What do you think about Barbie? Honest opinions please..

[Socci]

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Oooh, sorry-- what my dh would call a lezbo feminist rant there.

But her initial purpose was to fulfil male sexual fantasies. It's a bit of an odd career move to her current position as the object of pre-school girls' desire...

bleurgh

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dd1 has a Get Real Girl as well as many barbies...

Sorry, Socci-- only meant that as a sort of example. Was answering someone's earlier point that because children don't understand all those issues they don't matter. I was just putting forward the idea that as adults we have to make decisions about the toys we give our children based on a range of factors that are way too complex for them to consider themselves.

But, because Barbie is so mainstream I don't think that many people would be offended by their dd being given one as a present (they're so damned expensive I'd be blooming grateful for your generosity) As I said, my 3 dds have millions, both bought by me and handed down from other kids, and I would never stop them playing with them. But as an adult all the issues really fascinate me. I suppose in many ways its similar to giving boys guns to play with-- to them they're just toys, and to us they signify something much more disturbing.

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As we were wandering the aisles of Woolies the other week, DD1 asked "Mummy, why isn't there a builder Barbie"?

Why indeed?

I hated the idea of them until I founf all of my old Sindy stuff in the loft when we moved. I have never seen DD1 so excited. She loves playing with them, but she also loves Sylvanian families and polly Pocket.

You haven't made a mistake at all! The little girl will love it and love you for buying it!

The Barbie phenomenon is massive-- too big for me to take on single handedly (prefer to save my battles for more important things) which is I let my girls have them, but I do maintain a heavy-handed cynicism about Barbie in front of them. When they play with their Barbies I'll put on a girly squeaky voice and say 'Ooh, no chocolate biscuit for me, thank you, I had half a lettuce leaf last month and I'm still full up' and things like that. (Also like to pretend that one particular pink and princessy Barbie (Rapunzel?) in their collection suffers from bad wind.) At the moment they think its funny but one day they will understand why I dislike her so much!

My argument is with Mattel. Just wish they'd update her to being a more realistic shape, and move her away from her grubby roots under the newsagents counter.

what the girls need is Feral Cheryl the anti-barbie doll complete with body hair and piercings.

am a bit hypocritical, would never buy my girls a barbie but am sort of relieved they get given them by other friends as it saves me having to refuse. actually they don't really play with them much anyway.

i was deprived as a child, had no barbies, only a very ropey sindy...my girls love them, they may be anti feminist but they are far too young to understand all that yet, I say let them believe life is all twinkly twee and perfect for as long as possible - not sure about the big boobs though! HATE THE CLOTHES THOUGH!

IME most of the barbies I have the pleasure of meeting courtesy of small girls spend most of their lives naked. I'm not sure when they grow out of that urge to strip all dolls naked - about the age they grow out of barbies, I suspect.

I think she's evil, but then I think Disney's evil as well. I'm surrounded by evil.

I've resigned myself to the fact that the house will be full of evil until the kids leave home!

My DP's favourite is "wetsuit barbie". she comes with a wetsuit which goes transparent in the bath. she's a diver, with shark and goggles for accessories.

Very dodgy indeed. especially as dd1 calls her wetwipe barbie - ugh.

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Just the way they disneyfy everything really and make them twee and 'orrible and homogenise all the different cultures of the world into one huge Disneyvision. Yeeeugh!

And Disneyland with a giant Mickey Mouse and stuff is quite disturbing.

what's to object to?

or am I completely out of touch?

Jools - if you scaled the old Barbie up, she'd have something like a 60 inch bust, but I can't remember the other vital statistics. She was modelled on a pornographic German doll called Lilli. Can't find any interesting links though, just one from the telegraph with Camille Paglia talking bollocks. (Just for a change)