Last week, my girls got their first non-baby dolls. They’re some Disney Princess toddler dolls they fell in love with Sam’s Club, and I’ve already roped their grandmother into sewing some clothes for the dolls by oh-so-helpfully sending her some links to some patterns. I foresee many hours of doll-playing in our future, and I know that soon enough, when they are a little bit older, it will be Barbie time.
This may surprise people who know me, a person who has been known to actually walk around in a tee-shirt that says FEMINIST across the chest, but I’m absolutely going to let my girls play with Barbies. Yes, I agree that Barbie presents a certain impossible beauty standard that is problematic and should be discussed and maybe even changed (hey Mattel, is fixing Barbie’s waist-to-hip ratio too much to ask?!), but I also think Barbie offers girls something no other toy does: the ability to imagine and enact narratives about adult life. Baby dolls facilitate one kind of play: parenting, which is wonderful and valuable, and all kids should get the opportunity to pretend-nurture and act like their parents, but it’s still limited. But Barbie? Barbie is a blank canvas. Barbie can be anything, and by extension, so can the child bringing her to life.
I really believe that I’m a writer today in part because I played with Barbie. She allowed me to create stories and dramas, to write dialog before I ever knew that was what I was doing, and to participate in what sci-fi types might call world building. I even did literal building, constructing furniture and houses for my dolls out of things around the house. I can still remember exactly how we made a Barbie couch out of rolled kitchen towels. Through Barbie, I imagined and enacted conflicts and their resolutions. Through Barbie, I imagined all sorts of jobs beyond just a dolly’s mommy. I look forward to my girls one day doing the same, and I think maybe when they’re 4 or 5, they’ll get some Barbies, including many of my own that my family saved for me.
All of these memories were stirred up when I saw Barbie’s new ad campaign, and it seems they’ve realized and decided to highlight what I always thought about Barbie: she is a vehicle through which children can explore the possibilities of the adult world. The ad is pretty breathtaking:
What about you? Did you play with Barbie? Will you let your kids play with her?
*Note, this is not sponsored by Barbie. I just have fond memories of the toy, and had been thinking about my girls and dolls when I saw the video shared on Twitter.
erniebufflo's south & west kitchen 
Love this! And love this ad!
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I was sooo much more into Barbies when I was a kid. I had zero interest in mommying, and every interest in making my Barbies hang out and date and have jobs. I was the “cool aunt” (engaged, not married) whenever I got sucked into playing with baby dolls. I was hesitant to let Sadie get into Barbies, but then I remembered it’s my job to remind her to love and value herself, no matter what toys she plays with.
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That is lovely, and I feel the same way. I started my blog so that I could make dolls a little more interesting than the one out of the box for my daughter, but when the time comes she’ll undoubtedly want a blank slate of her own. It warms my heart to see other people who feel similarly. :-)
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I grew up with Barbies and think of the hours my friends and I played with them so fondly. We created whole worlds for our dolls and I remember getting the Dream House and pool with excitement all of these years later.
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My son whos 4 recently started playing with barbies. I loved Barbie as a child but had two boys so i thought they were long gone from my life. Lol Thoughts on boys who like barbie? Should i be worried?
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No worries, I say! Barbie (and any other toy, really) is great for any kid! It reminds me of a flow chart I’ve seen a lot, like, “How to tell if a toy is for boys or girls,” and it goes Do you operate this toy with your genitals? –> No —> This toy is for boys or girls. Yes–> this toy is not for children.
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