If scaled into real life proportions, Barbie would be 5 feet, 9 inches, (1.75 m) measuring 36-18-33. According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the requisite 17 to 22 percent of body fat required to menstruate.
Source(s): Lord, M.G. Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. New York: William Morrow and Company,
Inc., 1994.
It has come to my attention over the past 10 years or so that there are parents who have decided not to allow their daughters to own and play with Barbie dolls. I've heard several apologetics for this decision and they have all left me scratching my head. It seems the majority of parents are concerned about their daughters adopting a distorted idea of how their bodies should look and then feel inadequate by comparison to Barbie. Really? Barbie? Barbie is cute and girly and pink, but let's face it; the poor girl is proportionately imbalanced and if she were real, would probably be suffering from some health problems. BUT Barbie has managed to overcome this handicap, or deformity, and represents a life of adventure, diversity and femininity in spite of her shortcomings.
Barbie has all the right gear for every occasion. Over the years I have seen Barbie play sets with every imaginable type of sporting, recreational, holiday or social event played out with all the accessories and the things that make the most of every experience. Many hours were spent with my Barbies fixing their hair, sewing new clothes, hunting for "the other shoe to this pair" or the right boots or bag "to go with this jacket." It was hours of imaginary fun with lots of daydreaming about what kind of wardrobe I would have when I could buy my own clothes someday. Barbie inspired me to draw my own paper dolls and design pages and pages of clothes for them with matching accessories. Just me, my colored pencils, my scissors and some glue and cardboard and I would be obsessed for hours. Barbie inspired me to clean my room and organize my closet and dresser drawers. She inspired me to smell good and wear things that went together and to dress appropriately for the occasion. She inspired me to do my own hair.
She also taught me that just because you do not have a perfect body or a good hair day every day or the right shoes for your outfit because one got sucked into the Hoover last Saturday does NOT mean that you can't leave the house smiling with some sparkle. I leave the house in the morning with a "TO DO" list in my head and I don't care if it sounds childish, I feel more vibrant and energetic if I'm wearing pink or something that has a little sparkle to it because I have learned that pink MAKES ME HAPPY. I feel like I can accomplish whatever I need to that day because I ROCK at being the unique woman I was created to be.
I don't have a daughter, but if I did, I would talk to her about why it is AWESOME being a girl and how much fun it can be to find something that really takes your breath away because it's SO BEAUTIFUL. In American society it is completely acceptable for girls to wear pink at any age, to cry in public, to go nuts over flowers and sunsets and to skip and do cartwheels whenever moved to do so. Boys have a much harder time socially with that kind of expressiveness without having their sexuality questioned. Girls are also allowed to go nuts over a football team, their favorite sports car, a great pair of athletic shoes and their dogs. We get the best of both worlds, so why not celebrate that? The possibilities for enjoying life are endless. I would want my daughter to know that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to as a woman and if she ever starts to believe otherwise, she is buying into a lie.
I strongly disagree with Barbie being a negative role model. She is an American icon and has gone on to make an impression on the world. There is something to be said for Barbie's longevity and popularity. Girls of all ages are attracted to role models who give them permission to dream. If you give your daughter a Barbie and tell her that doll is the most beautiful girl ever made and force her to make a comparison between Barbie and herself, you will have hurt your daughter, not Mattel Corporation. Barbie is not a stereotype. Barbie dispels the stereotype. She's just a girl who isn't afraid to play up her strong points and grab life by the horns. Maybe she knows one thing for certain.....the men aren't going to make it all happen by themselves.
But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."
Source(s): Lord, M.G. Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. New York: William Morrow and Company,
Inc., 1994.
It has come to my attention over the past 10 years or so that there are parents who have decided not to allow their daughters to own and play with Barbie dolls. I've heard several apologetics for this decision and they have all left me scratching my head. It seems the majority of parents are concerned about their daughters adopting a distorted idea of how their bodies should look and then feel inadequate by comparison to Barbie. Really? Barbie? Barbie is cute and girly and pink, but let's face it; the poor girl is proportionately imbalanced and if she were real, would probably be suffering from some health problems. BUT Barbie has managed to overcome this handicap, or deformity, and represents a life of adventure, diversity and femininity in spite of her shortcomings.
Barbie has all the right gear for every occasion. Over the years I have seen Barbie play sets with every imaginable type of sporting, recreational, holiday or social event played out with all the accessories and the things that make the most of every experience. Many hours were spent with my Barbies fixing their hair, sewing new clothes, hunting for "the other shoe to this pair" or the right boots or bag "to go with this jacket." It was hours of imaginary fun with lots of daydreaming about what kind of wardrobe I would have when I could buy my own clothes someday. Barbie inspired me to draw my own paper dolls and design pages and pages of clothes for them with matching accessories. Just me, my colored pencils, my scissors and some glue and cardboard and I would be obsessed for hours. Barbie inspired me to clean my room and organize my closet and dresser drawers. She inspired me to smell good and wear things that went together and to dress appropriately for the occasion. She inspired me to do my own hair.
She also taught me that just because you do not have a perfect body or a good hair day every day or the right shoes for your outfit because one got sucked into the Hoover last Saturday does NOT mean that you can't leave the house smiling with some sparkle. I leave the house in the morning with a "TO DO" list in my head and I don't care if it sounds childish, I feel more vibrant and energetic if I'm wearing pink or something that has a little sparkle to it because I have learned that pink MAKES ME HAPPY. I feel like I can accomplish whatever I need to that day because I ROCK at being the unique woman I was created to be.
I don't have a daughter, but if I did, I would talk to her about why it is AWESOME being a girl and how much fun it can be to find something that really takes your breath away because it's SO BEAUTIFUL. In American society it is completely acceptable for girls to wear pink at any age, to cry in public, to go nuts over flowers and sunsets and to skip and do cartwheels whenever moved to do so. Boys have a much harder time socially with that kind of expressiveness without having their sexuality questioned. Girls are also allowed to go nuts over a football team, their favorite sports car, a great pair of athletic shoes and their dogs. We get the best of both worlds, so why not celebrate that? The possibilities for enjoying life are endless. I would want my daughter to know that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to as a woman and if she ever starts to believe otherwise, she is buying into a lie.
I strongly disagree with Barbie being a negative role model. She is an American icon and has gone on to make an impression on the world. There is something to be said for Barbie's longevity and popularity. Girls of all ages are attracted to role models who give them permission to dream. If you give your daughter a Barbie and tell her that doll is the most beautiful girl ever made and force her to make a comparison between Barbie and herself, you will have hurt your daughter, not Mattel Corporation. Barbie is not a stereotype. Barbie dispels the stereotype. She's just a girl who isn't afraid to play up her strong points and grab life by the horns. Maybe she knows one thing for certain.....the men aren't going to make it all happen by themselves.
But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."
You are so lovely, my dear! Thanks for the reminder! (And I know I'm the first mom who you ever saw deny their child a Barbie, so I sort of feel like you spotlighted ME! LOL)
ReplyDeleteI love it! I'd never thought of it (being a tomboy I wasn't much into Barbies) like that. . .
ReplyDeleteJarnli,
ReplyDeleteYou said so well what I have thought through the years. Now I will pass your blog on to my beautiful Daughter,who is very much a "pink" girl and enjoys being a lovely and feminine lady. Keep on Rocking because you are such a beautiful woman,just as God created you to be.
Very creative blog,Sweet Girl!!!
I owned several hundred Barbies (no joke, had 2 sisters) from Dream Glow Barbie to Loving You Barbie. I had the Barbie that kissed when you pressed her back and even had the Barbie that went from Day to Night! As a matter of fact my children still dress their misrpoportioned plastic dolls in the clothes I used as a child (though the Peaches and Cream outfit looks more like a sad piece of fruit that's been rotting in the mud).
ReplyDeleteOwning that many Barbies should have distorted my impressionable mind by now but because my mom took an ACTIVE role in my upbringing, I was able to determine fake from real (I can spot a boob job a mile away!) and by golly I've been blessed with a little girl who's entered her teen years with a darn good grip on reality!
Bottom line: Own your parenting!!
Disclaimer: This has not been aimed at Tasha!
@stinkyfeetgurlz