The day has finally come. Despite (or perhaps because of?) sustained parental anti-Barbie bias, Maren is now the very proud owner of a Barbie.For her birthday, she received a $20 gift certificate for Toys 'R Us, that bastion of all things branded. Maren wandered the aisles, seeming a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of toys to choose from. Nothing seemed to really grab her interest... until we rounded the corner and came face-to-face with a full display of Fairytopia Barbies. Gasping and squealing ensued, and a shriek of, "Oh, Mama, do I have enough money for the pink mermaid?! Can I get it?"
My better self won over the temptation to say, Whoa, TWO HUNDRED dollars!! Sorry, Maren, you don't have enough money.
Although the reasons behind my opposition to Barbie still stand, I have to also think that what is modeled by the real people in our home will have more impact on Maren's values than one or two Barbies. Loving my body, comfort in my own skin, attention to our health rather than our shapes should be a stronger influence on my daughter's body image than the diminutive mute fashionista. (Or, worse than mute... Remember the talking Barbie a few years back? "Math class is tough!") And don't even get me started on Barbie's consumer habits!
So, I've made peace with the pink and purple mermaid. But don't even think about sending more Barbies to our house -- our quota is full!
4 comments:
I think it's a matter of "Oh cool - a mermaid in nice colours" as opposed to "An image I want to conform to."
Ah yes. Barbie and the hegemonic rise of what "women are supposed to look like."
*sigh* don't get me started - especially over here.
Hope you're all doing well ^^*
When she asks to get "Mattel" tattooed on her behind, then it's time to worry. Until then, you're right. Healthy real-life models will always win out over a doll who can't move her elbows.
Wouldn't it be hilarious if instead of "Barbie and the hegemonic rise of what 'women are supposed to look like'", Cabbage Patch dolls became the model? And there was a sudden rash of young teenagers getting Xavier Roberts tattooed on their bums?
Actually, I'm surprised some over-eager anti-obesity critic (like MeMe Roth... check out this article: http://www.gawker.com/news/redbook/) hasn't called for a boycott of Cabbage Patch dolls!
A few people have asked me the boy vs. girl question, and I don't really know how to answer! Since I have just one of each, it's hard for me to tell whether their differences have to do with gender or personality. I suspect that boys are more of a handful in the younger years, and girls are challenging teenagers.
It is odd that in spite of great deliberation on our part, Malcolm is drawn to swords, fighting play, and shooting. I thought all that affinity for violent fantasy was a by-product of gender-biased parenting that encourages aggression in boys. Phooey!
I do agree that it's easier to explain why an "angry" toy is inappropriate for our home than all the complexities of Barbie and Bratz and whatnot.
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