Help me figure out why I don't want my girls to have Barbie dolls

[gaillardia]

Barbie. Ha. I didn't like Barbie either, then someone gave dld a collector Barbie. Then another one here, one there. We had been giving her the little Barbie kids. Adorable little kids Barbies.

Eventually it came out that some of the Barbie stuff had lead in it which quickly resolved, apparently forever, our daughters' desires to be Barbie owners.

We now have a box full of ratted-up hair Barbies of various looks but all the same size, and the little girl Barbies, and associated accessories, animals and car. They don't want to get rid of them, but won't play with them either.

There is a website to check on levels of lead in toys but I don't think I kept it; if I find it, I'll post it.;)

I don't think every Barbie thing had lead. At least Legos and Playmobile are safe.

[Matryoshka]

I never bought my kids Barbies, but they also never asked for them. I did buy them Only Hearts Club dolls, but they were already 10yo, and they have the same names as my kids (weird), so I couldn't see how to avoid it. :tongue_smilie:

 

My own mother, who never bought me a single Barbie, did get a bunch for my girls to play with at her house :confused: - but to her credit they were only the "family" Barbies (I think they're now discontinued) that had "normal" body shapes and some even had wrinkles and gray hair (grandma Barbie!), and then a bunch of fairy tale ones - princes and princesses - no skanky clothes at least.

 

My kids would play with them over there, but never once asked me to get them some for our house. They preferred baby dolls and Playmobil - which is still a hit now that the older two are in middle school!

[Barb_]

I think Barbie falls under the heading of Choose Your Battles. Don't offer the Barbie, but don't battle the Barbie.

 

Barb

[OrganicAnn]

I had Barbies growing up. Actually I preferred Francie who was like the teenage sister of Barbie, but didn't like Skipper who was a preteen. I had a lot of people who sew in my family so most of the clothes I had were homemade. Everything from a indian outfit to a wedding gown.

 

Barbies are a way for girls to do pretend play. Just like baby dolls, tutus and tiaras, and doll houses. I think different things appeal to different kids. Adults often put a lot on Barbies that the kids would not ever think of themselves. They might be attracted to the pretty hair and never notice the unrealistic shape.

 

My DD 6 prefers to do pretend play with dinosaurs and stuffed animals. Every kid is different.

Edited May 1, 2010 by OrganicAnn

[Peela]

I think Barbie falls under the heading of Choose Your Battles. Don't offer the Barbie, but don't battle the Barbie.

 

Barb

 

:lol::lol::lol::iagree::iagree::iagree:

[AngieW in Texas]

I just don't like Barbie. I always wanted Tonka trucks and Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars. All I kept getting was Barbie. I always immediately beheaded the Barbies.

 

I even got a Barbie Dream House one year. I enclosed it in window screen mesh and used it to house cicadas.

 

My parents never could understand why I wouldn't do Barbie. They wanted me to want to play dressup with that weird plastic doll.

 

The one doll of that type that I was okay with was the Sunshine Family. I didn't behead them. I had the mother, father, and baby. My best friend next door had the family with twin babies and had grandparents too. We even had the rv.

http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollprofiles/p/sunshinefamily.htm

[ereks mom]

I loved Barbie growing up and my girls have some (some of my old stuff). They have (several) princess, mom (Midge with the pregnant belly), and doctor Barbies. They like the Kelly dolls, too. We have a few Ken dolls as well.

 

So, I don't have a problem with Barbie even though I'm sensitive to the the whole body image issue. They know it's just a doll. :)

 

My dd has my old Barbie & Ken & Skipper & Francie dolls from the 70s and also the ones that belonged to my sister, who had only boys. We also handed down our old Barbie camper & car & doll cases. And she got lots of Barbies & friends plus accessories, many handed down from family friends who outgrew them, as well as new ones she got for birthdays & Christmases.

Yes, we have the pregnant belly Midge doll too, and also Grandma & Grandpa & their kitchen/dining room playset. My dd has a healthy body image, so Barbie hasn't hurt her at all.

[teamturner]

I had decided "no Barbie" early on when my first dd was 3ish mostly because of modesty. A friend suggested we just do the princess Barbies which is what we've done. I'm glad my dd's are getting Barbie out of their system while they are young (my 8 yo dd doesn't play w/them anymore). I don't really think that playing w/a pretty doll when they are little is going to give them bad body images later. When I was in jr. high school, what made me feel my body was less than perfect was comparing myself to the popular girls. If your dd wants them I don't think it's the battle I'd fight. Little girls just think she's pretty and has pretty dresses.

 

We even have some of the videos and some are hard to watch and others are cute.

[StaceyinLA]

I think sometimes they go a little overboard (potty training Barbie with puppies that pee on a pad??) I also think the clothing can be skimpy, but there ARE outfits that are not.

 

I played with Barbies, a dollhouse, and baby dolls probably until I was 13. I have NEVER had a body image problem.

 

My youngest dd played Barbie more than her sisters, but all of them did at one time or another. None of them have body image problems.

 

Just about anything can be detrimental if you want to carry it that far. Will boys playing with toy guns make them serial killers? Most likely not. I just highly doubt that the vast majority of girls that play with Barbies are going to wind up warped in some way.

[myfatherslily]

I don't have time right now to read this whole thread, so I'm probably going to be the dork who jumps in the middle and repeats something someone has already said :D

 

My DD got two Barbies for her birthday this past week. Previously, all her Barbies were my old dolls from the early 90s and two other yard sale dolls from some point between then and now. I noticed that the two brand new Barbies actually have a different body than the dolls from 20 years ago. Their busts are smaller, their waists are a touch bigger and more normal looking. They have a more human look to them.

 

But I can't decide if this is a good thing or bad. It's hard to worry about measuring up to a freakishly abnormal doll's body. Why would I WANT to look like that?! But these new dolls are attractive. I would like to look like them... and I almost do... but I need my waist to be a touch narrower... and if only my hips were a bit smaller...

 

So I don't know that it's better. A more realistic body isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

ETA: I do think that the attitude of those around us (parents, peers, etc) makes the biggest difference in body image, not the dolls.

[sarawatsonim]

I personally have no issues with Barbies. I loved them as a child and my dd5 loves them as well. She has many Barbies and usually sets up a Barbie community across the living room floor. I really enjoy watching her play and seeing how she makes the Barbies interact with one another. FWIW Barbies bodies have changed over the last few years. She has a smaller bust and larger waist.

They do have Disney Barbies that are dressed in full princess regalia. Like Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty. My daughter really loves these ones because they go with many of her favorite stories.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

 

The one doll of that type that I was okay with was the Sunshine Family. I didn't behead them. I had the mother, father, and baby. My best friend next door had the family with twin babies and had grandparents too. We even had the rv.

http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollprofiles/p/sunshinefamily.htm

 

 

I totally dug my Sunshine Family! They were the crunchy Volkswagen van family. Way better than Barbie!

[angela in ohio]

To me, it's not about her clothes or her stuff, it's about the very shape of the Barbie itself. It presents an unrealistic image of women's bodies. I am just as opposed to magazines that take half of a models leg or waist off. Why can't women be beautfiul as real women? Being an attractive doll is one thing, but she could not exist with the dimensions her body has. I'm not that worried about my dd having body issues, as she gets enough positive input from her father (and me) to head that off, but I don't want to financially support the product.

 

Also, we have to make choices with how much stuff we have in our house. Why would I let Barbie take up space that could go to other items that I thought would be more beneficial for my dc. I taught them young that their father and I know what's best for them when they are still children, and so we have no battles over what we decide they can have.