I grew up in a 'Barbie' world. When I was growing up I had a whole range of dolls, but most of them were Barbies. Back then, I used to adore creating story lines that went along with certain dolls. I loved changing clothes and hairstyles of these dolls. I used to own a large doll house and a few too-tall Kens. I used to have tiny teacups that I would make tea in. I had picnics with these 'folks' and ended up eating all of their food. They were some of my best friends, as sad as that sounds. I still have an abundance of dolls leftover from the days where frolicking and dancing with these fake humans was the norm. I look at them now, and I don't see the people I used to see in them. No, I see a controversy.
There are good things about Barbies. They are the first friends of little girls. They teach them how to socialize and dress up. They allow children to flourish their imagination by creating stories. They let tiny feminine females learn all about fashion. Most little girls that played with Barbies have a keen sense of style when they mature. I, of course, happen to be an exception. I used to mix match my doll's clothes. The tiny dolls that nobody's heard of used to be wearing the large, beautiful gowns of my barbies. My barbie's attire would consist of torn, too-short dresses. I was never a fasionista. I still am not. Barbies teach little girls to be classy, feminine little ladies.
There's a down side to Barbies as well. Little girls who play only with Barbies, expect real life woman to be just like them. They think that real 'woman' have to be tall, blonde, and beautiful. They begin to get conscious about their appearance at a very early age. They begin to think that if they don't look like Barbie, they're ugly. In reality, this is not true. Young minds, who have always played with perfect girls think differently. They might not be as skinny as Barbie. They might have muddy-brown eyes instead of clear-blue ones. They might be on the short side. They might have a darker skin tone (However, this might not be the case now-days as they have 'multi-racial' Barbies). They probably don't have never ending legs. They hopefully do not have D-cups. Once they notice that, they unconsciously begin to think of themselves as ugly. They believe they're not good-looking because they don't look like Barbie. This later affects them even more so. This might be the beginning of an eating disorder. This thought might leading to bulimia or anorexia. That is the downside to Barbies. They are so flawless and full that they make little girls conscious of how unlike them Barbie is.
Being a girl with dark eyes, dark hair, a normal amount of zits, and being on the short side of the scale, I understand this. If you flip through magazine, look at the models. Most of the models are as tall as the Empire State Building. They all have flawless, pimple-less skin. They are scary skinny and have ocean colored eyes. I on the other hand, don't have any of that. However, I do have a brain. My brain tells me that even though I might not be as gorgeous as those photo-shopped models, I'm not ugly either. That is fine with me. There are many more things to a person than looks. Barbie disagrees with this, and so do little girls. Society brainwashes girls into thinking they have to be super skinny, but not anorexic skinny. They must be smart, but not boring smart. They are required to be pretty, but if they're too pretty they'll get picked on. They should talk, but not too much. Girls today, can not catch a break. Barbies just blindly nod at this. The thing with Barbie, is that she does not encourage smartness. Her large, clear eyes do not have an intellectual glint. I'm not saying that pretty girls can't be smart, they can. They should be. However, I am saying that parents should think again before buying their 3 year old daughter a Barbie doll.
There are good things about Barbies. They are the first friends of little girls. They teach them how to socialize and dress up. They allow children to flourish their imagination by creating stories. They let tiny feminine females learn all about fashion. Most little girls that played with Barbies have a keen sense of style when they mature. I, of course, happen to be an exception. I used to mix match my doll's clothes. The tiny dolls that nobody's heard of used to be wearing the large, beautiful gowns of my barbies. My barbie's attire would consist of torn, too-short dresses. I was never a fasionista. I still am not. Barbies teach little girls to be classy, feminine little ladies.
There's a down side to Barbies as well. Little girls who play only with Barbies, expect real life woman to be just like them. They think that real 'woman' have to be tall, blonde, and beautiful. They begin to get conscious about their appearance at a very early age. They begin to think that if they don't look like Barbie, they're ugly. In reality, this is not true. Young minds, who have always played with perfect girls think differently. They might not be as skinny as Barbie. They might have muddy-brown eyes instead of clear-blue ones. They might be on the short side. They might have a darker skin tone (However, this might not be the case now-days as they have 'multi-racial' Barbies). They probably don't have never ending legs. They hopefully do not have D-cups. Once they notice that, they unconsciously begin to think of themselves as ugly. They believe they're not good-looking because they don't look like Barbie. This later affects them even more so. This might be the beginning of an eating disorder. This thought might leading to bulimia or anorexia. That is the downside to Barbies. They are so flawless and full that they make little girls conscious of how unlike them Barbie is.
Being a girl with dark eyes, dark hair, a normal amount of zits, and being on the short side of the scale, I understand this. If you flip through magazine, look at the models. Most of the models are as tall as the Empire State Building. They all have flawless, pimple-less skin. They are scary skinny and have ocean colored eyes. I on the other hand, don't have any of that. However, I do have a brain. My brain tells me that even though I might not be as gorgeous as those photo-shopped models, I'm not ugly either. That is fine with me. There are many more things to a person than looks. Barbie disagrees with this, and so do little girls. Society brainwashes girls into thinking they have to be super skinny, but not anorexic skinny. They must be smart, but not boring smart. They are required to be pretty, but if they're too pretty they'll get picked on. They should talk, but not too much. Girls today, can not catch a break. Barbies just blindly nod at this. The thing with Barbie, is that she does not encourage smartness. Her large, clear eyes do not have an intellectual glint. I'm not saying that pretty girls can't be smart, they can. They should be. However, I am saying that parents should think again before buying their 3 year old daughter a Barbie doll.
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