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Thanks
for your note to FEMINIST.COM.
As a feminist, I can offer that
I am a fan of Barbie--or rather,
I think that Barbie played a
big role in my life. I actually
escaped via Barbie--meaning
that when I played with Barbie
I let my imagination run wild
about her life. It was fun--it
was freedom. That said, I have
mixed feelings about her role.
As feminists we can't ignore
that girls are still drawn immediately
to Barbie--and she continues
to impact their lives. Therefore,
we can't fight against her,
but help to politicize her.
Although Barbie has been "radicalized"
in her own little world--we
now have "dentist Barbie" and
Native American Barbie, these
still aren't the ones jumping
off the shelves. Progress is
always slow, but I do have faith
that we are getting there. However,
there is also the reality that
Barbie isn't real--she's a doll
and she creates an unrealistic
standard against which girls
measure themselves. We have
to change that.
That's really nothing more than
my opinion, but I hope it helps.
You also might want to reference
a recently released anthology
"Adios Barbie" edited by
Ophira Edut. Though the content
is "body image" not solely "Barbie"
she certainly is mentioned in
the book.
—Amy
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