Barbie

[Samantha's pet]

My resentment for her is just growing by the day. Chloe is only 3, almost 4, and it seems that a lot of girls close to her age are already playing with Barbies. I had been debating whether or not she was going to be allowed to play with Barbies for a long time. I had all my old ones in the attic and I had been putting off taking them out for her. I took them out a few days ago and I just can't do it. I will be donating all of them. I found a great alternative to Barbie that I'm really excited about. I just don't understand who's idea it was to make such and 'adult' doll for little girls! I can't wait to get her out of my house. I feel bad that she will be the weird kid who isn't allowed to play with Barbies, I hate having super-restrictive rules, I just don't agree with anything that doll stands for and I HATE that she is so dang popular. Anyone else hate Barbie?

 

[Barbara!]

No, lol.

Can you explain more as to why you hate Barbies?

 

[Samantha's pet]

I just think she is way too adult for little girls. She has a tiny waist, giant boobs, and insanely long legs not to mention most of her clothes are skanky. I don't understand what's wrong with a doll that looks more like a regular person and dresses more wholesomely. I don't expect "fat" or "ugly" dolls and I understand that a doll would be modeled after an ideal but why is THAT the ideal we are setting for prepubescent girls?

I find it genuinely confusing. Dressing promiscuously, wearing lots of make up, high heels, and having a bombshell figure are things that much older girls are interested in so why on Earth would these things be featured in a toy for 4-10 year old children? Why wouldn't we want them to play with a more average-looking, wholesome doll? I don't get it.

I know it's controversial. I, personally, hate that Barbie is so popular but I accept that. I played with her and I have great parents so I am not judging people who allow Barbie in a negative way. I just won't be having her in my home. lol.

 

[Saeleofu]

I had a few Barbies when I was a kid. Most of them were generic knock-offs. Most of them were also naked and either headless or had little or no hair. My niece is the EXACT same way. She even has a life-size one that sits naked on her bed lol. I just wasn't much of a doll person. Hot pink machine guns, Hotwheels, and Tonka trucks, on the other hand? OH YES.

I never really invested much thought into Barbie as a kid. It was a toy, and I was HARD on all my toys. I personally think there are worse toys than Barbie. That said, if you as a parent don't want your kid around it, that's completely your decision and you have every right to make that choice. I'd be interested in knowing what alternative you've found, just for curiosity's sake. It's been a while since I looked at girl toys.

 

[Samantha's pet]

It's the "Only Hearts Club" dolls. They look like they are a similar size to Barbie and look to be about 10-13 years old so I guess that could be a downside later. She might want a doll that looks more like an adult but we will cross that bridge when we get there. They are all over Amazon.

I understand that the decision is completely personal. Again, although I REALLY don't like Barbie (not gonna lie) I certainly wouldn't think less of a parent who didn't ban her from their home. I was just wondering if a lot of mom's of little girls feel the same way I do or if I over-analyze things.

I am sure there are worse toys and they probably won't be something we buy either but right now I can't think of many that are as prevalent as Barbie. It seems as though she is a staple toy for all girls. I LOVED mine but I would have been just as happy with these Only Hearts dolls, too.

 

[Saeleofu]

Took a look at them, as a kid I would have been just as satisfied with those Only Hearts dolls as I would have been with a Barbie. Like I said, most of mine were knock-offs anyway. For me all that matters was they can change clothes (or just take them off lol) and mess with their hair, and these definitely fit the bill. Come to think of it, I also had a couple of the Breyer dolls, but that was when I was older as they were more expensive (though now they're about the same if not a bit cheaper). They didn't get destroyed like my Barbies did, they're still somewhere with my model horse collection. But, when she's older, if wanting older-looking dolls is an issue, the Breyer dolls look more adult without looking slutty - especially if she ends up being into horses at all. They are just a bit smaller than most Barbies.

 

[puppydog]

Well, as a child I had pretty good grip on reality. I knew people didn't have wings like my fairy dolls and I knew no one could look like Barbie without falling over. Children love exaggerated things. Its the nature of the beast.

I won't be banning Barbie if my child one day asks for one.

 

[Taqroy]

Eh. I think this is one of those things that adults put way too much thought into. Is Barbie a realistic image of women? No, of course not. But most kids toys are like that (have you seen the Bratz things? With the alien eyes? /shudder). Every girl I know grew up with Barbie and the majority of us don't dress like "skanks" and don't have body image issues that are related to Barbie.

I hate it when skank and slutty are used to describe a clothing style. You might think something is skanky or slutty but that's an entirely subjective judgement call that not everyone is going to agree with and that some people will get offended by. I went and looked at some of the current Barbies and I really think they were more scantily clad in the 80's.

 

[ACooper]

Eh. I think this is one of those things that adults put way too much thought into. Is Barbie a realistic image of women? No, of course not. But most kids toys are like that (have you seen the Bratz things? With the alien eyes? /shudder). Every girl I know grew up with Barbie and the majority of us don't dress like "skanks" and don't have body image issues that are related to Barbie.

I hate it when skank and slutty are used to describe a clothing style. You might think something is skanky or slutty but that's an entirely subjective judgement call that not everyone is going to agree with and that some people will get offended by. I went and looked at some of the current Barbies and I really think they were more scantily clad in the 80's. IMO of course.

Ya, I agree.

Unreasonable body image? Definitely! But 'too adult'........I don't think so. I mean, if you give a child a BABY DOLL they are going to pretend to be a mommy. Cook on their toy stove, vacuum with their toy sweeper, etc.......how much more grown up does it get than the drudgery of house work? ROFL! At least with Barbie they get to pretend to be grown up, but having FUN instead, haha

 

[sparks19]

Eh. I think this is one of those things that adults put way too much thought into. Is Barbie a realistic image of women? No, of course not. But most kids toys are like that (have you seen the Bratz things? With the alien eyes? /shudder). Every girl I know grew up with Barbie and the majority of us don't dress like "skanks" and don't have body image issues that are related to Barbie.

I hate it when skank and slutty are used to describe a clothing style. You might think something is skanky or slutty but that's an entirely subjective judgement call that not everyone is going to agree with and that some people will get offended by. I went and looked at some of the current Barbies and I really think they were more scantily clad in the 80's.

I agree with this.

We, as adults, see Barbie this way but children don't. children dont' look at Barbie and see big boobs and a small waist and a scantily clad woman that they want to be like. They see a character that they can shape and mold how they want. A princess, or a doctor, or a mommy, the possibilities are endless when paired with a childs imagination.

Hannah has a few barbies and some Disney princess dolls that are barbie like but she doesn't really play with them much. she much prefers her smaller princess figurines (they fit in things like doll houses and cars much easier lol... and she can pack them in a little purse and they travel with us) but she really enjoys the Barbie movies and really I was expecting them to be very superficial but they are quite cute and have a nice message in them. yeah barbie wears dresses and high heels and make up... So does mommy. Hannah sees me put on make up everyday, she sees me wear high heels and dresses and yes she does like to play with make up and be like mommy and that's ok with me. She's not trying to be sexy or anything like that... she's trying to be like mommy. She's just having good childhood fun. That's not to say I send her out all done up in make up lol but if she wants to sit at the end of the hallway with a little palette of eye shadow in front of a mirror that's OK with me. Again she's not trying to be sexy or "slutty" or anything like that. Most of the time it ends up all over her cheeks and chin lol She just thinks the colors are fun and pretty and it's fun to put colors on her face.

Adults want to sexualize everything but the majority of kids just don't see them that way and we are just projecting.

Of course that decision is up to each parent and I wouldn't dream of telling anyone they are wrong for not giving their kid a Barbie. They don't need a Barbie to survive lol.

 

[~Jessie~]

I agree with this.

We, as adults, see Barbie this way but children don't. children dont' look at Barbie and see big boobs and a small waist and a scantily clad woman that they want to be like. They see a character that they can shape and mold how they want. A princess, or a doctor, or a mommy, the possibilities are endless when paired with a childs imagination.

Hannah has a few barbies and some Disney princess dolls that are barbie like but she doesn't really play with them much. she much prefers her smaller princess figurines (they fit in things like doll houses and cars much easier lol... and she can pack them in a little purse and they travel with us) but she really enjoys the Barbie movies and really I was expecting them to be very superficial but they are quite cute and have a nice message in them. yeah barbie wears dresses and high heels and make up... So does mommy. Hannah sees me put on make up everyday, she sees me wear high heels and dresses and yes she does like to play with make up and be like mommy and that's ok with me. She's not trying to be sexy or anything like that... she's trying to be like mommy. She's just having good childhood fun. That's not to say I send her out all done up in make up lol but if she wants to sit at the end of the hallway with a little palette of eye shadow in front of a mirror that's OK with me. Again she's not trying to be sexy or "slutty" or anything like that. Most of the time it ends up all over her cheeks and chin lol She just thinks the colors are fun and pretty and it's fun to put colors on her face.

Adults want to sexualize everything but the majority of kids just don't see them that way and we are just projecting.

Of course that decision is up to each parent and I wouldn't dream of telling anyone they are wrong for not giving their kid a Barbie. They don't need a Barbie to survive lol.

I agree with what both you and Taqroy wrote.

I liked Barbie for a couple of months in 2nd grade, because all of my friends liked Barbie and I liked dressing them up and playing "house" with them and my friends! Barbie is unrealistic, but then again, so were a lot of other toys. I loved Littlest Pet Shop at that age as well, and knew that real animals didn't have heart shaped spots nor were they pink. lol. I mean, look at these things:

1992 littlest pet shop by Piper Reaper, on Flickr

My sister was VERY into Barbie as a little girl, and I know she never thought that she had to fit into that body image. I don't even think she thought anything of it- it was just a doll with long hair and fun outfits.

Of course, it's the parent's decision to choose what toys their children can and cannot have. Honestly, though, if my parents told me I couldn't have Barbies, it would bring MORE attention to the issue of body shape and clothing. Plus it's not like I wouldn't have access to them at friends houses!

 

[Laurelin]

Eh. I think this is one of those things that adults put way too much thought into. Is Barbie a realistic image of women? No, of course not. But most kids toys are like that (have you seen the Bratz things? With the alien eyes? /shudder). Every girl I know grew up with Barbie and the majority of us don't dress like "skanks" and don't have body image issues that are related to Barbie.

I hate it when skank and slutty are used to describe a clothing style. You might think something is skanky or slutty but that's an entirely subjective judgement call that not everyone is going to agree with and that some people will get offended by. I went and looked at some of the current Barbies and I really think they were more scantily clad in the 80's.

I agree completely. I played with barbies a lot when I was a kid. I also played with Ninja turtles too. With the barbies I had a few of the mermaid ones I loved and I had barbie dogs and horses and a car for them. Those were the best parts to play with. I was kind of sad because I only had 2 Ken dolls though.

My nieces have barbies but more of those Disney princess dolls that are barbie sized. They like those better because it's Ariel and Cinderella.

 

[Greenmagick]

I dont like Barbie....I do think some people overthink it but I also think many people under think it I have no rules about them though and my daughter does have the Disney priness barbies (that never get played with). I actually feel the same about Disney as I do about Barbie.

 

[Cthulhu7]

My sister had Barbie, but that was a few years ago, before skank became the new black. She played with babies, like doll babies, a lot more.

Personally, i think the only toy any child needs is Legos. Want to make sure your child is a quick learner/thinker? Buy them Legos.

 

[Linds]

Personally, i think the only toy any child needs is Legos. Want to make sure your child is a quick learner/thinker? Buy them Legos.

I hated legos sooo much. Building toys were so not my love and my neighbors were way into them. Drove me nuts. I was much more happy to create crazy stories with my My Little Ponies and Dinosaurs out in the trees.

I liked Barbies, not as much as some of my other toys but I still liked them. I loved their long legs. They would do giant leaps and flips around my room Apparently that's how my love of leggy dogs first presented itself.

 

[Kaydee]

Nerdy Fun Fact- Did you know that Barbie started out as Lilli? She was created and sold in saloons as a novelty, modeled as a German lady of the evening. The couple who created Barbie took the basic doll and renamed her after their daughter and cleaned up the skanky wardrobe. The early Barbies still looked a bit dominatrix-like.

 

[Red.Apricot]

I hated legos sooo much. Building toys were so not my love and my neighbors were way into them. Drove me nuts. I was much more happy to create crazy stories with my My Little Ponies and Dinosaurs out in the trees.

Me too! My boyfriend keeps trying to get me to play with legos now, and I'm like, "Dude, it's not going to happen." :rofl1:

I was into playmobile though. I had long, complicated story lines for all of them, and they went on such crazy adventures!

 

[Linds]

Me too! My boyfriend keeps trying to get me to play with legos now, and I'm like, "Dude, it's not going to happen." :rofl1:

I was into playmobile though. I had long, complicated story lines for all of them, and they went on such crazy adventures!

Oooh yeah!!! I loooved playmobile so much! Especially my zoo set. I have so many boxes upon boxes of them in storage right now

 

[Red.Apricot]

Oooh yeah!!! I loooved playmobile so much! Especially my zoo set. I have so many boxes upon boxes of them in storage right now

They're all in my old closet at my mom's house and she keeps trying to give them away. I'm not ready!

I have all of the old west and north american animal ones.

My sister had the castles and pirates.

Cowboys stormed the castle and captured the princess, only to sell her to the pirate captain who was madly in love with her and wouldn't ransom her back unless she promised to marry him... <3

 

[~Jessie~]

I LOVED Legos. I'd build things and all my little animal figurines (Puppy in My Pocket, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony) would play inside of them. Haha. I want to get a Lego set now, but knowing my luck, my dogs would eat the pieces and I'd have a $2000 vet bill.