To think ELC doll 'head' is an inappropriate gift for four year old...

[Wolfordwonder]

A 'head' lots of blonde hair for 'styling' she has false looking eyelashes and an array of make up. I'm taking it to charity tommorow.

I thought hairdressing apprentice types used these.

I want my four year old to be fuelled on imagination, not Barbiedom.

I had a lot of girly pink toys when I was small, including a Girl's World head at 5yo but I grew up to be quite a "non-girly" woman who wears minimal make up. As a result I don't stress about my own DD. The key is to let her play with a broad range of toys and allow her to experience a wide variety of activities and types of people. Don't stress about it. If you do it might backfire.

Is playing at being a hairdresser worse than playing at being a fireman?

The root of the human condition is to want to play with your appearance. I call myself a feminist and I cannot see anything wrong with this. I personally don't think this crosses any lines of early sexualisation of girls. Or indeed has any connotations of being a job aspiration for a child. My sons play with these at nursery all the time. They love them

How mean of you to get rid of a gift for her. YABU.

They were called Girls World in my day, my sister and I had one each, one blonde the other brunette, AND with the extending hair you pulled out through the top of the head.

We put make up on them and everything.

Incidentally neither my sister nor I have turned out to be in the least bit barbie-ish.

My girls have one of those heads, I think it is a Barbie one and they enjoy playing with it. I had a Girls World when I was younger, ok maybe not 4 but I was only little. I also had Barbie and Sindy.

And I have grown up to be a normal human being!

Really I think some people make to much out of things, just let them play with the toys and don't worry so much.

I do think you are being a bit of a spoil sport. Having a styling head and imaginative play are not mutually exclusive! It's not likely to lead her down a path of horrors. Come on now.

Do you brush your DD's hair, put clips, bands, plaits etc in it? Unless your DD has cropped hair then she will just be copying what mummy does, surely?

If it is a gift and unopened and you really do not want her to have it, can't you return it? Or sell it and buy her something you deem more suitable?

Lighten Up!!

I am not girly one bit, but my 4 year old daughter, to my complete bewilderment, is the girliest girl, ever. She loves pink, ruffles, make up, nail varnish...the works! I have actually learned to love it...she has actually influenced me to have some fun with hair bits and make up, because it IS fun... I am so glad she is the way she is. She is also clever and loves sport, and doesn't take any shit from any one...and she also had one of those head things that she carried around with her everywhere for a year.

Get a grip, OP.

Yes, they are awful things that send out completely the wrong message. Mine had tip-to-change eye colours, and the guide insisted that blue eyes = blue eyeshadow, green eyes = green eyeshadow, etc. Took me years to find out that was not the case.

It is so handy that DD can do her own plaits/hair bobbles.
I look at the girls world as good practice - a bit like one of those practice shoe lace things.

My little boy had one of these when he was about 2, handed over by a good friend of mine who noticed how much he loved it when he went to play.

He now denies ever liking it , he is almost 5 now. However, his little sis (21 months) regularly tortures said head brushes the matted hair and he shows her how to put slides in

Still no sign of the op

DD got one for her 4th birthday. VERY blonde! She has (thankfully) completely ignored it. I'll ebay it eventually too