Dreamcatcher Barbie: The case for letting little girls keep their dolls.

Wall St Journal ^ | April 30, 2002

[SJackson]

"Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of the future." So spoke Barbie's real-life mom, Ruth Handler, who died this weekend at the age of 85.

Mrs. Handler offered that defense of Barbie in 1977, at the height of the Barbie-bashing that has waxed and waned since the doll's debut in 1959. Poor misunderstood Barbie. She was the first grown-up doll, and over the years she's been charged with facilitating the "objectification of women" and causing girls' "low self-esteem." Some parents, fearful of Barbie's bad example, have even barred her from the toybox. Those ballgowns and bathing suits are too dangerous to inflict on tender, young minds.

[billorites]

Yes, Virginia. There is a Barbie.

[Lokibob]

If Barbie is so popular, how come I had to buy her a Ken doll when my kids were growing up?

[Northpaw]

My favorite is still 'Divorce' Barbie............comes with all of Ken's things.

[jlogajan]

Who could afford her tastes?

[concerned about politics]

Beautiful Barbie made the NOW mommies (yes, back then even they had children) look really, really ugly. Mommie was jelious of Barbie, so she must be outlawed in the home!
We can't have little girls dreaming about growing up to be beautiful and feminine, can we? Why, they may end up spending their lives with a *gasp* MAN!

[Paul Atreides]

One wonders why NOW never tried to market a Betty Friedan doll for the little girls. I guess it's just too easy to sit around and whine.

[Paul Atreides]

Well, if Barbie had been giving the man fellatio in order to keep abortion legal, they wouldn't have cared what she looked like.

[Axis Mundi]

Barbie dolls are NOT dolls. They encourage and foster adulthood, me-ism, taking, and the possession of things in small children. This is in sharp contrast to the baby dolls of the past which encouraged caring, loving, and giving within a protective family. In addition, by encouraging adulthood in small children they destroy the innocence of childhood. As Barbie dolls destroy and replace the innocence of childhood and emulation, through play, of a loving caring family they destroy the ability of children to believe in the future of a unified family unit and the sprirituality of a child's future life. In short, Barbie dolls have been and are an obsenity.

[Katya]

I played with Barbie when I was a girl....but I was 9 years old, by then I had begun to outgrow my babydolls. Unfortunately Barbie is now the choice doll for the 4 and 5 year old set...apparently 9 year olds are much too old for Barbie. There is no way around it....Barbie is a sexual creature wrapped in the aura of adult feminine mystique.
I have to think that girls just emerging from toddlerhood are too young for this, but I suppose it reflects the general trend of early sexualization in our children.

[demnomo]

Hey, I loved my "Solo in the Spotlight" Barbie doll!!! Yes, Barbie's tastes are expensive--ask any poor parent beseiged by yet another request for yet another Barbie ensemble--but, heck, the gal's got to have it all! When I was young, our family housekeeper taught me how to hand sew. I spent hours designing and constructing clothes for my Barbie dolls. I even have a Barbie sewing pattern from the mid-1960's, neatly tucked into its original paper folder! (This sentimental item will never be auctioned on E-Bay.)

Barbie and her pal Midge were my best friends. I never thought I would ever look like Barbie. (Well, maybe Midge!) Still, playing with my Barbie dolls encouraged me to groom myself and dress well. By 6th Grade, Barbie was retired to the attic. During Home Economics class, pleasant memories of Barbie eventually inspired me to sew some of my own clothes. (Not dowdy stuff, but very current fashions.) I saved a bundle, especially on dance and prom gowns! I still enjoy sewing. Nowadays, I'm more into quilting and home decoating, but I owe my creativity and sense of accomplishment to Barbie. ;)

[Cable225]

As Barbie dolls destroy and replace the innocence of childhood and emulation, through play, of a loving caring family they destroy the ability of children to believe in the future of a unified family unit and the sprirituality of a child's future life. In short, Barbie dolls have been and are an obsenity.

You need help. Get some rest and cut back on the meds.

[Thinkin' Gal]

One wonders why NOW never tried to market a Betty Friedan doll for the little girls.

ROTFLOL. It would definitely need a burka!!!

[demnomo]

As Barbie dolls destroy and replace the innocence of childhood and emulation, through play, of a loving caring family they destroy the ability of children to believe in the future of a unified family unit and the sprirituality of a child's future life. In short, Barbie dolls have been and are an obsenity.

Gracious, I totally disagree with your opinion. Barbie was and is many things to many little girls. According to your opinion, I guess that I'm going to hell, along with my young nieces and any other young girl who enjoys time spent playing with their Barbies. The only obscenity is in your mind, certainly not mine or in the minds of many other girls and women who have pleasant memories and have gone on to become decent wives and mothers.

I played and nurtured my many "baby-dolls" until about the age of seven. Then I became interested in Barbie. I never viewed Barbie as evil, sinful, sexual, etc. I did see her as a symbol of what I wanted to be when I grew up--a teen-ager and/or a grown-up with a career and then a family of my own. Ken became my husband and Skipper was our daughter in many play sessions. Whenever Barbie was married, she was a housewife and not a career woman. How did that happen?!!! (OK, once I left Ken at a friend's house, so my Barbie became a widow, struggling to make ends meet with her daughter Skipper.) Read my post # 11.

Today, I am a happily married wife and mother. I am very proud to call myself a homemaker even though I once had an interesting career that some would have called more "glamorous." (I wouldn't change my current status for the world...or prestige...or glamour...or even my old job!) I homeschool my son, am a Christian and still enjoy sewing for my family and friends. Do I owe it all to Barbie? No, but she sure had a part in my life and how I live it today.

[wimpycat]

I had a lot of fun with my friends and our Barbies. I didn't get any of Barbie's accessories, so I had to improvise a lot. Let me tell you, an encyclopedia covered with a decorative pillowcase makes a much better Barbie bed than the cheesy plastic ones that used to come with Barbie's Dream House. A small brass planter made a wonderfully luxurious bathtub. My earlier Sunshine Family (remember the Sunshine Family?) made great children for Barbie.

I don't know what the big deal is about Barbie. Girls love Barbie. Like anything else, it's up to the parents to withstand the onslaught of the endless accessories (God knows my mother sure withstood it!) All things in moderation, I say.

[general_re]

They encourage and foster adulthood, me-ism, taking, and the possession of things in small children. This is in sharp contrast to the baby dolls of the past which encouraged caring, loving, and giving within a protective family. In addition, by encouraging adulthood in small children they destroy the innocence of childhood.

You're kidding. What are little girls doing when they play with baby dolls if they're not playing mommy - i.e., pretending to be adults?

[flying Elvis]

I bought my ex-girlfriend an Austin Powers in underwear doll as a joke. As soon as she got it home her daughter immediately seized him and put him in the doll house to play with her collection of Barbies. Yeah Baby Yeah!

[demnomo]

All things in moderation, I say.

Here, here.

I also spent time constructing Barbie homes out of available materials. They were more interesting (and less expensive!) than the pink plastic stuff available. I had a friend who was an artist. We constructed an entire apartment building out of cardboard boxes. My friend drew and painted the exterior and interiors. We then proceeded to make furniture out of my brother's building blocks covered with material scraps. My friend painted some of the blocks to look like kitchen appliances. They were terrific! (Of course, my brother wasn't as thrilled...)

[demnomo]

I bought my ex-girlfriend an Austin Powers in underwear doll as a joke.

Well, I certainly hope that your ex-girlfriend's daughter either sewed some pants or lent some of Ken's clothes to Mr. Powers!!! Tsk, tsk, tsk...

[SkyPilot]

Some "artist" actually won a law suit with Mattel that permitted him to make money off pictures of Barbie naked and in "compromising" poses with Ken. I know it sounds weird--but it is true.

WARNING - Barbie in explicit poses!"

Naked Barbie

[jlogajan]

Well, I certainly hope that your ex-girlfriend's daughter either sewed some pants or lent some of Ken's clothes to Mr. Powers!!! Tsk, tsk, tsk...

I think Austin Powers has been, err, "safe" since Dr. Evil took Power's, err, mojo.

[wimpycat]

You're not my brother-in-law, are you? He said the same thing about Barbie, almost to the exact words.