Monday, January 24, 2011

Barbie on the Brain, it's pink but I'm seeing red.

I have Barbie on the brain... Barbie is 50, younger than me. Who IS her plastic surgeon? And I do mean plastic.

I have her on the brain because my little assistant is receiving Barbie clones merchandised by the Disney Company, such as the Pantheon of Princesses (Snow White, Belle et.al  see post below) for presents now, and a Barbie ballerina is slipped in now and then AND SHE'S 4.

 You know how I feel about the sexualizing of children, and especially girl children. Not a healthy idea.



By the way, does anybody know who Simone de Bouvoir is? (author of "The Second Sex" which basically started Feminism) Where is the Simone de Bouvoir doll? It could have a turban and a really short, ugly male doll named Sartre.

AND on top of this, I watched Toystory 1, 2, AND 3 this weekend.


Toy Overload. Wasn't the second movie a riot how they portrayed collectors? MIB much.
Tell me did it make you cry when the children grew up? (Bathos or pathos?) My head is spinning with the stimuli and I loved the sassy portrayal of Barbie and Ken.

So, I am trying to figure out when to get My Little Assistant a Barbie house as her friends are getting them now and she wants one.


 I made her a miniature 1:12 scale replica of her own house before she was born. Here she is at 2 trying to fit a double bed through a bedroom window.

The first time she saw a little wooden Strombecker couch, at age one, she put it under her diapered bottom and sat on it. It disappeared under her. She knew what it was but hadn't developed cognitive spacial relationships yet. That taught me a lesson. Nothing fragile or sharp here.




Going in reverse from miniature to big.
But please do not show her this post about Doimo Cityline children's furniture from Italy for real girls.
Introduced to America in the past 5 years it is still hard to find.  http://www.doimocityline.com/  (go here to see all their childrens' rooms products).
Made in collaboration with the Mattel Company it celebrates Barbie's 50th year...
Talk about confusion. "Am I a Princess or a Barbie?" these girls must be asking themselves.

So I guess you can do all Waldorf toys all the time, but you will have to have security like an airport at your kid's birthday party to keep Barbie from slipping in.
Hmmm, what to do. C


Posted by at
Labels: ,

8 comments:

  1. onbeingaminimumJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    Like you I once had a very pink and purple little barbie girlie. She is now 20 years old and studying archeaology at uni. I hardly ever see her in a dress, she spends most of her time knee deep in mud or sweating on a netball court.
    Pink! I don't think so Mum!
    There is nothing frilly or fanciful about my little girl any more except a deep love for all films Disney.
    Did I cry during Toy Story 3? You bet I did, my youngest son will be off to uni in September and I am dreading it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My RealittyJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:38 AM

    Oh Janice, thanks for sharing. Good point. I got my first Barbie in 6th grade....
    AND The best part of kids growing up is yet to come...Grandchildren! :) C

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beth LemonJanuary 24, 2011 at 12:24 PM

    I need that silver lamp. Looks like an acrylic base. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My RealittyJanuary 24, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    Anything before the 70's is interesting... just if it wasn't all pink... C

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnnJanuary 24, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    I got my first Barbie when I was maybe 4-5? But growing up in a house full of boys, I was less likely to play "house" and more likely to play army/battle using my barbie doll as the giant monster attacking my brother's castle/base/whatever. Barbie was almost always the giant monster, though she was the giant good witch granting the adventurers wishes once. Having my brothers around, I also had access to their toys... building blocks, tools, sci-fi stuff (*ehem* starwars!) etc. Because of that, I think I am more inclined to build and engineer (and enjoy doing so!) than most women.

    If I ever have a daughter, she is staying the heck away from Barbie! Teaching a child to think outside of gender stereotypes makes them a better person, IMO. As for pink.. I personally don't have a problem with the color pink, but I really despise it when its used in the context of defining femininity, especially to young impressionable minds. Honestly, I see those rooms in your pictures as WAY better looking if they used yellows or greens.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My RealittyJanuary 24, 2011 at 4:25 PM

    Good point. I think I am a little apalled how gaga she is over Barbie and yet I think I do imbue Barbie with too much power.
    I know ultimately the child reflects the values of the home it grows up in.
    I mean how many people end up with all pink livingrooms?

    But still... I want a Simone de Bouvoir doll...
    C

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kikka NJanuary 26, 2011 at 8:24 AM

    HI!
    There is an Award for You in my Blog :)
    Kikka

    ReplyDelete
  8. My RealittyJanuary 29, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    Thank you for thinking of me! C

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)