Dear Barbie
Dear Barbie,
I’m not quite sure what’s happened, but I feel I have to write to you. You see I have something important to say and I kind of feel like I need to be honest with you.
Growing up I loved my Barbie dolls. I’d dress them in different clothes, swap their shoes and make them do various tasks such as shopping for clothes, getting their hair done or have their nails painted.
I even had a Barbie disco house that played music and I absolutely loved it.
I wanted to be Barbie! So what if I didn’t have the blonde hair, blue eyes or the skinny frame of Barbie?
It made no difference to me. I think I just wanted to live her life. A life of lazing on the beach, wearing fabulous dresses and actually being able to walk in a pair of high heels without face planting the floor!
The thing is though, I’ve grown up now and that means that I can see you for who you really are.
I’m a mum now and I have three year old twin girls who happen to love Barbie. I’m not sure how the fascination started or how they even came to own their first Barbie doll, but it’s quite apparent that you hold an important place in the hearts of my girls.
We have a few Barbie DVDs, The Secret Door, The Nutcracker, The Musketeer one and I have to admit that for the most part I have no issue with these DVDs, although phrases such as ‘Don’t mess with the dress’ are a little annoying when constantly repeated over and over again by my girls.
The problem I have is with the way you look.
You’re beautiful, you have no imperfections. Your make-up is always immaculate, your waist is tiny and your legs are so long that I bet they put super models to shame.
You may wonder then what my problem is.
Quite simply I want you to be real.
I want to see fat Barbie and the Barbie whose clothes are covered in food because her kids think her blouse is a napkin.
What about sleep deprived Barbie? That’d certainly be a top seller!
What about the Barbie who hides in the corner of the kitchen with her back to her kids so she can eat a cake without sharing it?
What about elderly Barbie? I mean I’m sure I’m not the only one a little curious to see how kind mother nature was to her in her old age.
I want to see a Barbie whose waist isn’t almost kissing her spine on both sides. I want to see a Barbie who has love handles, whose thighs touch and whose boobs may have sagged a little since her teenage years.
What image of women are we giving children when we hand them a Barbie? That they have to be skinny and beautiful to succeed?
So there it is. I’ve said my piece and I know I may have hurt your feelings, but rest assured that for the time being although you may have lost me, you still have my twins.
Yours truly,
A mother of girls
20 Comments
Briley Powell
August 24, 2015 at 10:40 am
So very true. I used to love Barbie dolls, though the appearance of them didn't even cross my mind back then. I was too young to be aware of the perfect body, I don't think my mind had been polluted by the media at that point! I definitely can see that it could have more of a subconscious impact though..
I look back and loved how inspiring barbies were. I had a range of barbies with all different talents and it really inspired me as a kid. I always remember my favourite being air hostess barbie, I even had the airplane as a gift because I loved it so much! I remember it being the first ever Barbie doll with short hair too. It's a shame they didn't continue to differentiate them though, giving different hair styles, skin tones, body shapes etc. Thats the progress I would of liked to of saw!
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 7:57 pm
Hi Briley, thanks for your comment. I loved Barbie when I was a little girl and I guess like you I didn't take much notice of how she looked when I was very young, but I do remember being around 12 and thinking about she looked. Thanks again for your comment x
Alyssa Mumtoamonster
August 24, 2015 at 2:16 pm
I totally agree with you. I wish they made more realistic barbies
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 7:57 pm
Hi Alyssa, thanks for your comment. It would just be great to see a Barbie that was more in proportion and one with a bit of meat on her bones!
Hannah Latoya Bond
August 24, 2015 at 9:31 pm
I used to love Barbie. I'd have loads of different dolls and accessories. Barbie looks great as a doll, but not as an actual person x
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 7:58 pm
Hi Hannah, thanks for your comment. I remember I had loads of dresses for them too. I had a beauty salon for them too!!
Mom In Denim
August 25, 2015 at 9:27 am
I was not into dolls, although I did want a cabbage patch doll lol. I was a proper tomboy but I have a baby girl with three big brothers so I may well be having these same thoughts x
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 7:58 pm
Hi, thanks for your comment. Cabbage Patch dolls always freaked me out a bit! Not sure why! x
Random Musings
August 25, 2015 at 10:29 am
I know what you mean, it would be great to see some realistic Barbies out there. However, as you say in your post, when you're a child playing with Barbie, you don't consider how perfect she is, you don't even think about it. #myfavouritepost
Debbie
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 7:59 pm
Hi Debbie, thanks for your comment. It really would be great to see more realistic Barbies x
Baby Isabella
August 25, 2015 at 10:43 am
I'm 2.5 years old and love my Barbie dolls. My mummy kinda agrees on the way they look but I don't really see their bodies that way yet. I just like the characters and the imaginary stories I build up in my head. Thought provoking post Hun x #LetKidsBeKids x
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 7:59 pm
Hello! My girls love them too, especially the DVDs! x
Karen Bell
August 25, 2015 at 11:07 am
I agree, it would be really good to see a 'real' Barbie. My twin girls like their Barbies too, they don't seem to notice what they look like though.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Hi Karen, thanks for your comment. I wonder if children had a choice which one they'd prefer – the stereo-typical Barbie or a more realistic one. It'd be interesting to find out x
Mrs Tubbs
August 25, 2015 at 12:21 pm
A real Barbie would be amazing! Unlikely though! #myfavouritepost
Emily
August 25, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Hi Mrs Tubbs, thanks for your comment. Be great if we could maybe even design our own! x
(Mostly) Yummy Mummy
August 26, 2015 at 12:15 pm
I was a Sindy girl myself but all three of my girls have loved Barbie – we have a whole army of them! Growing up I don't think I ever gave a second thought to the size of my doll's waist. I certainly didn't think that I had to be skinny to succeed and I don't think my daughters are being taught that by playing with dolls either. Dolls are just dolls they don't have to be real! Just as teddy bears are just teddy bears. Or bricks are just bricks. I don't think Barbie is as big an influence as you give her credit for. Your girls are much more likely to look to you for that!
Emily
August 26, 2015 at 9:56 pm
Hi, thanks for your comment. I don't think I ever had a Sindy. It was always Barbie for me and my sister. I think because I'm an adult now I just see Barbies in a new light if that makes sense. Although I'd still like to see more true to life dolls as young girls do to tend to take notice of the way they look x
Zena’s Suitcase
September 1, 2015 at 8:38 pm
I was more into Sindy too. I'm pleased my daughter hasn't discovered Barbie or anything similar really, the messages these dolls send children about body image aren't a great way to start thinking we should look
Emily
September 2, 2015 at 7:49 pm
Hi Zena, thanks for your comment. I agree, although as a lot of people who have commented have mentioned, young children don't tend to notice as they just use them play using their imaginations x