Yes I would consider this a serious discussion.

I'm thinking about the social effects of Barbie and how she/it relates to feminism.

It has been said that there is a stage in most girl's lives where they hate Barbie. They do all those things like popping her head off and melting her on the grill. It's supposedly a part of growing up. I can understand why but I don't think it's necessarily required.

Barbie was based on a doll originally made in Germany. She was basically a bimbo. Ruth Handler made an copy of the doll and named her Barbie after her daughter Barbra and made a male doll named Ken after her son Kennith. Barbie has a bit of history behind her of perpetuating negative female stereotypes, including the talking doll that said idiotic phrases like "will we ever have enough clothes?", "I love shopping!" and "Math class is tough" (there is a stereotype that females do poorly in math compared to males) But more of the controversy surrounds her unrealistic body frame. Many people claim that it sets an unhealthy example for young girls and causes self esteem issues.

I always loved Barbie when I was little. She was always getting married to my favorite teddy bear and having tea with me before going swimming with her pet dolphin.

Yes, Barbie is a stereotype, but she is also a toy, and that is something that many people forget. G.I. Joe is a doll, or action figure if you want, but people don't make a connection towards boys and how they act.

I still find Barbie to be a good figure to examine and take in. Just a few months ago, I wrote a poem about a Barbie doll on a postcard that I was shown, and it's one of the best poems I've written. I feel that people examine the negatives of a Barbie doll too much and cause them to overshadow the good qualities that are produced by the doll.

weird but necessary.........

i always thought it was a stereotype of barbies
that girl are dumb and girls need fancy clothes
and the latest stuff and bla blan ect

i thought it was weird like that when i was
a kid i mean "are all girls like that"

but now i know that everyone is special

and has the right to be different
if they want to be....... THATS RIGHT ..FIGHT THE SYSTEM
its better if you different

I heard somewhere that it's physically impossible to naturally be shaped like Barbie. But I'm not sure.

I agree with most of that but I think people take the doll too seriously. When I used to play with barbies I only used them to place 'house' and making up stories. If you use little dolls it's easier and more fun. And everyone knows that every little girl has a hundred barbies even if they don't like dolls. Every girl gets barbies for christmas. So why don't use them? I think the impression barbies give off are the same as violent video games. It's common sense and the type of person. My little brother plays Mature rated games and he's by far not violent. Probably the opposite. I played with barbies and I definitely don't act or look like the barbie. It's how much character you have. The people that succumb to stuff like that would succumb to something else if barbies or video games weren't around.

i think that barbie gives an unrealistic image of what a girl should look like. i mean, how many people do you know who are blonde, thin, got boobs, tons of clothes, and can't bend their elbows?

but it also is just a toy, not to be taken seriously


p.s. im one of those kids who did stuff 2 their barbie. but not out of spite, out of boredom. my and my cousin scalped all of mine when we were 9. we literally took my dads razor and shaved it all off XD

SnowXwhite wrote: I heard somewhere that it's physically impossible to naturally be shaped like Barbie. But I'm not sure.

I agree with most of that but I think people take the doll too seriously. When I used to play with barbies I only used them to place 'house' and making up stories. If you use little dolls it's easier and more fun. And everyone knows that every little girl has a hundred barbies even if they don't like dolls. Every girl gets barbies for christmas. So why don't use them? I think the impression barbies give off are the same as violent video games. It's common sense and the type of person. My little brother plays Mature rated games and he's by far not violent. Probably the opposite. I played with barbies and I definitely don't act or look like the barbie. It's how much character you have. The people that succumb to stuff like that would succumb to something else if barbies or video games weren't around.

youtube bring me a kickass panada

sorry weird thought anyway


well put.

that it

SnowXwhite wrote: I heard somewhere that it's physically impossible to naturally be shaped like Barbie. But I'm not sure.

I agree with most of that but I think people take the doll too seriously. When I used to play with barbies I only used them to place 'house' and making up stories. If you use little dolls it's easier and more fun. And everyone knows that every little girl has a hundred barbies even if they don't like dolls. Every girl gets barbies for christmas. So why don't use them? I think the impression barbies give off are the same as violent video games. It's common sense and the type of person. My little brother plays Mature rated games and he's by far not violent. Probably the opposite. I played with barbies and I definitely don't act or look like the barbie. It's how much character you have. The people that succumb to stuff like that would succumb to something else if barbies or video games weren't around.

i agree..

i had like 17 barbies
and one ken doll when i was little..
i used to love barbie and everything
but in time i grew out of it..
i gave all of them to my nieces
and they're playing with them now..

i just think that barbies aren't really bad..
it depends on the kid that plays with it..

Hmm that's interesting.

My best friend Teresa has always hated Barbies, and any other girly doll.
One time when she was about 10 she recieved a Barbie (a Teresa doll infact xD)for her birthday and just gave it away to her sister.

I had to do a project on Barbie one time.
In the 50's the waist of the Barbie was crazy skinny, and people actually sent in complaints about it, saying it's much too unrealistic and that it would give a horrible example. So they widened it to a more normal size.
But I agree, it is such a stereotype. The height, the blonde hair, the perkiness to it all.. I guess it was just supposed to be the all American girl.
And then somewhere down the line they invented the first African-American barbie doll, but it was associated with Oreo cookies, and that only pissed people off saying the Oreos, was like representing her in a way that she's 'black on the outside, white on the inside'

It's crazy.

Dude, I'd lol if they ever make an emo Barbie and Ken.

<3BleedingHarts<3 wrote: barbie is a rly bad image of what women should look like

xxx

a.k.a. blonde, ditsy and children should have the urge to take her clothes off. lmao.

Definately never played with a Barbie.

Instead of going home after school to play with toys...
I'd be stuck in Kumon (after school math, English etc studies to "get ahead") Yup, that was my childhood.

D I E S E L wrote: Definately never played with a Barbie.

Instead of going home after school to play with toys...
I'd be stuck in Kumon (after school math, English etc studies to "get ahead") Yup, that was my childhood.

When I was a kid I also had to take those effing lessons. I used to throw a fit. lol. They suck like hell and they don't even work. (for me.)

disenchanted wrote:

D I E S E L wrote: Definately never played with a Barbie.

Instead of going home after school to play with toys...
I'd be stuck in Kumon (after school math, English etc studies to "get ahead") Yup, that was my childhood.

When I was a kid I also had to take those effing lessons. I used to throw a fit. lol. They suck like hell and they don't even work. (for me.)

Oh man...your parents too?
If I threw a fit my parents would go ape...so I just went. I don't really know if it worked for me. xD
I still hate math.