Barbies for Young Girls (Full Version)

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ChelaW -> Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 11:43:23 AM)

Just curious: do you let your daughter (or son, for that matter) play with Barbies?

I ask because there has been a lot of talk in the media about Barbie's negative influence on girls' self-image. My DD is only 3 (almost 4) and so far she hasn't shown interest. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she does, and I don't know what my stance will be, yet.



isaacsmom -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 11:46:48 AM)

I played with them and they didn't affect my self-image. Some of my fondest memories of playing with my little girlfriends and cousins were when we were playing house with our Barbies. If my daughter shows an interest, I'll let her play with them (she's 19 months). She has one that was given to her by my grandma, it's a ballerina. She brings it to my husband because he makes the Barbie dance hilariously and she gets a big kick out of it. That's the only time she plays with it. [:D]



manda59 -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 11:49:09 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChelaW
But I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she does, and I don't know what my stance will be, yet.



Not necessarily! My dd never liked dolls, always preferred her dinosurs and teddies. Well, it was stronger than that, she actually hated dolls, lol. The only doll she tolerated was a Sindy with a horse, and that was because of the horse, not the Sindy.



Sideways -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 11:57:18 AM)

I'm not personally fond of barbies, and I didn't play with them myself when I was little. But I don't think they're evil incarnate, either.

Personally, I think a girl's self image is much more affected by how her father treats her, and her mother, too, for that matter. If you encourage healthy eating and good exercise and hygiene habits, combined with a healthy dose of self-confidence, I don't think you need to worry about barbie dolls.



isaacsmom -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 12:02:33 PM)

quote:

Personally, I think a girl's self image is much more affected by how her father treats her, and her mother, too, for that matter. If you encourage healthy eating and good exercise and hygiene habits, combined with a healthy dose of self-confidence, I don't think you need to worry about barbie dolls.


I tend to agree.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 12:25:47 PM)

Nope, and I got rid of all of mine. They DID affect my self-image, but more than that, Barbie has gotten awfully sleazy over the years, and the day I saw a Baywatch Barbie [:'(] on the shelves it dawned on me that she wasn't meant for little kids.



zoebob -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 1:24:32 PM)

I don't let my kids play with Barbies. I don't like the image they portray, the clothes she wears, her body shape (especially with boys in the house), all the "necessary" accessories.

My dd1 also never really liked dolls



Brandy -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 8:16:28 PM)

We will have a standing rule of no Barbies as gifts for our kiddo. Granted she's only 6 wks but it's already been determined. I cannot stand them.

There are other dolls out there more wholesome that she can have.



pbaribeault -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 9:14:25 PM)

quote:

I don't let my kids play with Barbies. I don't like the image they portray, the clothes she wears, her body shape (especially with boys in the house), all the "necessary" accessories.
Ditto for me.



Mrs.X -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 9:44:16 PM)

My mom found an article when I was little about how Barbie would look if she were real...7ft. tall, EEE breasts, etc. so I would understand that it wasn't realistic. So, I always played with her knowing that women really shouldn't look like that. Never affected me.



PrincessDonna -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/7/2008 10:15:54 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: pbaribeault

quote:

I don't let my kids play with Barbies. I don't like the image they portray, the clothes she wears, her body shape (especially with boys in the house), all the "necessary" accessories.
Ditto for me.


Ditto here too.



Annie64 -> RE: Barbies for Young Girls (8/8/2008 5:34:46 AM)

My daughter, now 15, outgrew Barbies just a few years ago. For years, she had a zillion Barbies and accessories in her room, and it was one of her favorite things to play with. As far as I know, they didn't have any negative impact on her, nor did they have a negative impact on me when I was a child. I think it's entirely possible, though, that they could have an impact on a child's self-esteem, if they think that this is how they are supposed to look, and they could have a negative impact as far as teaching materialism. In theory. I remember the Brady girls (Marsha, Jan, and Cindy) having those same effects on me, but that didn't make me forbid the show to my children when they discovered it on TV Land. I think those messages are out there in the world, through toys or TV or other routes, but that good parenting can counteract them.



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