use the engines in them to teach about cars and stuff - specially since family mechanics day will be back for the spring and summer. (Punky helps mommy and daddy fix cars and motorcycles ) -
Sounds fun! I used to help w/ the cars too.
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once i saw a boy who kept playing with barbie's panties ...weird-
Lol! Barbie doesn't have paties anymore. Some parent freaked out cause Barbie has a butt and it needed to be properly covered. I mean it's not like boys are buttless right? It's not like Barbie is anatomically correct.
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Really? Man what was that i saw... the kid was taking off a red G string panty and peeping under the skirt of a Barbie doll
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I'm assuming you are close to my age. She used to wear panties when I was a kid but all she ever had was a butt. If she had something more maybe it wasn't Barbie and maybe it was purchased at an adult store. Adults, not Mattel, like to alter Barbie and Ken.
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Bad barbie. Don't hate her because she's beautiful. Hate Jeff Eldridge.
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Lol! What was that commercial? My gram used to say that. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful..."
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some shampoo commercial. Nobody remembers the products, just the lines.
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I think it was Preference hair dye....
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Found it www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz8ul-gmLyA Shampoo!
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this whole Barbie ban thing is stupid....and it will go no where. I played with LOTS of Barbie's as a kid. I even made them kiss! *gasp* So what! I turned out ok. I now have four daughters of my own and they play with their Barbies and they are good kids. They aren't anorexic and they do not expect to be tiny little twigs with giant boobs to be pretty because guess what? I am their mother and I teach them not the doll. Barbie has been around for ages and if it was so damaging America wouldn't have such a weight problem. -
I never was that into barbie dolls, neither were my daughters, and I notice that my granddaughters are not either.. I guess they are just too fru fru for us.
I had friends while growing up who had tons of Barbies and yes, they did want to grow up looking like her, or were disappointed that their hair wasn't long and blond like hers, or that they couldn't afford to dress like her.. It is easy to say... that it won't happen, but the truth is it does happen all the time.
Barbie is just a doll, a toy, a piece of expensive plastic with lots of expensive bits of cloth and more plastic accessories. But it can affect the why a child views things. Just like GI Joe dolls affect little boys ways of thinking. Trying to deny that can be foolish. But it is also good for a child to be able to pretend and play. Making Barbie's shape more realistic didn't seem to change her much in my view. She still is a expensive piece of plastic with comic book ideals of the way a real women should look. -
I always wanted a barbie when I was young but my mother thought they were ugly so she never bought me one.-
That's the way my mom felt about Cabbage Patch Dolls. My gram got me one anyway. I still have that doll.
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I have no problem with the barbie dolls. My girls love to play with them. I played with them when I was little. I am not really to big on the pregnant barbie if that is still around as it is a kids doll but other then that I think barbie is great. It promotes imagination in playing. I never felt that I had to look like barbie. I remained skinny and in shape because I have good metabolism and take care of my body not because I felt I had to look like a doll!! -
Personally, I'd propose a ban on Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge.
It is not the business of the government to decide what toys your children play with, unless they're made with toxic stuff or might blow up or something, and might injure someone.
Funny how those aspects they don't seem to care nearly as much about, as long as the risk-profit analysis comes up in the black. They're laying down on their real job, while trying to take on all kinds of responsibilities that should be yours.
It's a toy for goodness sakes. Your child's self-esteem and appreciation for education come from you, the parent. Maybe part of the reason why government has been failing people so miserably is because they're focused on the wrong stuff. -
While I have never liked barbie for the many reasons posters have mentioned I don't think they should be banned. I think it is up to parents to decide what toys their children play with.
As for the claim they are not educational, that is up to how the child is encouraged to play with them, as with many toys. They can inspire the imagination, creative play, role playing etc, which is an important part of the role toys play, barbie and otherwise. -
Banning Barbie...hee hee HAHAHAHAHA!
I wished I had one when I grew up. Instead I got this ridiculous GI Joe!
The whole idea causes me to wonder especially in light of what AmyOops said earlier concerning "what we make Barbie do." I'm surprised nobody brought it up earlier and equally surprised that the whole issue was quashed. I mean, how many admit to have acted out the darker sexual side with their Barbies? How many times have we found a Barbie in the dump, naked and dismembered? What does this say? Is this a rebellion against the establishment of sexual roles or the establishment that plays upon emotions?
And should some of the kids be placed in psychotherapy for torturing Barbie to death in the scrap heap? Perhaps Barbie should be one of those toys that should only be used under parental supervision till they can distinguish between fantasy and real responsibility?
Perhaps this "Ban Barbie"cry is a deeper cry for help? Granted, having a Barbie is no indication that your daughter is going to grow up to be a whipmaster dominatrix, taking down all the men in your hometown. But a lot of people, perhaps rightfully so, just might look at the rise of human trafficking in the milieu of sexual liberties and wonder if our sexual honesty has become a tad too overt and dangerous. And Barbie has been an emblem of that honesty through the years.
Am I mad? Or perhaps it comes down to something more basic...spend time and play with your children yourselves?-
I used a similar doll to act out my anger and helplessness of being abused. Whether it was educational or not, it helped me cope and in that sense served a purpose. I guess I chose that doll because it was sexual, and being a victim of sexual abuse, felt she was a good vehicle for expressing my anger about me as a child being sexualized also.
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Would you, jafabrit, have found it useful to have those episodes while talking with a psychotherapist specializing in children? Would those issues have resolved sooner?
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Actually, it was touched on earlier but no one expanded on the idea. @jafabrit I don't know what to say because no words can express... To be a child in that situation no one understands better than your favorite doll.
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no Lynn (and one would have to presume that seeing one meant I was no longer in an abusive situation), what I needed was a means to vent and looking back now it was a healthy way to cope with a bad situation that lasted until I was old enough and had the courage to put an end to it.
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I like Barbie when she is bad
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I grew up without Barbie...I had stopped playing with dolls by the time Barbie came on the scene.
Girls liked make up and fashion...and worried about the size of their breasts...long before Barbie came along.
The inventor's point...that the only dolls available to little girls were baby (and child) dolls that directed the play of little girls towards motherhood...is entirely true. The whole concept of little girls role-playing through their dolls any career option outside of "female" occupations such as teacher, nurse, stewardess, or mother was simply unheard of. Barbie actually opened the doors of little girls' minds to what other possibilities existed.
Shallow aspirations in women are nothing new, and it is both simplistic and inaccurate to lay them at the feet of a doll.-
It does appear childish in the same way as flag burning, doesn't it?
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Thank you SweetViolet for being around before Barbie! That was a point I was trying to point out since I like history and doll collecting.
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Well, Shirley, I was there and I remember girl's toys from that period: Betsy Wetsy and Tiny Tears dolls were the most sought after toys of the time. And all the accessories like cradles (and bedding), prams, toy kitchens and cleaning implements...we were not-so-subtly pressured towards marriage and motherhood as our careers.
But we had Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield and Jane Russell and Ava Gardner and Audrey Hepburn and Liz Taylor and a host of other beauties to give us unrealistic aspirations of beauty and body. And Vogue and Seventeen to keep us salivating over the latest fashion...and celebrity magazines like PhotoPlay and Teen and TigerBeat to shape us into consumers of unrealistic and unattainable role models.
All this before the first Barbie hit the stores. -
Betsy Wetsey went into reproduction when I was a kid. I had one of those. That is true. Even today that idea is still being put out to girls. I had all the baby accessories too. The more advanced they got the more weird they became. I had one you feed baby food and she pooped. I think she was named Poosie Woopsie or something.
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Lord have mercy-worsie!
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I saw a disturbing and interesting artshow once in which the artist took Barbie dolls and whittled them down so they all looked anorexic.
I played with Barbie and I am none the worse for it. Personally, I feel our government has FAR more pressing things to worry about than Barbie.-
Didn't that artist intend to disturb you? Artists are good at bringing out truth we often don't want to face.
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Definitely--it was disturbing in a good way.
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Barbie is bad ...mmmkay.
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And Ken is very very bad.
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I suppose you chewed the legs off from an original mint in box Barbie that's worth $2,000- $3,000 bad doggie! No doggie biscuits for you! BTW Ken isn't worth as much.
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Barbie makes an excellent chew toy.
Woof!!-
Down boy!
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I don't think they should ban Barbie but make it more realistic. Such as... the Barbie Title IX expansion where Barbie has all sorts of sports and athletic gear of all kinds, and even includes a special notice for a companion Ken doll that the swimming program has been canceled due to lack of funds and that he can always try out for the football team since it is the only option left for him.-
How about Barbie the Mortgage Broker with all these papers for Loan Modifications and a notice of audit by the DRE? You can have a license in a frame, a computer, tables and chairs, and a little notary book. You can have a new version of Ken whose hair is turning gray.
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I think Ken was gray once when he was Rhett Butler. I think it was a streak of gray.
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Didn't Rhett Butler have a mustache? I never saw Ken with a mustache.
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I thought Barbie dumped Ken for some Aussie dude. Whatever happened with that?
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Barbie goes stag now. She has no boyfriend. Good Lord! We're talking like she's real!
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She found out about Ken's affair with Raggedy Ann.
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Lol! That's just trashy! Did you read that in the Enquirer?
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It was quite the front page story..Apparently she caught them smooching in the Dream House.
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Oh, no! Say it ain't so! Life will never be the same without Ken. Boo-hoo-hoo!
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So what happened to the Aussie dude? I heard he was a surfer but I can't remember his name.
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Barbie has left Ken for Blaine. A little harder to dismiss. Who might not be tempted to look elsewhere for a little change after 43 years? And Blaine, by all accounts, is handsome, fun-loving, and looks a little looser than Ken –- like maybe he actually bends at the knees. There is something a little surprising about Barbie taking up with, well, someone who's not her all-American equal. But the strapping surfer from Oz is just exotic enough to be appealing, while not too much so as to be disconcerting.
Darn that Blaine and his fancy bending knees.. -
After Ken cheated with Raggedy of course. The cur deserved to be replaced with a hunk of plastic.
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hm i detect a pun.
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I thought it was punny. Is my spelling bad again?
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Well could we consider a set off of that one with a her luxury trip to Vegas funded by government bailout money?
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Maybe she can invest in botox treatments and collagen injections.
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They should ban He-man next. Promotes Steroid use-
Let's not forget Stretch Armstrong.
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Skelator should be banned.
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I think he's discovered Barbie's celeb appeal and is using the old addage 'no publicity is bad publicity' and he's making a name for himself, by rubbishing a non human celeb, pretty clever really. Of course if he's serious then he's nuts. That doll has been around decades and I don't see many barbie look-i-likee's!
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Probably, It is one of the most stupid things I can think of to pick on. It would be different if she were filled with lead or something.
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I think West Virginia Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge should be banned wasting time and money on such an idiotic bill.-
Yup! Maybe an impeachment or something.
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I'm not a small little girl, but i believe that the intellect of a developing child reacts rationally to many things, even a barbie doll.
That is when the personality of a child really begins to form and the results can be quite volatile......... if you get my gist. -
Ya know, I get people who address me as "Barbie" all the time. I was even likened to her when I did compete in that dadgum beauty pageant years ago. Sometimes I wonder if Barbie has not only encouraged a liberated ideal for women, but an archetypal image for men who are seeking out their anima and project this anima upon prospective mates. I do feel a bit picked-on in this respect. Are there any others, especially blonds who agree with me on this?
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Perhaps it's just us adults that think Barbie is a bad role-model so we have an excuse to blame for our failure to teach our kids? I dunno, but when I was a little girl playing with my Barbie, I never thought of ever becoming like Barbie or her friends. In fact, I pretty much made my Barbie adapt to my working class family's style. My friends played their Barbie dolls with me and our Barbies just "behaved" how we wanted them to behave, nothing more. -
yes because I said so in my post
www.ridingtheshortbus-kat.blogspot.com -
Barbies are just dolls. The kids choose to make them whatever they want- I know I never followed the prescriptions on the box, plus many of the toys nowadays have all sorts of different 'lives', much more than just 'beauty'.
I think that they can be educational- mine were used to have adventures with, to represent history, sci fi, stories I was writing, social unrest, all sorts.
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