I might be a sellout re:Barbie

[Aspasia]

Long story short, I have a strong record as being pretty anti-Barbie for all the usual reasons. But my poor dd is SO into the "pretty" stuff. My "anti" status includes Disney Princess stuff (not surprisingly), but every little girl dd knows has them and she is really, really into them. I usually dismiss Barbie and princess inquiries fairly casually--I haven't exactly given any lectures about feminism or body image. But lately dd has started asking why I won't let her have any princess or Barbie stuff. I know what my answers have always been, but I have recently been relaxing my standards in a lot of areas (kind of a coping mechanism since the new baby came) and realizing that maybe I'm a little uptight and maybe it doesn't matter as much as I used to think it did.

 

On the other hand, I still have all the other ideas in my head, too. I'm just confused. I want to protect my children (obviously), but I don't want to needlessly deprive them of things that may not really matter in the end. I just think of how thrilled she would be to open up anything Disney Princess or Barbie on Christmas morning and I start rationalizing.

 

Thoughts? Why do you do Barbie/princesses or why don't you?

[KarenNC]

We did Barbie and the princesses, but I drew the line at Bratz (too over-the-top street corner chic for me). It doesn't seem to have harmed my daughter's self-image at all :). As she has gotten older, we have done a lot of talking about media and the way it distorts images of women, manipulates for profit, etc. Barbie and the princesses were also never the *only* images she got of women. She's always had strong female figures in her life whose self-worth and value are not measured in their looks and clothes----teachers, martial arts instructors, family members, at church, in books we've read, etc. I feel these more than balance out Barbie.

 

I was interested to note that my daughter's main complaint in the early years was the lack of princes to go with the princesses (it seems they are more available now). She also wanted more Kens so that they could be dads. She did a lot of playing family with them, having them do martial arts, etc in addition to shopping and clothes.

[Hockey Mom]

I was exact opposite. I wanted my DD to get into the Barbie/princess/baby doll phase, but she never did. She was an animal lover, and only wanted animals to play with.

 

I *get* your opposition to them. I had a ton of Barbies as a girl, and no one to tell me the truth about body images. I liked brushing their hair. LOL

 

I also was 100% against gun play...until I had boys. When they discovered how to make guns out of their fingers, I figured I would relax the 'no gun' rule, and instead I focused on educating them about guns. Took the mystery of playing guns right out of the equation.

[GailV]

We did Barbie and princesses, although I had reservations. I decided not to let it become a big deal.

 

Now, years later, they are NOT anorexic fashionistas. They laugh at the absurdity of Barbie's bodily proportions.

 

The older one used one of the dolls to make a "Death to Barbie" tshirt when she wanted to dress up as Thalia from the Percy Jackson books. If you're not familiar with it, Thalia wore a tshirt with a picture of Barbie with an arrow through her head -- dd took a photo of one of our dolls and made it into something that could be applied to a tshirt. How could she have done this had we not owned dolls? ;)

 

I'm way more concerned about images of women in advertising and media than I am about my kids playing with the dolls.

[Lucy in Australia]

I was in the "avoid Barbie" camp until DD came along :D After watching how my SIL raises her 2 girls, I have concluded that Barbies and Disney princesses have far less influence that the morals & life lessons a mother teaches and, above all, shows. My SIL started (almost from birth) to talk to her girls about inner beauty and how we can look gorgeous on the outside and still be an ugly person. She also displays a beautiful spirit. Her daughters are now nearly 12 and 8 and it has paid off. They are healthy, well grounded & not easily swayed by fashion or talk of body image but it was a deliberate & constant effort on their mother's part. I know the teen years are still to come but they have an excellent foundation.

[lmrich]

I think when you ban something you run the risk of making it more desirable. My girls were Barbie and princess freaks. Barbie went camping, went up the tree, etc... You may want to look at Barbies sisters. They are still skinny but not so curvy.

[Starr]

We did Barbie and the princesses, but I drew the line at Bratz (too over-the-top street corner chic for me). It doesn't seem to have harmed my daughter's self-image at all :). As she has gotten older, we have done a lot of talking about media and the way it distorts images of women, manipulates for profit, etc. Barbie and the princesses were also never the *only* images she got of women. She's always had strong female figures in her life whose self-worth and value are not measured in their looks and clothes----teachers, martial arts instructors, family members, at church, in books we've read, etc. I feel these more than balance out Barbie.

 

I was interested to note that my daughter's main complaint in the early years was the lack of princes to go with the princesses (it seems they are more available now). She also wanted more Kens so that they could be dads. She did a lot of playing family with them, having them do martial arts, etc in addition to shopping and clothes.

 

:iagree:

[Aspasia]

I think when you ban something you run the risk of making it more desirable. My girls were Barbie and princess freaks. Barbie went camping, went up the tree, etc... You may want to look at Barbies sisters. They are still skinny but not so curvy.

 

This has definitely crossed my mind. Dd seems really fascinated by all the characters that everyone except her knows. That includes Spider-Man and Batman. She loves to watch them and says she wants some random Batman toy for Christmas. I think it's just because everyone around her knows about them and she doesn't. When I was growing up, I was totally comfortable not knowing about whatever pop culture stuff hadn't crossed my radar. I still am. We watch very little TV, so I can almost never relate to the things people talk about, and i couldn't care less. DH is the opposite of me. If everyone is talking about a show or a band, he wants to watch it or listen to it so he can fit in, or at least not be clueless. I guess dd takes after him that way.

 

*Sigh* So much for my dream of creating little homeschooled weirdos who are totally different and totally comfortable with it. :tongue_smilie:

[Aspasia]

One thing I've been thinking is that I think most women in our culture have body image issues at some point, to some extent, regardless of the toys they did or didn't play with as children. It's pretty unavoidable. But if I nurture her interests (even if they are what I consider to be superficial and vain), then hopefully we'll be close enough that when she starts encountering her body image issues, she'll be able to come to me. Right? Or is that some pretty serious rationalization?

[Mommy22alyns]

I was like that when Becca was a baby, and eventually she started wanting Disney Princess and Barbie things.

 

I really don't think it has done them any harm in the slightest.

 

We do not allow Bratz and the girls have a great sense of what is and is not appropriate.

[Aurelia]

We did Barbie and the princesses, but I drew the line at Bratz (too over-the-top street corner chic for me).

 

I'm the same way. No Bratz or other "street-corner chic" :lol: dolls are allowed in this house, and I've told her if someone gives her one, it's not even staying in the house overnight. DD understands.

 

Ariel was even given a set of the Barbie/Disney princess dolls. Double whammy! She's never had any body issues and oddly enough, when we did the last toy clean-out, didn't even want to keep them all, the only ones she wanted to hang on to were the "ethnic" ones - Mulan, Jasmine, etc. Cinderella, Snow White and the rest went to Goodwill.

[Impish]

I was raised w/a rabidly anti Barbie mother. Body image issues out the wazoo.

 

My girls have both gone through a Barbie/Princess phase. Princess is still in it :lol:

[Guest submarines]

She's only 5. I'd guess that most children this age don't focus on their bodies or on the bodies of their dolls. I wouldn't even draw her attention to this at this point. She just wants a princess.

 

I'm quite anti-Barbie myself, but lucky for me my now 10 year old wasn't interested in them, and over the years I've mellowed down, and if my 4 year old was crazy about Barbies, I'd get them for her. Though if she asked once, and didn't revisit the topic, I wouldn't rush either. :tongue_smilie:

[Mommy22alyns]

We did Barbie and the princesses, but I drew the line at Bratz (too over-the-top street corner chic for me). It doesn't seem to have harmed my daughter's self-image at all :). As she has gotten older, we have done a lot of talking about media and the way it distorts images of women, manipulates for profit, etc. Barbie and the princesses were also never the *only* images she got of women. She's always had strong female figures in her life whose self-worth and value are not measured in their looks and clothes----teachers, martial arts instructors, family members, at church, in books we've read, etc. I feel these more than balance out Barbie.

 

I was interested to note that my daughter's main complaint in the early years was the lack of princes to go with the princesses (it seems they are more available now). She also wanted more Kens so that they could be dads. She did a lot of playing family with them, having them do martial arts, etc in addition to shopping and clothes.

 

 

:iagree: Yes, exactly!

[Joker]

I have two dds and both had Barbies, Princesses, and Bratz dolls. They also love Legos and Star Wars action figures. Neither seem to have any issues with body image. Younger prefers dresses, but isn't into hair, clothes, jewelry, etc. Older is not girly at all and is very comfortable with herself. She actually went through a period where she was too modest (would wear about 6 layers of shirts and only jeans), but now she's just comfortable. It didn't hurt them at all and I don't regret letting them have them. They actually have really great memories since dh would play Barbies/Bratz with them almost every Saturday morning. :001_wub:

[Acorn]

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein was a funny and scary read. At the time I read it, I felt like I had the only 3 1/2 year old in town that couldn't name one disney princess or ten. Now that she is 5, it seems to have caught up with us.

[GailV]

I was interested to note that my daughter's main complaint in the early years was the lack of princes to go with the princesses (it seems they are more available now). She also wanted more Kens so that they could be dads. She did a lot of playing family with them, having them do martial arts, etc in addition to shopping and clothes.

 

We also had complaints of not enough Ken dolls, and not enough changes of clothing for Ken.

 

Also, if you throw Ken over the stair rail onto the tile floor in the foyer (extreme skiing? skydiving? Barbie got sick of having him around?) his legs tend to break off. That's also true of some Barbies, just so you know.

[Rosie_0801]

Thoughts? Why do you do Barbie/princesses or why don't you?

 

Disney princesses are allowed in moderation. That means I won't buy their merchandise but if relatives want to, they probably won't go in the thrift shop bag. Clothing is the exception. If it is a small tag, it may stay, if it is a large picture, it'll disappear. I'll let them watch the movies unless I really hate them. I really hate the Little Mermaid so I think dd only knows about that one from a colouring book.

 

Barbies happen here because they are just dolls. My aunt sent a box of Barbie clothes my mother and grandmother had made for her, because she only has a son, to dd and I trawled the thrift shops looking for old skinny dolls so the clothes would fit. My brother bought her one of the Muslim Fulla dolls a few years back. My father bought a Barbie, which I wouldn't have minded except he bought one with skanky clothes. I'd rather he hadn't done that, but I wasn't going to get uptight seeing how the Barbies are usually left lying around naked anyway. :lol: The real issue with that was they were too fiddly for a small kid so she couldn't really play with this wonderful toy she loved properly, a problem that wouldn't have happened if he'd bought a ball gown. I think he did it to spite me, actually, thinking my stance against Barbies was far stronger than it is.

 

No Barbie movies or merchandise. I'm a meanie when it comes to movies. If it annoys me, they don't watch it. I don't think my little kid is translating in her head from Barbie/ Disney Princess to body image issues. To her it is just a doll, and it has booKs so it is an adult doll. I'm pretty sure she thinks they are all mamma dolls and therefore a different category of person to herself anyway. Like others, I wouldn't have the Bratz dolls here. I don't need bratty anythings in my house.

 

Dd's Barbie is usually found skinny dipping in the bathtub. That seems reasonable to me. :lol: And I'd rather they were doing that than the Waldorf dolls I made. They aren't plastic!

 

Rosie

[Joker]

We also had complaints of not enough Ken dolls, and not enough changes of clothing for Ken.

 

Also, if you throw Ken over the stair rail onto the tile floor in the foyer (extreme skiing? skydiving? Barbie got sick of having him around?) his legs tend to break off. That's also true of some Barbies, just so you know.

 

 

This reminded me that my dds broke the arm off one of their Barbies. When I asked why they said they wanted a Bethany Hamilton doll (Soul Surfer). :tongue_smilie: They've also put the Barbies in some serious peril (hanging and tied to the Barbie house) so that Lara Croft, Princess Leia, and the rest of the Star Wars gang could save them.

[Aspasia]

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein was a funny and scary read. At the time I read it, I felt like I had the only 3 1/2 year old in town that couldn't name one disney princess or ten. Now that she is 5, it seems to have caught up with us.

 

Yes! This is what happened to us! Except my manifesto was "Consuming Kids", by Susan Linn.

[crazyforlatin]

My money, my rules.

 

I'm anti-dolls, although I did try once with a cute baby doll, but DD turned out to be anti-doll from about 8 months old.

 

I'm opposed to anything Barbie-related, but DD is still young and hasn't even asked for an America Girl doll.

 

If she ever asks, I predict I will say no and stay firm about it.

[Rosie_0801]

My money, my rules.

 

I'm anti-dolls, although I did try once with a cute baby doll, but DD turned out to be anti-doll from about 8 months old.

 

I'm opposed to anything Barbie-related, but DD is still young and hasn't even asked for an America Girl doll.

 

If she ever asks, I predict I will say no and stay firm about it.

 

Why?

[Barb_]

If it makes you feel any better, Barbies are a lot cuter and less busty than they were when my olders were little.

[Caitilin]

I won't do barbies because of the consumer culture they represent. I won't buy American girl dolls either. Flame away. :tongue_smilie:

[Aspasia]

If it makes you feel any better, Barbies are a lot cuter and less busty than they were when my olders were little.

 

That actually does make me feel better. Thank you. ;)

[Guest submarines]

If it makes you feel any better, Barbies are a lot cuter and less busty than they were when my olders were little.

 

Transformation of Barbie.

[Rosie_0801]

If it makes you feel any better, Barbies are a lot cuter and less busty than they were when my olders were little.

 

True, that. I went searching through several thrift shops for the oldest, skinniest Barbies and they still weren't skinny enough to fit into some of my aunt's Barbie clothes. None of them fit the Barbie I bought last week. (I needed the shoes for a project :lol:)

 

Rosie

[crazyforlatin]

Why?

 

I was kind of into Barbies when I was a kid and had a warped view of the way I ought to have looked. It wasn't healthy and looking back now, really was kind of unfair to my mom, but it could have just been me. DD has a different personality, but when she was very little, she thought that only yellow-haired girls were pretty and she wanted to be yellow-haired.

Edited November 14, 2012 by crazyforlatin

[Mommy22alyns]

I'd rather he hadn't done that, but I wasn't going to get uptight seeing how the Barbies are usually left lying around naked anyway. :lol:

 

You know you have girls in the house when... there are naked Barbies all over the place! :lol:

[Rosie_0801]

I was really into Barbies when I was a kid and had a warped view of the way I ought to have looked. It wasn't healthy and looking back now, really was kind of unfair to my mom, but it could have just been me. DD has a different personality, but when she was very little, she thought that only yellow-haired girls were pretty and she wanted to be yellow-haired.

 

My dd still thinks any girl significantly taller than her is pretty because she's so grown up. :lol: Her own beauty is entirely taken for granted because she still believes everything her mum and dad says. :tongue_smilie:

[nd293]

Dd went through a Barbie stage - like everything, I think it's OK in moderation. There used to be a 'Muslim Barbie' when we lived in the Middle East (not Barbie, another brand - Fulla, maybe) which was supposed to have a more sensible body shape. I am sure something like this must be available online.

[Catwoman]

I loved Barbie stuff when I was a kid. I don't think it had any long term effect on my self-esteem.

 

I know my opinion may be unpopular, but I think many of the kids who supposedly have self-esteem and body issues as a result of playing with Barbie dolls are getting those issues from their moms dwelling on the topic, rather than from playing with the dolls. (Ditto for the princess dolls.)

 

It's a complete and total non-issue for me.

[Barb_]

That actually does make me feel better. Thank you. ;)

 

I'll dig some up and take a comparison picture tomorrow if I think of it.

[crazyforlatin]

My dd still thinks any girl significantly taller than her is pretty because she's so grown up. :lol: Her own beauty is entirely taken for granted because she still believes everything her mum and dad says. :tongue_smilie:

 

That's cute!

 

Sometimes girls grow up playing with Barbies and are fine. It's just during that certain phase that worries me. I managed to easily convince DD that her hair color is very pretty, and EVERYONE in the family got involved as well. :D. Now, we have the opposite problem. :lol:

[Elizabeth in MN]

I allowed some of it into the home because I didn't want the whole "forbidden fruit" issue to come up. Once it came in, dd was not so interested in it.

[Aspasia]

I was really into Barbies when I was a kid and had a warped view of the way I ought to have looked. It wasn't healthy and looking back now, really was kind of unfair to my mom, but it could have just been me. DD has a different personality, but when she was very little, she thought that only yellow-haired girls were pretty and she wanted to be yellow-haired.

 

My dd thinks this anyway. It makes me sad. She thinks she isn't pretty because she doesn't have blonde hair. She used to draw pictures of herself with long blonde hair and her blonde IRL friend with brown hair. She's getting a little better. She now draws pictures of herself with brown hair. And she says she no longer wants to marry the blonde boy she used to want to. She now says she wants to marry a brown-haired boy because he looks like her. She tends to identify people by their hair color. I wonder why little dark-haired girls do that. I used to long for blonde hair when I was little, too. It took me awhile to embrace my dark hair.

[TranquilMind]

Long story short, I have a strong record as being pretty anti-Barbie for all the usual reasons. But my poor dd is SO into the "pretty" stuff. My "anti" status includes Disney Princess stuff (not surprisingly), but every little girl dd knows has them and she is really, really into them. I usually dismiss Barbie and princess inquiries fairly casually--I haven't exactly given any lectures about feminism or body image. But lately dd has started asking why I won't let her have any princess or Barbie stuff. I know what my answers have always been, but I have recently been relaxing my standards in a lot of areas (kind of a coping mechanism since the new baby came) and realizing that maybe I'm a little uptight and maybe it doesn't matter as much as I used to think it did.

 

On the other hand, I still have all the other ideas in my head, too. I'm just confused. I want to protect my children (obviously), but I don't want to needlessly deprive them of things that may not really matter in the end. I just think of how thrilled she would be to open up anything Disney Princess or Barbie on Christmas morning and I start rationalizing.

 

Thoughts? Why do you do Barbie/princesses or why don't you?

 

Barbie is harmless and pretty, imo. I had Barbies from the early 60's which my daughter wanted to play with, so I gave them to her. Then through the years I found a lot of cool ones: Pioneer Barbie, 30's Barbie, all kinds of royal Barbies of various nations, Indian Barbies, etc. I enjoyed them so she got them.

 

The last one I gave her was when she was 13. Too old, but it looked exactly like her so she got it. She wanted to keep a Barbie in a Wedding dress out, even though the others got put away.

 

No body issues or unrealistic expectations occurred with reference to Barbie.

 

ETA: Daughter happens to be blonde and thin (and built like Barbie now) anyway, so perhaps YMMV with reference to Barbie issues.

[TranquilMind]

I loved Barbie stuff when I was a kid. I don't think it had any long term effect on my self-esteem.

 

I know my opinion may be unpopular, but I think many of the kids who supposedly have self-esteem and body issues as a result of playing with Barbie dolls are getting those issues from their moms dwelling on the topic, rather than from playing with the dolls. (Ditto for the princess dolls.)

 

It's a complete and total non-issue for me.

 

 

I think this might have some truth to it.

[sewingmama]

The only thing I have against Barbie is that a single outfit costs $10 and the frustrated meltdowns she caused my DD because she was too hard to dress :glare: (Although the ones with bendy limbs have eliminated that problem).

 

My DD has only just recently taken notice of Barbies and Disney princesses -I never encouraged or discouraged her. This Christmas she asked for Rapunzel and Ariel dolls - she has only seen Tangled but not the Little Mermaid movies. She wants them because they have long hair (which my DD doesn't and pines for) and because she loves all mermaids. So I am getting them because she doesn't just want them for their princess value KWIM?

 

She has also expressed an interest in Barbie but I am holding off on that as the interest is not strong ;) She still prefers her baby dolls and Lalaloopsy's and when she wants a more grown up doll I am hoping to move onto the 18 inch ones and try to totally forgo Barbie.

 

Again not because I really have anything against Barbie -I just resent paying so much money for her cheaply made outfits :tongue_smilie:(which is the main reason my DD wants a Barbie -to dress her)

 

Plus I think Barbie is uglier then she used to be when I was a kid :lol:

 

My DD does have her eye on that new Barbie Unicorn thing - again more because she loves unicorns rather then because it is Barbie branded.

[TranquilMind]

Transformation of Barbie.

That was interesting. Wow, 1989 Barbie had some big hair - I guess like all the rest of us in 1989!

 

Her chest certainly got smaller! I don't like those arms and legs with joints. I like the old, indestructible bodies better (except their heads were removable and brothers enjoyed doing that).

[crazyforlatin]

My dd thinks this anyway. It makes me sad. She thinks she isn't pretty because she doesn't have blonde hair. She used to draw pictures of herself with long blonde hair and her blonde IRL friend with brown hair. She's getting a little better. She now draws pictures of herself with brown hair. And she says she no longer wants to marry the blonde boy she used to want to. She now says she wants to marry a brown-haired boy because he looks like her. She tends to identify people by their hair color. I wonder why little dark-haired girls do that. I used to long for blonde hair when I was little, too. It took me awhile to embrace my dark hair.

 

I think you're gorgeous! I wish more of us could see the women we become.

 

If DD wanted to dye her hair to blond, so be it. But it'll have to be at least 10 years later. Hair color is really not an issue for me - it represents to me what will come afterwards. I happened to be taller than most girls in my class and very skinny, but in those days, the latter was a good reason to be bullied. Weird. I think that's why I have an aversion to Barbie dolls. They have perfect figures, and I didn't. It didn't matter what my mom told me - it was combination of the media, peers, and maybe Barbie dolls.

 

I don't feel like spending money on toys that make me cringe.

[OrganicAnn]

I grew up playing with Barbies. Actually my favorite was Francie who was a little younger and less curvy, than Barbie. Of course the reason I liked her was that she had "grow and pretty hair". You could pull her pony tail out longer and make it retract shorter.

 

While some girls might get the wrong ideas about body type and beauty from Barbies, they are more likely to get the message from Family, Friends, society, TV etc. How often do you hear people telling little girls they are pretty or what pretty hair they have? Like that is what is ultimately important. Never "you're smart" or "you're brave" or "you're original"

 

I would have been fine with my DD playing with Barbies, but she's a animal girl. Not interested in dolls of any kind.

[Aspasia]

The only thing I have against Barbie is that a single outfit costs $10 and the frustrated meltdowns she caused my DD because she was too hard to dress :glare: (Although the ones with bendy limbs have eliminated that problem).

 

My DD has only just recently taken notice of Barbies and Disney princesses -I never encouraged or discouraged her. This Christmas she asked for Rapunzel and Ariel dolls - she has only seen Tangled but not the Little Mermaid movies. She wants them because they have long hair (which my DD doesn't and pines for) and because she loves all mermaids. So I am getting them because she doesn't just want them for their princess value KWIM?

 

She has also expressed an interest in Barbie but I am holding off on that as the interest is not strong ;) She still prefers her baby dolls and Lalaloopsy's and when she wants a more grown up doll I am hoping to move onto the 18 inch ones and try to totally forgo Barbie.

 

Again not because I really have anything against Barbie -I just resent paying so much money for her cheaply made outfits :tongue_smilie:(which is the main reason my DD wants a Barbie -to dress her)

 

Plus I think Barbie is uglier then she used to be when I was a kid :lol:

 

My DD does have her eye on that new Barbie Unicorn thing - again more because she loves unicorns rather then because it is Barbie branded.

 

Your dd sounds just like mine. She thinks long hair is the most gorgeous thing ever. She also wants pink hair, and since Ariel's is close, that's her favorite princess. LOVES unicorns (that's what she was for Halloween).

 

Yeah, I think you're all right. I'm obviously really uptight and I need to let it go. I played with Barbies quite a bit when I was younger, and haven't suffered from body issues, aside from the universal slight longing for the "perfect" body. I think my saving grace was that I was an athlete. It's hard to get hung up on what your body looks like when you're really proud of what it can DO.

[Jpoy85]

You could do Barbies but make it to your liking. You could make clothes that cover her up better for example if that was one of your concerns.

[Rosie_0801]

Dd went through a Barbie stage - like everything, I think it's OK in moderation. There used to be a 'Muslim Barbie' when we lived in the Middle East (not Barbie, another brand - Fulla, maybe) which was supposed to have a more sensible body shape. I am sure something like this must be available online.

 

I think there is much of a muchness between Fulla and the Barbies being sold now in terms of body shape. Fulla's outfits cover a bit more skin, and she wears long underwear! I wanna get dd the "homeschooling" Fulla. They aren't really homeschooling but it looks good enough.

 

How cute is it? http://muslimtoysanddolls.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_51&products_id=314

 

However, she's not getting it because the shipping costs are not cute.

[nono]

If it makes you feel any better, Barbies are a lot cuter and less busty than they were when my olders were little.

 

True. We have some from when I was little as well as some more recent ones. It creates real life - our girls can't always swap clothes as they wish! Also, some of the women in my family do resemble Barbie's body style....all legs and ample front end naturally. I always had Skipper's body and have a healthy self image, so I don't know what to tell you about that.

 

We have 9 dolls living in a non-Barbie branded 3 story house....7 girls, 2 guys, couple of cars and a pool. Most of them are airline workers, including our non-Ken. We all play as a family (it is a lot of dolls to work!) Having the guys in the mix really adds hilarity.

 

Oh and the day I stripped one of the girls and threw her in the tub....oh the horror! So we made a curtain for more bathroom privacy. :D. That was fun! Now the kids want to build a whole addition to the house!

[fairfarmhand]

I never did Barbie because I CAN'T STAND THE TINY PIECES!

 

That and the fact that none of the dolls at my house ever have clothes on. Naked babies are bad enough, but naked Barbies just really bother me.

 

I agree that body image concerns will have more to do with the environment of your home than anything else.

 

You can find modest clothing for the dolls, if that is a concern, or have grandma make some.

[Tap]

I do allow a bit of branded merchandise in our home, but it has to have a purpose aside from the brand.

 

If I am buying a video game, and the princess one has good reviews, then I will buy it.

 

If I am buying a bicycle and the princes one is cuter, but another brand is better quality, I will buy the better quality bike.

 

A couple of t-shirts with a character is fine, but I limit it to about 2 per year. NO live people on shirts ie Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber etc.

 

If the princess tent is the best tent for sale, then that is fine but again, I am not buying it just because it has princesses on it. I am buying the tent, the decoration is just that, the decoration.

[amy g.]

I allowed no TV and no Barbies with my oldest. With my second, third and fourth daughters, I allow Barbies, but still no TV or anything else that contains advertising.

 

All of my daughters are self confident, and have no body image issues.

 

For me, the values represented on TV are worse than those of Barbie.

 

I love that my 14 year old still spends entire days sewing Barbie clothes and playing dolls with her friends and little sisters. She has no interest in wearing makeup, boys or inappropriate clothing.

[Live2Ride]

DD was given some barbies, but never really got into them. She did receive some that we exchanged for more properly clothed barbies knowing our standards on that sort of thing.