Thursday, February 09, 2006

Barbie Hearts Blaine? Where Did Ken Go?

Just a few thoughts on this article about Barbie:

  • So, apparently I'm totally culturally ignorant (or not 5 years old) but since when did Barbie and Ken break up? And who the heck is Blaine? And why is that even allowed?
  • And since when is there a Barbie narrative? Isn't the whole point of having dolls that aren't connected to fancy electronic equipment that girls can use their imaginations not follow some pre-determined story plot?
  • Now, I'm well aware that as a frum Jew, my clothing is much more conservative than that of mainstream America, but is Barbie's clothing really considered "historically safe fashion"? I mean, I had some pretty skimpy Barbie outfits back in the day--those are safe by today's standards?
  • Though I found the comment that "male dolls like Ken 'have always been accessories to Barbie,'" very funny. Take that as you will.
OK, I'm not in love with Barbie and I'm not crazy about the concept of a doll that is so ridiculously proportioned that if she were real she wouldn't even be able to stand, but to me Barbie has always stood for naivete, childhood innocence, pink ribbons and flowery stuff and long blonde hair. And something about this article made me really sad. Maybe just the fact that Barbie is something else, maybe just the fact that it always was something else and I just never knew, as I played with my plastic dolls and their little high heels completely oblivious to the machine that it all was.

posted by Eli7 @ 1:25 PM   2 comments

2 Comments:

At 2/9/06, 3:28 PM, Blogger FrumGirl said...

I loved playing with Barbie when I was little. I never even realized she had such unrealistic proportions or whatever else people find negative about her. All I knew is that she looked great, had great clothes and shoes, had a boyfriend and that I got to make the scenario up.

I read the article. It says Barbie and Ken are actually getting back together....

Times sure have changed, though. At the end of the day, it is just a doll.

 
At 2/9/06, 6:16 PM, Blogger Josh said...

Marketing...Just be greatful that you were oblivious as a child. Although, it has gotten worse. They're afraid you might not be creative enough to choose their toy, so just in case they're feeding you the story-line. And I don't think they ever bothered to make it an educational one. If Barbie is teaching girls that boys are accessories, more real girls will be splitting from their "Kens."

 

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