Speaking of toys

skibunny59 · December 2014

I know there have been some posts lately about toys. What do you ladies think about Barbie. DH hates barbie because he thinks it gives girls a negative body image. I personally don't mind barbie but it pissed me off when my mom bought DD a barbie doll. I loved Barbie as a kid and played with my barbies daily but I was also much older (between 7-10). I don't think it's appropriate at all for a toddler. And is it just me or is present-day barbie much sluttier than early 1990s barbie? I've since gotten rid of the doll but my mom came over the other day and asked DD where her barbie was so now DD (who had forgotten all about the stupid doll) is asking for her.

jlaOK · December 2014

I also loved barbies growing up. While they aren't my top choice for DD to play with I wouldn't refuse for her to have them. I agree with @socialmediamommy that they are more appropriate for age 5+. I'm on the fence about the negative self-esteem associated with them but even if there are some of the doll sets that I don't think are the best, my role of parent should/will be much more influential on DD than a doll.

itsmevkb · December 2014

I loved Barbie when I was a kid. I can remember dressing mine up in a beige, linen suit and I'd send her off to work! The whole body image thing never occurred to me as a kid.

My daughters aren't interested in Barbie (they are almost 6 and 2) so I haven't had to even really think about if I'd buy them for them or not. I guess I would.

Honestly, I think I'd rather have my kid playing with a Barbie than those awful Bratz or Monster High type dolls and when I really start to think about it, the whole "princess" concept and how little girls are princesses or divas or whatnot to me is far worse than the image Barbie portrays.

CarrieB. · December 2014

My two sisters and I hated Barbie growing up. We had a few, but we cut their hair and didn't really play with them. Honestly Barbie's boobs and naked body freaked me out as a child and it still kind of weirds me out. I'm fairly flat chested when I'm not nursing or pregnant, so maybe I'm less comfortable with her body.

My girls do play lots of princess stuff and if they really wanted Barbie, I guess I would buy it, but I think it's more for 5 and up.

As a child, I was really into stuffed animals, Hello Kitty, my little pony and Sylvanians (now they are called Calico Critters), so it was girly stuff, but not dolls.

MommyAtty · December 2014

I hated Barbie because her boobs got in the way of dressing her and her feet were stupid. Now I hate dressing myself because my boobs get in the way, and wearing flat shoes makes my calves hurt because I wear ridiculous heels to work almost every day. Coincidence? Hmmm. (Laughing my butt off. Though all of what I wrote is true.)

Mustardseed2007 · December 2014

I am not running out to buy Barbie. For me, I did have fun with Barbie when I was a kid but she wasn't actually my favorite doll. The way her legs didn't bend bugged me and I found her hard to change her into different outfits bc of her rubber legs. I think it's hard to say how she effected my self image-I think the impact would not be obvious.

KayteeGee · December 2014

I loved Barbie... I wonder if it impacted me. I don't *think* so.. I think that my family, friends, peers and media had more impact (maybe not all for the better, eh?)
When DD wants a Barbie, I'll get her one... There are worse toys.

CarrieB. · January 2015

I completely forgot... A couple weeks ago my 3 year old daughter told me that her friend at preschool "had blonde hair just like Barbie". DD has gorgeous red hair, so the Barbie comment kind of rubbed me the wrong way. So maybe Barbie does affect body image at an early age...

fitmom82 · January 2015

most of DD's barbies came from SIL, because MIL has never thrown anything out so we have alot of 20-30 year old toys. They really look no different then the Barbies we have today, but when DD 1st got them I did immediately notice that their clothes do not stay on. She 1st got them around 2 and I thought how horrible they were. She'll be 5 in March and now I'm dyeing for her to get into them because I remember how much I loved them as a kid. I thought she'd be Barbie age by now, but i guess she's still a bit on the younger side for them, she's just starting to outgrow her little people pricesses and isn't into to many toys at all right now.

Katelobster · January 2015

When I was a kid, I never sat around contemplating how Barbie's proportions translated to a real woman (DDD boobs, 24 inch waist, whatever), let alone thought I should aspire to them. It just wasn't even on my radar. She was just an adult female doll who had lots of cool stuff, and unlike smaller dollhouse dolls, you could change her clothes.

I also remember not actually playing with Barbie herself that much, but spending many hours playing with the sister who was supposed to be around age 10 (Stacy?) and to a lesser extent, the teen sister.

[Deleted User] · January 2015

I wasn't into Barbie. I wasn't really into dolls at all.

Barbie does send a message but her message is not nearly as destructive as real life examples of unrealistic body image and expectations, ie photoshopped ads and magazines.

I'm more concerned with Beyonce photoshopping her selfies, artifically creating thigh gaps in clothing ads and thinspiration bullshit.

[Deleted User] · January 2015

I like to suggest this book when talking about body image and pop culture/media... The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg

2chatter · January 2015

We have a number of the dolls, but they are most often in a drawer and not touched. The movies were a huge hit with my girls, and I didn't mind watching them too much either. They were far less objectionable than the dolls and doll sets.

*sparky* · January 2015

I loved Barbies growing up. And while I do agree her proportions are not realistic, I never really looked to Barbie as a role model or anything. She just drove around in her Corvette, rode her horse, and went on dates with Ken. And then at some point I chopped off her hair and it was all downhill for her from there.

I do agree it is an odd gift for such a young child but I am not opposed to my DD having Barbies when she gets a bit older if that's what she is into. I will steer her away from some of the sluttier outfit choices they have these days though - they definitely did not make Barbie clothes like that when I was a kid.

And honestly I would prefer Barbie over Monster High dolls I think. Those girls creep me out and look way sluttier to me.

ETA: corrected spelling - rode not road. What is wrong with me?

Mustardseed2007 · January 2015

Katelobster said:

When I was a kid, I never sat around contemplating how Barbie's proportions translated to a real woman (DDD boobs, 24 inch waist, whatever), let alone thought I should aspire to them. It just wasn't even on my radar. She was just an adult female doll who had lots of cool stuff, and unlike smaller dollhouse dolls, you could change her clothes.

I also remember not actually playing with Barbie herself that much, but spending many hours playing with the sister who was supposed to be around age 10 (Stacy?) and to a lesser extent, the teen sister.

Skipper! She had more normal proportions in the beginning. I googled to make sure I got her name right and she now apparently only comes with black hair and a puple stripe and she looks almost like barbie. What a bummer.

ETA: It just occurred to me that if someone gave my daughter a Bratz doll I would actually get rid of it, whereas a Barbie doll I would not.

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