Is it good to see Barbie...um truly reflect diversity?

[Maria Mac]

I can't make up my mind but I might be persuaded one way or the other.

Bring it on Burkha Barbie, I think this is a great idea. 'I think this is really important for girls, wherever they are from they should have the opportunity to play with a Barbie that they feel represents them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0Xbj8FjN2

Leaving aside the fact that's for a charity auction, which is obviously a Good Thing, does wrapping up Barbie in a burkha imply an acceptability of the burkha? Is it offensive to anyone? Or is the Barbie collector quoted above right?




FWIW, this is the first time in my life that I wished I owned a Barbie.

[getreal]

I don't like barbie dolls and have all the usual objections to them. I don't like to see women wearing the burkha as I can't get beyond the impression that it is repressive.

So Barbie+Burkha? Somehow it feels so rediculous, it's funny.

[Maria Mac]

Don't forget to vote then.

[getreal]

Oooops!

[Lifelinking]

This could really start a trend. A whole range of Ken dolls such as Jewish Zealot Ken, complete with burning torch (batteries not included) ready to burn out some Palestinian settlements. And Hamas Ken with rocket launchers for a bit of balance. A Father Ken doll, with a range of altar boy figures. Or Al Queda Ken, with rucksack and box cutter accessories. Collect all the tokens and get 71 virgin barbies. A whole range of genitally mutilated Barbies and Kens, for that ultra barbaric playtime, and some Hindu Kens and Barbies sorted properly according to caste. Or American Marine Ken, fully equipped and ready to show the world that the American Deity is better hung than any other - wait a minute, that’s an Action Man innit?

[Fia]

(although barbies and kens are genitally mutilated already...)

I voted no. Two disparate models for young women, both of them execrable imho. Nasty plastic unrealistic - no-one's legs are that long - dolls which start engendering unattainable body images, and the burka an abomination.

....in actual fact the message with Barbie for women is you can be whatever you want to be.

Really? I wonder how she works that one out? Covering oneself from head to toe so men can control their dicks is hardly being whatever you want to be... grrr...

On the plus side: I'd wear the red one

[getreal]

Ooo! Can I have a green one, please? To go with my eyes...

*flutters eyes*

[Marian]

Fia, I'm in your camp on this one

... Covering oneself from head to toe so men can control their dicks is hardly being whatever you want to be... grrr...

You go sister!!

To even say that the message with Barbie is that women can be whatever they want to be is ridiculous on the face of it. I don't think I've ever met any woman who has Barbie's proportions; she'd have to be about 8ft tall.

This is the kind of barbie I want: Hot Flash Barbie. Press Barbie's bellybutton and watch her face turn beet red while tiny drops of perspiration appear on her forehead. Comes with hand-held fan and tiny tissues.

http://tinyurl.com/yzr98lo for a funny look at alternate barbies.

[grammar king]

I find both Barbie and the Burkha to be two despicable models for a young girl, so I had to vote no, would've done so twice if I could've. Although I was tempted to vote "I don't care enough to vote" just for the irony.

[jaywhat]

For some reason I voted 'I can't make up my mind' because I could not be bothered to make it up. Now I have and I need to vote again - with a definite NO!

[Maria Mac]

Yeah, what jaywhat said.

While I totally agree with the point about Barbie's body image, I feel defeated on that one and can't be bothered to get wound up about it when it's just a doll. Dolls are never realistic.

But the burkha is effectively an instrument of torture and should be treated as such, not embraced and given an aura of respectability, which is what I think burkha Barbie is doing.

[Nick]

Rumour has it that they were going to launch a talking Barbie in a Burka, but market research showed that no-one had the nerve to pull the cord......

[Paolo]

My opinion has been raised by others - Barbie sends out an unrealistic and objectifying message about how men perceive women, Burkhas send out a proprietorial and objectifying message about how some Muslim men perceive women. Both messages are outdated and misogynist.

It's a cynical marketing ploy under the guise of 'diversity'.

[Nick]

Pull the cord, and Burka Barbie says:

Spoiler:

"Does my bomb look big in this"?

[getreal]

Pull the cord, and Burka Barbie says:

Spoiler:

"Does my bomb look big in this"?

you have cheered up an otherwise miserable day for me with that, Nick

[Marian]

Nick,I tried really hard not to laugh because of the sad irony of the talking burqa barbie and her over-obsession with image (whether in pieces or whole) but I couldn't help myself. Even my toast for lunch got cold because I was giggling...

While I totally agree with the point about Barbie's body image, I feel defeated on that one and can't be bothered to get wound up about it when it's just a doll. Dolls are never realistic.

But the burkha is effectively an instrument of torture and should be treated as such, not embraced and given an aura of respectability, which is what I think burkha Barbie is doing.

Maria, it saddens me to hear you say you feel defeated about the body image issue re: Barbie. My social justice antennae stands on end when I think about the influence Barbie has had on millions of little girls and quite often how those same little girls will fall prey to eating disorders. It's absolutely torturous what women (and some men) do to themselves to attain an impossible image. Graphic images! Warning! http://www.2medusa.com/2008/09/pro-ana- ... od-as.html

I agree with you on the burqa although I have read that some Muslim women choose to wear the burqa to follow their religion and appear modest, or to hide from the prying eyes of men. Personally, I don't want anyone (deity or otherwise) telling me what to wear and I am sure not going to restrict myself. I would neither wear a mini-skirt or a burqa because it's just too damn impractical!

[Fia]

Maria
Dolls are never realistic.

There are some fabulously realistic baby dolls. They were enough to get my offspring through the doll stage...

Marian
It's absolutely torturous what women (and some men) do to themselves to attain an impossible image.

Quite. I have seen too many promising young women go down this horrendous path. Some have died. Being an older parent - 39 when my youngest was born - I approached mothering daughters with an attempt to minimise the influences. So no magazines (apart from New Scientist ) no scales (apart from the kitchen ones ) and a healthy attitude to food. Fresh ingredients, cooked with love, communally eaten at a table.
There were certainly no Barbies - I never gave, they never asked - , and much talk of finding yourself and living it. It probably helps that I am obese cuddly, healthy, and a little eccentric

The drip drip effect of impossible body images is surely exacerbated by Barbies. I know I can't shield my daughters from life, but I can recognise and avoid some of the contributing factors, particularly when they are young. As some posters on this thread have shown, what can initially seem innocuous can be seen as contributing to a very unhealthy body image.

And don't get me started on the (non red ) burkha, except to thank Paulo for his far politer explanation than I managed

[Marian]

...I approached mothering daughters with an attempt to minimise the influences. So no magazines (apart from New Scientist ) no scales (apart from the kitchen ones ) and a healthy attitude to food. Fresh ingredients, cooked with love, communally eaten at a table.
There were certainly no Barbies - I never gave, they never asked - , and much talk of finding yourself and living it. It probably helps that I am obese cuddly, healthy, and a little eccentric

Sounds like you approached parenting from a conscious, rational, intelligent viewpoint. Can we hire you out as parenting model of the year? I wish more people did that.
I was given a barbie and trappings when I was young as well as a mother with an obsession for dieting, yo-yo weight loss and a tendency to criticize her thin daughter...the term 'thunder thighs' comes to mind. I think I was a size 27 or 28 waist which is quite thin. Not sure what the UK equivalent is. Anyway, it was all for nought because based on your description of yourself, Fia, we could be twins.
Your daughters sure were lucky to have you as a mom. You have given them a rare and beautiful gift: to value themselves. Out of curiosity, do you see your influence in their behaviours/thought processes now?

The drip drip effect of impossible body images is surely exacerbated by Barbies. I know I can't shield my daughters from life, but I can recognise and avoid some of the contributing factors, particularly when they are young. As some posters on this thread have shown, what can initially seem innocuous can be seen as contributing to a very unhealthy body image.

Absolutely! Well said! Bravo! Brilliant. Okay, I'll stop now.

[Val]

FIA, DO NOT READ THIS.


Marian, Fia is a personal friend of mine and I can tell you about her what she would not. She is a wonderful mum and has two great daughters to testify to that. She is a wonderful friend and there is a huge circle of friends and acquaintances who would echo that. She is well respected and loved in many circles. We are glad to know her.

[Marian]

Thanks Val. I can see from her post (and yours) that you speak the truth about Fia. Can we carbon-copy her?