My Complicated Relationship With Barbie Over The Years

I was about six years old when I got my first Barbie doll. It was a fair-skinned, tall, slim, blonde-haired doll wearing a swimsuit with "perfect" features. Of course, as a kid, I was very attracted to it, and my addiction grew over the years. By the time I was 10, I was the proud owner of at least a dozen Barbie dolls and their accessories.

I remember having this so-called "Indian" Barbie. Apart from the saree and lehenga, there was nothing Indian about it. That was when I started wondering why Barbie didn’t really look like me. I can recollect myself questioning my mom about why Barbie’s skin colour wasn’t matching any of ours, why Ken didn’t have a belly like Dad, why Kelly wasn’t as chubby as me, and so many other questions.

Then preteens happened, and I outgrew my obsession with Barbies. By the time I was 13 years old, I had passed on the Barbies to my sister and never bothered to look back. Years later, when I started college, I realised the doll's impact on many girls' lives.

Unnecessary Hype Around Barbie Movie

Barbie undeniably ingrained certain unrealistic beauty standards in the minds of young girls, which is definitely problematic. While I believed that Barbie never affected my perception of body image, I discovered that it did. I had developed an obsession with heels since I was a preteen.

Back in college, when we were writing extensively about body image and the various factors that influence it, we also discussed Barbie. That’s when I learned that some of my classmates had compared themselves to the doll during their childhood. I realised that some women had developed serious body image issues during their teen years due to the unrealistic beauty standards the dolls set.

As an adult, the more I talk, the more people I meet who’ve been at least a tad bit influenced by Barbie at some point in their lives. It’s a little scary that a plastic doll has had the power to control our minds so much and we didn’t even know about it. I remember my parents getting me over a dozen Barbies without realising that it was problematic.

Definitely Not A Barbie Girl!

Today, I’m the mother of a 3-year-old girl, and although she hasn’t reached the stage where she wishes to play with https://www.shethepeople.tv/personal-stories/growing-up-with-barbie-greta-gerwig, I’m certain that I need to ensure she knows that it’s just a plastic doll and nothing more than that. As a respectful and mindful parent, I would allow her to play with Barbie dolls when she wishes. However, the feminist, or just the woman that I have evolved into, does want to make sure that she is aware that Barbie by no means defines beauty.

I want her to know that this doll is not the real representation of women or people, for that matter. It’s just yet another plastic doll she can pretend to play with, but I would want her to always remember that the doll doesn’t define any beauty standards. Beauty comes in all forms, shapes, colours, and sizes, which is something I want her to always keep in mind and be positive about herself.

Over the years, Barbie has evolved, and now the company is making some inclusive versions of the doll. That being said, I’m not convinced that the doll has the best interests of girls in mind. With the rate at which women are progressing in real life, it doesn’t seem like Barbie is catching up.

As someone who does recognise the evolution, I really wish to see more realistic and relatable versions of the doll decked out on the store shelves. If you've read this far, you would have realised that I wouldn't have watched the Barbie movie. I don't even understand why it's being hyped!

Views expressed by the author are their own

Suggested Reading: Greta Gerwig's Barbie Is Self-Aware To Call Out Its Producer Mattel