Is Barbie a negative influence on children these days?

Question

Is Barbie a negative influence on children these days?

Answer 1

It's a toy.  Toys are fun to play with.  They are not influential.  That's a myth.  What does the psychobabble crowd think became of the generations of girls who had Raggedy Ann dolls?  Did they all aspire to have tangled, matted hair and flat faces?  It's all silliness.  Let the girls play with whatever kind of toys they like.  They will not end up with eating disorders because of a toy.

Answer 2

I think so.

All of her clothing. x.x

But, I used to like Barbie and I turned out fine.

Answer 3

I think the Bratz line is more of a negative influence.  I have 2 boys, but if I had a girl she would NOT be allowed to play with Bratz.  I have no problem with Barbie.  She hasn't changed that much since I was young.

Answer 4

The Barbie dolls I had when I was young taught me to take care of something, learn to play with others and be gentle with my toys--however, these play traits are a reflection of the way my parents raised me. If you buy your daughter skimpy clothes for a doll, she may think it is alright for her to dress in the same way. So, just use your judgment on the clothing you buy for a doll, and your daughter will be more likely to grow up and do likewise with her own clothing choices.

As for Barbie's appearance... heck, I never thought once about the way she looked; she was a doll, and I realized that even with my first doll at the age of four. If anyone is concerned about presenting their daughter with the Barbie "image", I would recommend buying two dolls of different "ethnicities" to reinforce the fact that women look differently, and come from different parts of the world.

The weight issue never crossed my mind when I played with dolls. Instead, the ideology I always had is that Barbie could do anything and be anything she wanted to be--hey, she was even the first female president. :)

So what's wrong with teaching girls that they can dream to be anything?