Barbie, a retrospective

 

I was too old to play with Barbie when she was introduced. My daughter was not. She and her friends had the clothing and accessories spending hours making up adventures and dressing and undressing their dolls.

Part of me was happy that they used their imaginations to come up with all kinds of situations. I liked that Barbie had multiple professions, but I saw no need to buy more Barbies when than the original one could fit into all the clothes and the rest was imagination. I didn't tell them how much study one needed to have some of those jobs.

I hated the commercialism of it all. Barbie needed a house, a car, and tons of stuff. Buy, buy, buy...the job of an American citizen. It was training my daughter to be a consumer.

My daughter did not grow up to be a Barbie-type consumer nor a clothes horse. I'm more of a clothes horse than she is. I guess my discussions on that must have overridden the propaganda.

Now there's a movie about Barbie and when it comes to Europe, I want to see it. It looks like fun.

Years ago there was a Barbie song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhrYis509A

Growing up Skipper was a doll that my daughter was given. Two dolls in one. A girl and when you twisted her arm she grew boobs.  As a flat-chested adult, no matter how I twisted my arm, I remained flat chested. 

As a feminist and a non-consumer I shudder at the subconscious  lessons of Barbie and Skipper. At the same time I understand what makes little girls want Barbie and her accessories. A test tube or a microscope might not hold the same appeal as an evening gown. 

I do credit Mattel for coming up with a cross generational product. I abhor the consumerism message. The clothes still intrigue me. Sometimes I wonder how many little girls want to grow up to be Barbie and that makes my feminism side shudder.