yassified chucky fit (in a good way i love it)

@caseygreyson4178

2 жыл бұрын

Please I can’t unsee it now

@nastassjahall9358

2 жыл бұрын

This is the funniest thing I've read all day

@RoKer13

2 жыл бұрын

To me gave off more of a Ragdoll Annie vibe but yes to this too 😂

@evanthiakrassa9197

2 жыл бұрын

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY THATTT

@PastelOverlord

2 жыл бұрын

YES!! I was like okay way does she look like aesthetic af chucky though, I'm loving it *sips tea*

Maturing is realizing that Barbie was never *really* the problem, it’s was the message that was projected onto her by society.

@snipping.thorns.

2 жыл бұрын

💯 I feel like almost everyone made their Barbies have sex at some point. Barbie didn't teach us that lol

@Laispino

2 жыл бұрын

@@snipping.thorns. exactly like i got my eating disorder from models not barbie

@user-qv6fg1zr6y

2 жыл бұрын

i loved Barbie. Barbie was a good role model, telling girl just because your feminine doesn’t mean you’re weak, she remind me of Elle woods in a way. Or atleast that’s how I perceived it.

@naefirntm1

2 жыл бұрын

@@Laispino and its not modles fault too

@bal9944

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, by the way, I read that Barbie's creator, Ruth Handler, created Barbie because she was inspired by a German doll called Bild Lilli, and Ruth was white too, so maybe she just wanted to created a doll who looked like her

I love how barbie was both girly and extremely invested in things like space and education. So often young girls are taught you can't be educated AND girly It's a weird ideology that's slowly going away and I'm genuinely happy about that.

@Ramberta

2 жыл бұрын

This! I always thought it was super cool that Barbie was smart without being elitist about it.

@Alicapy

2 жыл бұрын

no fr! I loved dressing up my barbies and then making her the teacher of the class. Then she went back home and had her own cooking business. ALL!! while in fashion.

@vNilleframboise

2 жыл бұрын

exactly! a fashion icon but also an educated queen with any job you want. looking back the idea of barbie itself is good and the message is actually positive.

@ninez3043

2 жыл бұрын

yess its strange that basically all girls toys are criticised or made fun of to some degree just because they were for girls, even when most the time they are educational/ inspiring. Usually by men as well. Young girls cognitive skills are better than boys BECAUSE of playing with dolls. they shouldnt be looked down on.

@ikindoflikemangoes4951

2 жыл бұрын

@@Alicapy girlboss

As a grown woman, I feel compelled to announce that neither Barbies nor Disney Princesses have ever made me feel inferior or insecure. Other people, media, or the fashion industry however....

@kayakat1869

Жыл бұрын

Right??? You know what actually made me insecure? Yoga pants with PINK on the ass when I was 12 and not having A&F or Hollister clothes, because they were so expensive.

@valeriapebble

Жыл бұрын

​@@kayakat1869 Ditto 😭 I was more insecure from wearing hand-me-downs

@jade5202

Жыл бұрын

same. I can differentiate between toys and people, its celebrities that trigger my insecurities

@lav3nder.bxrbiee334

Жыл бұрын

I feel like Barbie inspired me since she has over 100 careers and she basically gives out the message that you can be whatever you want to be

@perrilewis180

Жыл бұрын

Yes. Victoria's Secret made me feel uncomfortable

As a guy, I never understood the anti-Barbie hysteria that flared up from time to time. As a kid, I played with GI Joe constantly, with jeeps, guns and bazookas that fired -- yet I never glorified war and even became a pacifist as a teenager. I played with action figures with bulging muscles, but never thought to apply that standard to my own body (as a chunky adult, I wish I had, heh). I think that adults project their own insecurities onto toys and don't give children enough credit for instinctively knowing the difference between playtime and real life. Also, Barbie never seems to get enough credit for having every job imaginable -- astronaut, physicist, doctor, game developer, zoologist, farmer, President -- while my "boy dolls" just fought wars and supervillains.

@r.d.8172

2 жыл бұрын

Loved your comment. Especially the part about children knowing the difference between real life and playtime, of course some don't, but the vast majority do and most of the comment section here is proof of that. The fact that she could be a doctor or a farmer was just so much fun! Having all of these accesories! Also, I don't remember myself playing she was Barbie, I would give all my dolls different names and stories that had nothing to do with the one promoted by Mattel, I was a kid in the 90s in South America so all I could get from them were some magazines, but then I'd play whatever story I wanted.

@andiflores4638

2 жыл бұрын

Tysm kind sir, from a girl who looked up to Barbie her whole life and still to this very day❤️

@Nobbejo2

Жыл бұрын

As a kid toys never made me feel ugly, it was the other people who made feel ugly. I think the measuring of Barbie's propotions is silly because she's just a doll and she's not supposed to look like real woman. Somehow people always assume that Barbie is supposed to be bimbo but the dolls aren't like that really. But I also understand why people criticize the fact that girls toys are mostly about being pretty and boys toys about being strong. Both are not wrong in any way but there's always room for more diversity and I appeciate that Barbie brand is atleast trying to diverse their toys.

@crunchberrychaos1545

Жыл бұрын

For me, Barbie was a grown up and I was a kid - so of course I never thought of comparing myself to her. And by the time I was old enough, I knew she was just a doll and absolutely unrealistic, so even then I found it absurd to compare myself to her.

@july8503

Жыл бұрын

In fact, there are well-documented negative body image effects related to exposure to Barbie, including reduced body esteem and body satisfaction, higher body size discrepancy, thin-ideal internalization and desire for thinness, and restrictive eating behavior www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/

I honestly feel like Barbie has been more criticised than she deserved. As a kid what actually troubled me was the way people criticised her, saying she was materialistic, too concerned with her looks, liked things that were too girly and that kinda thing, because I liked them as well. I felt like I was being criticised through Barbie for the things I had in common with her

@TiredHumanBeing

2 жыл бұрын

There's nothing wrong with feminity :) but people villanize it a lot and barbie was the main target for these things criticizing feminity and the reason behind it is an even bigger issue.

@Ur.Fav.Killjoy

2 жыл бұрын

The only reason I hated barbie isn't because of femininity but because of the unrealistic body proportions and bc they made me feel like I was fat, ugly etc all bc I wasn't as skinny and pretty as her, and yes EVENTUALLY they came out with multiple body shapes skin tones etc though that was long after I started caring about Barbies. Also I never went out to tell people that it's bad to like barbie or related to her or her style and nor do/did I critise people for liking her.

@E.M.99.

2 жыл бұрын

It really made me think about how some adults treat people who are similar to barbie. Like it really does show, how they treat young women. I think the movie legally blonde is a great example of showcasing that, it's a great movie. (I do understand why some people didn't like her as well, but I am pointing out how some people think being feminine is bad thing, or you "can't be girly and smart".)

@swecheekypanda

2 жыл бұрын

I think a lot of adult needed to vent their societal angers onto something and Barbies was there to take the blame for whatever they thought was wrong with society at the time. If they was body standards, femininity or women in the workforce,. She was a doll so she wouldn’t fight back, defend herself or come with counter arguments or question your belief. Because she is a blank slate we can reflect our feelings on to just like we did when we where kids. It’s kinda like punching a punching bag when your angry, you can hit, punch and kick as hard and as many times as you want but it will never hit you back. Barbie is the same.

@megancortez2422

2 жыл бұрын

Oh my gosh I feel this 100%! Barbie's "I can be" campaign was so influential for me because I am someone who really enjoys fashion and skin care and "girly" things but I also really enjoy reading and science and politics and Barbie says she can do it all so.. so can I! Why limit a woman's potential especially based on her appreciation of stereotypically girly things? What is so wrong with being "girly" if that is your genuine self?

Barbie is a doctor, race car driver, an astronaut and a teacher, Barbie lets kids explore careers, try out fun fashion and just play make believe. Barbie personally never made me feel bad about my body because I always understood the difference between plastic and real life. Barbie can always be more inclusive and I recognize that. Even at 23 I don’t look like her at all and I think Barbie is cool.

@cloed0ll

2 жыл бұрын

Barbie was a baddie before the term baddie was even a thing 💅🏾

@thiswillnotdo6027

2 жыл бұрын

heck there was recently a music producer barbie that came out. As a music producer, its a very male dominated industry and I was beyond stoked when it came out. I love barbie and always will.

@labellelace

2 жыл бұрын

this is also totally not a universal experience, but I had so many differently shaped barbies because I had ones literally spanning from the 90s to the 2010s, so there was no reason to question my body because none of their bodies looked the same! I also had quite a few black, latinx, asian, etc. barbies/kens/bratz as I live in a very ethnically diverse area and it would be so boring to play with a million of the same white dolls? I do understand those concerns though, and they definitely deserved better representation way sooner.

@colorbar.s

2 жыл бұрын

While barbie herself didn't cause insecurities as a kid, the lack of representation was a constant burning reminder that there was something "wrong" with my body. If curvy barbie came out 10 years earlier, it would have helped me so much. It's not "not understanding the difference between plastic and real life", it's wanting to be represented.

@Eponine_Sandon

2 жыл бұрын

@@colorbar.s tell me a single person you know in real life who’s body looks like barbie?

Let’s be honest: BARBIE WAS NEVER A PROBLEM! It was just grown ass women projecting their insecurities onto children’s toys. As a black girl, I never felt like she was not me. She was just a character that I could dress up. Though I do appreciate the variety of skin tones and body types. I just feel as if she got so much shit from society.

@herekitty791

2 жыл бұрын

True facts. These fem-cels like to blame everything for their personal problems

@nooraldaimalani8811

2 жыл бұрын

I totally agree!!!! We forget Barbie isn’t a human being- she’s a toy that helps with our creativity and fun!! Barbie was a huge and wonderful part of my childhood!! ♥️♥️

@NadezdaBeka

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely same. I never lived through my dolls and I had them in many skin tones/ethnicities. I saw them like people today see The Sims characters. I don't remember ever hearing a little girl comparing herself to dolls in general. In this case kids have more logical thinking than grown ass women.

@sinforoso.

2 жыл бұрын

PERIOD. i'm a latina brown haired woman w green eyes but as a kid, i couldn't care less if she looked like me or not. She's a damn character, not a mirror. lmao.

@danielafernandamorales493

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly!!! Imagine if Barbie was a real person?

i’m not american, and i never related to this perspective. i’m middle eastern and don’t look white at all, and in my childhood heard no one complain that they couldn’t identify with barbie. this also goes for the fact that she’s skinny and rich. barbie was just barbie, her own character. i’ve seen some instagram post depicting barbie in more “realistic” settings, having her hair unruly dried mascare under her eyes and eating chocolate etc. to erase her “glamour” so that she can be relatable. but, barbie dosen’t need to be relatable. she was a really nice toy for girls to dress up and just enjoy playing with. i understand america has always had bad representation in media of poc, so representation in toys might be important to them. i’m just saying barbie wasn’t and isn’t to this day perceived like that in my country at all even though we have a ton of minorities. (germany) i also don’t think it’s problematic that barbie’s thing is that she can do anything but she’s rich. kids can’t conceptualize money or class. and when i was a child even though i grew up without much money, seeing the 2000’s barbie website where you could have any job or adventure was just cool. and i bet it planted many ideas into young girls’ heads like “i can be this and that” which is very healthy and good encouragement. there wasn’t a doll with all sorts of jobs for girls at that time.

@nooraldaimalani8811

2 жыл бұрын

Agree!! 🌻 I’m also middle eastern & grew up in the Middle East as well- I loved playing with Barbies! They were so fun to dress up and make stories with. I didn’t relate to this video…it felt a little disappointing and kind of problematic really. Barbie is a doll- not a human being, and she’s targeted for children, I think kids know Barbie isn’t meant to be real, but adults like to project their problems onto a TOY that kids have no problems with! I’ll always love Barbie ♥️

@kellyryan7046

2 жыл бұрын

AGREED. Tbh I feel like the people who criticize Barbie aren’t even genuinely offended; it’s just become popular to do because white, blonde, and skinny have become almost taboo in favor of “diversity”. It’s always good to have more representation, but the way people are doing it recently is by criticizing traits that A LOT of young girls have (blonde hair, blue eyes, etc.). You can advocate for more diversity without putting down what already exists.

@tjasazaloznik116

2 жыл бұрын

Same

@prototype572

2 жыл бұрын

Bro I dislike people who say characters need to be relatable by not taking care of themselves. Like cmon, dried mascara under her eyes? Bro refresh yourself, as well as dont have greasy hair, thats gross unless your not going to be seeing anybody. And chocolate is good just dont eat it all the time please.

@andreacho9903

2 жыл бұрын

yes, this is it!! i'm south african and didn't grow up with anyone who looked like barbie around me, so it didn't ever cross my mind that she was 'supposed' to look like me and no one even complained about it or mentioned it as well. i think the allure of barbie is that she's not human and all pretend

People don't like barbie because she is a reflection of the political-economic state, but to kids like me, barbie was my little guinea pig who I could hang from a shoe-lace and pretend I was executing her, or sometimes I'd play nice and make her clothes. Adults do a lot more projecting than children. I am Hispanic, my hair is not blonde and my eyes are not blue, but it never really occurred to me that the doll I was playing with was not me, in my head it was a movie, world building, a stage, and barbie Millicent Roberts was called Sofia or something.

@hayleerodriguez2711

2 жыл бұрын

This is such a great comment, I am also Hispanic and Barbie never looked like me, but she was a blank slate for me to act out the drama of adult scenarios. I also burnt her hair on an open lightbulb when I was 5, so idk what that says about me now but yeah

@anishinaabae

2 жыл бұрын

i had the same experience! my family is indigenous and most of my time spent playing with barbies was either for fashion lewks or acting out ridiculous fantasy scenarios with my brother and his assortment of action figures. we were really into beast wars (think transformers but for furries) so he had every toy possible, and we would have my barbies fight them on these grand imaginary battlefields! it wasn't until i was old enough to really take in the world around me that barbie began to have a negative effect on my self-esteem, and even then it had everything to do with her body shape and size, not so much the fact that she was blonde and white. if anything it was the media that seriously impacted my mental health with regards to how i viewed myself and my people. i think that's because unlike my barbies where i was in control of the narrative and could make up my own stories, the media projects its own and you're left in a much more passive role, sitting there consuming it.

@cupidream9702

2 жыл бұрын

i love how everyone just ignored the executing part 😭😭 same tho, but to my LPS and MLPs😭😭 i loved creating lil stories and loved watching other stories ppl did on YT! probably the most fun i had growing up

@gisela_oliveira

2 жыл бұрын

Same here! I think the real problem is people just making this problems up instead of actually looking at kids ans really seeing how they behave. Having a bunch of barbies never made me feel bad for my apereance, but being the shorter girl on class at school and the only one overwheigth did. Barbie has no blame on my problems, in fact, she is a very good mamory from my childhood

@regina914

2 жыл бұрын

GRITALO REINA!

The clip with the girl receiving a Barbie in a wheelchair and lighting up has me actually crying from the wholesomeness

@lilysensimilla

2 жыл бұрын

I was in tears from this too 😭😭

@HyperUserGoesHyperer

2 жыл бұрын

Honestly same

@moonchildslay

2 жыл бұрын

same that was too adorable and pure :(

@kariscarolina

2 жыл бұрын

yes same, I was hoping I was not alone *sob*

@tonkababic9826

2 жыл бұрын

Same that was so cute

I loved this video but the "Barbie doesn't talk about important issues like reproductive rights" was so odd, I don't think girls below the age of 10 even know what a reproductive system is for them to the deliver this kind of message. And girls who are older and actually struggle with these issues are way too grown to listen to what a toy has to say, and will probably learn about these topics from actual real-life media and experience.

@phantomoftheoperatic1753

2 жыл бұрын

If Barbie or any other kids toy has a “take” on political issues you’re really just getting a take by a huge corporation….like yeah….I’m good. That sounds beyond patronizing.

@lararibeiro3343

2 жыл бұрын

I agree. It's like saying Peppa Pig has to take a political stance on global warming while playing with her little brother. I understand the appeal Barbie has for older people - who get what those problematic subjects more than little children - that differentiates her from Peppa, but still, it's a TOY. Even politics have a time and a place.

@juniper2346

2 жыл бұрын

Oh don't worry, they'll have Pro-Choice Barbie coming out soon I'm sure

@tatemitchell1479

2 жыл бұрын

I completely agree. I think corporations should take responsibility for the influence they can have over children. It's important to educate children of both sides of the argument, in order to make informed decisions and form balanced opinions.

@ginoongbughaw3223

2 жыл бұрын

true! Barbie's target age are ages 10 below lol

I will not tolerate slander of my girl Barbie. She was an icon. The Barbie movies raised me and taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be.

Idk, I think the whole thing about examining Barbie's measurements is a bit overkill. When I was a kid, I never looked at my Barbie's measurements and thought "this is what a human looks like." She was always just a cartoonish doll to me, not really representative of what an actual human being should or can look like. I think if I saw my child measuring their Barbie's body and trying to achieve the same standard, I would probably take them to therapy. Barbie, to me, was a smart, gentle, and kind woman, especially in her movies. She's just the pinnacle of a good, well rounded person, that children can look up to. Me and all my friends and siblings, tried to replicate the kindness of Barbie, not the skinniness.

@yasmeen_kh

2 жыл бұрын

yesss this was the same thought process i had

@nattmoonlight5285

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly. I don’t get why people act like kids are obsessed with barbies body. I literally didn’t care. Neither did any of my friends.

@botanicalitus4194

2 жыл бұрын

ok but you understand that things can have subconscious psychological effects on us, right? Most people at the age where they play with barbies dont care about their looks yet, but when we play with barbies (or consume media or do anything really) we still take notice of certain patterns and unspoken assumptions that influence how we see the world and ourselves when we DO grow up and reach the age where we start feeling insecure about ourselves. Most kids arent going to take out a tape measurement and measure out barby's proportions, but they do come to understand that Barbie is beautiful and that most people who are considered beautiful look like Barbie. This, along with other things like movies and celeberties...etc, all mold what we perceive as beautiful when we grow older. You can deny this all you want by telling yourself you dont see a direct effect of Barbie on people's body issues, but that doesnt change the fact that the types of toys kids play with and media they consume affect their standards for beauty as they age. And yeah, the common response to this is "oh barbie was just the symptom, not the cause", but symptoms of social issues IiteraIIy always exist in a positive feedback cycIe where they aIso further perpetuate that which they are symptomatic of. And, if anything, she at least perpetuates the common trope that conventional beauty = goodness and kindness.

@aspannas

2 жыл бұрын

@@nattmoonlight5285 Exactly, if a kid at that age is bothered and start comparing their body to a freaking doll, then there's something wrong with the parenting. Kids don't start comparing themselves to dolls out of nowhere, that has to be taught and influenced from somewhere else.

@pinkpusheenpaws

2 жыл бұрын

i was obsessed with monster high as a little kid and i never got like jealous of their body type or smth, i just thought monster girls and fashion was neat and i still do lol

As a black girl that grew up in the 90s, I never felt and still don’t feel anything negative about Barbie. I had lots of black ones, but also white and Latina ones. Although the Latina one, Teresa, I just thought she was a light skin black woman as a kid lol. In high school I went through another Barbie phase and every MySpace name I had was Barbie…. Teen Barbie, Prom Barbie, Graduation Barbie, Fun Size Barbie- basically anything that was going on in my life I spun to be a “Barbie moment” lol. I grew out of it in college but I still used a Barbie as a Christmas tree topper.

@happybaby323

2 жыл бұрын

Love this lmao fun size Barbie ☺️

@alexistijerina7238

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly!

@radicalpinkys

2 жыл бұрын

I still have part of my collection, I gave the other ones away since I didn’t feel right selling them, because you don’t sell your friends, instead you let them have new friends 😁.

@rubysoho423

2 жыл бұрын

Jealous of the tree topper!

@marcom8919

2 жыл бұрын

@@radicalpinkys that was such a wholesome comment

My experience with barbie is that Barbie was fine until the media told us she wasn't. As a kid barbie was just a doll no one thought anything else about it and eventually we grew out of her. Then all of a sudden the media starts saying that she is unrealistic , to rich , eating disorders, materialistic and we grabbed onto the narrative until we grew up . Now we're buying her or princess dolls for our kids because we had so much fun with her when we were younger.

@anaborges9612

2 жыл бұрын

EXACTLY. I never batted an eye at her being blonde, tall and skinny. I was more focused on her having more than 10 different careers, whilst being in her 20s. I do not know how old Barbie is, but to me it seems like she's being portrayed as a young-adult intelligent woman.

I never internalized barbie's looks or expected her to represent me. In my play sessions she was just this cool rich chick living her best life or acting out my dramas. Never ever once even thought about her skin color or body size cuz I was a kid and beauty standards weren't really on my radar even though I was aware of them.

@colorbar.s

2 жыл бұрын

that's a privilege itself. I didn't get to be a kid because of fatphobia and beauty standards. I was an 8 year old who avoided mirrors. if curvy barbie existed earlier, it would have made me so incredibly happy. representation is extremely important, and I got none.

@johannaguerrero1790

2 жыл бұрын

@@colorbar.s me too

@cojinmango

2 жыл бұрын

@@colorbar.s what's the privilege, to not feel identified with Barbie??? Most of us weren't like Barbie to begin with. What's most important is that Barbie could be anything she wanted as a woman that's what was amazing

@andiflores4638

2 жыл бұрын

Same here, her appearance never crossed my mind growing up and she made me feel good about ma self despite me having huge insecurities before. I’ve always thought Barbie was just gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, and iconic. Her beauty reminds me of Marilyn Monroe in a way❤

@NotAnotherKuromi

2 жыл бұрын

@@colorbar.s It seems the privlidge is having good parents/guardians. Yours were not feeding you properly or taking care of your health. They likely didn't build your self esteem in a variety or ways &/or caused emotional damage. Children need to be taught what isn't realistic, especially things that seem more like real life; that's a problem with porn ATM, too many thinking it is an accurate representation. There are many ways people are privlidged, simply adding one fatter doll is really not the fantastic solve you seem to think it is. Sure add more diverse Barbie's (as a wheelchair user I appreciate the new inclusion of the wheelchair Barbie) but education & discussion is the most helpful.

I think Barbie and Bratz dolls will always have a teeny weeny little but very powerful place in my heart, the way it reflected the current fashion trends at the time(or created/re invented) actually helped me slowly but surely try to create and form my style.

@yulimartorrealba5851

2 жыл бұрын

X2

@ohh7759

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah when I couldn’t choose my own clothes I could dress up my dolls (although I did prefer the monster high ones) I also had this really sweet experience of my mom passing down a bunch of little barbie clothes she made herself and It ended up a nice way to connect with her :)

@idontknowanymore7689

2 жыл бұрын

@@ohh7759 Omg monster high had that edgy finish ,I used to mix and match and trade it was such fun

@chaaaargh

2 жыл бұрын

@@idontknowanymore7689 monster high doll fashion was so cute omg 😭 was always sad cause i only had two and could never really dress them up besides the clothes they came in (used to dress my dolls in clothes made of random bits of cloth and plastic bags lol)

Just wanna say Barbie’s movie career is damn near immaculate. I can’t speak on the current films/TV shows but ‘Barbie and the rockers’ and ‘Barbie in the nutcracker’ are ELITE. I wish I still had those videos 😩

@hannahjones2529

2 жыл бұрын

YES, plus the Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse is HILARIOUS. Top notch comedy

@okkelly6207

2 жыл бұрын

@ Hannah Jones fr tho ken and barbie had so much more personality in life on the dream house than they do now

@JBROCKS101

2 жыл бұрын

The way princess and the pauper had me by mY NECK-

@kaitlynzuniga

2 жыл бұрын

literally every barbie movie is good! or maybe i’m just a 2000s baby

@Meeeeewweeeeeep

2 жыл бұрын

They’re on KZread!

I was a Barbie designer for 5 1/2 years and my friend Stacey McBride designed a Black Barbie doll line called So In Style that ran from 2009-2015. I designed a couple of the So In Style assortments (like Baby Phat by So In Style and Skating Fun and Tennis Fun) simultaneously while I was lead designer on the Barbie careers. I left in 2012. I learned to how to draw, design clothing, became a toy designer, travelled around the world for work, and have been relocated across the country for 5 times since 1999. I also got to design one of a kind charity Barbie dolls of Nicki Minaj and Rachel Zoe which generated thousands of meals for Project Angelfood (a charity that feeds people living with Cancer & HIV in the Los Angeles area). All of this happened because I was allowed to play with Barbie as a child. Barbie inspires us all to explore our various potentials withoutthe threat of harm. That’s why she will probably be around for decades to come.

@daddyvr6858

2 жыл бұрын

Omg I LOVED the So in Style line! Thank you so much for your contribution!

@guruuvy

2 жыл бұрын

@@daddyvr6858 -Thanks so much, but it never would have happened withoutStacey McBride!

@contentcastle

Жыл бұрын

I wish I had your life always wanted to work for Mattel or mgae

Someone else mentioned this, and I'll reiterate it: Barbie/her message is not the problem. The problem is the message society places on Barbie. I mean, a few years ago, everyone was talking about those Lammily dolls or whatever because that was "finally a realistic doll" and slandering Barbie for her unrealistic proportions or whatever, but when I was a child in the early 2000s, Barbie was often put against the Bratz dolls because Bratz were "sexy" and "provocative" and wore too much make-up while Barbie was nice and safe. Like within 10 years, from like 2005 to 2015, the message from adults/society about Barbie completely shifted. I am 25 now, and I love Barbie dolls. I mean, for me, as a Latina, I have never aspired to look like Barbie. I've always just wanted all her cool things. And while I do think Mattel's progress is slow, a lot of is still good progress. The Barbie movies are honestly masterpieces, especially considering they're like the epitome of hyperfeminine but are so strongly about female friendship and female empowerment without being preachy or over the top (at least, the early films are that way), and a lot of the modern Barbie shows are doing a lot to teach children, like when Barbie had her friend Nikki (I believe that's her name!) and they were talking about racial injustice/racial profiling and how hard it was for Nikki on one of the Barbie vlogs.

@liz_merr1003

Жыл бұрын

Not to mention the hypocrisy on the whole "unrealistic body" criticism. You know what other toys have unrealistic body proportions? Most of them. Ive never seen anyone criticize Little People for having unrealistic bodies, or GI Joe, or literally any other action figure/human shaped toy having cartoony or exaggerated proportions. Its not some deeply ingrained mysoginistic conspiracy that mattel is trying to hide, theres no secret agenda to make girls insecure about their bodies. That's just how barbie looks, its not that deep. Plus, Barbie's not real. She's not a real person, she is a fictional character. And I just think its funny that people get so worked up by the waist measurements of a plastic woman lol

@Eepop_stuffs

Жыл бұрын

The second character isn't Nikki, It's actually another girl named Barbie. but from Brooklyn instead of malibu. She's fairly new

@Samantha-vlly

Жыл бұрын

You said it.

@KingOfGaymes

9 ай бұрын

And kids didn’t like Lammily BECAUSE she was realistic.. kids don’t want realism lol They want the fun cartoonish looking dolls

As someone who collects Barbies and other dolls, I did want to note that there is a reason for doll proportions to not be completely realistic. One is maintaining the ability to pose the dolls, even the curvy Barbie needs to have a space where her thighs dip in so she can sit and enough room to move her arms properly. The other reason is that the true size of a fashion doll is supposed to be reflected once the clothes are on, not off due to the thickness of the fabrics adding the illusion of more weight. The curvy Barbie wouldn’t actually be a size 6 because she isn’t proportioned like a real person, she is just sculpted to look like a plus size person. When I look at her I can tell she’s meant to be more like a size 14. Other than that I think this was a great video and a nice intro of doll history for people who don’t know much about it!

@gracieloo

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly what I think as well. I've always thought about the pose ability when hearing discussions about plus sized dolls and characters.

@quintediminuee

2 жыл бұрын

I don't get how bigger shapes would prevent moving range since fat baby dolls are made and they move just fine. Also I have seen custom made fat dolls that found a way to remain mobile but I think the baby dolls example is more obvious. I'm not saying this to fight you right I just don't see the issue you're talking about.

@Bane_Amesta

2 жыл бұрын

@@quintediminuee I have a few ideas. Baby dolls clothes aren't exactly tight fitting, so in that case is just easier to put or remove the clothes. Their bodies also are sometimes molded in poses that make this easier. Barbie's clothes have to be form fitting, and in this case we have to consider the limited articulation. Yes they have lots of variation for more poseability, but the main target is that every piece of cloth HAS to fit and be easier to wear on the cheaper dolls that can barely move. Those cheaper, stiff dolls are targeted to children to be easier to manage and durable. So therefore some concessions surely had to be made on the curvy doll sculpture. The made to move dolls are there, yes, but those are more expensive, with small pieces like hands and feet that can be removed, which means easier to lose or be swallowed, and lots of them are aimed to the adult collector (again, the barbie on the wheelchair is the only "affordable" version of that body I have seen yet). I think that's mostly it, sorry for this rant lol Edit: Somehow I forgot that the yoga made to move dolls exist as well xD but yeah, they're the only other affordable option for highly posable barbie bodies at the moment

@quintediminuee

2 жыл бұрын

@@Bane_Amesta ok but how exactly is is hard to make bigger clothes fit ? And I wasn't talking about especially mobile types of dolls but basic shoulder/hip articulations. I have made plenty of clothes for dolls (and overall toys) myself, and as long as you get the size and fit right (which they already do carefully for smaller clothes) well, they'll fit. Obviously the same model of garment will be cheaper for a smaller doll because there's less fabric involved. On a single piece the difference is ridiculous, but is it so big on a larger scale that we're willing to sacrifice the representation of so many people ? I've heard the same argument in the human fashion industry, like some people think it's ok to prioritize smaller sizes because it take less resources to make. In my opinion (as a fat person, too) that's not a valid reason.

@quintediminuee

2 жыл бұрын

I mean, if I can put an 4 armed rock golem in a shirt surely Mattel can put a big girl in a dress right

As far as wheelchairs go, You could argue that Mattel was actually ahead of the game. Becky, the first Barbie in a wheelchair, debuted in 1997 after a lot of research and collaboration with disability groups on the part of Mattel. There was even version of her that was themed after the Paralympics with an athletic wheelchair. In the Barbie chapter books, you know, those pink hardback books that had carefully curated pictures of Barbies related to the story, it was implied that Becky acquired her disability in some way during or after her mid-to-late teens. She tagged along with Barbie when she was playing Detective in a book that I owned, and although her wheelchair was mentioned, it wasn't the only part of her character. She was very clearly smart and resourceful in her own right. I'm glad they chose to bring back Barbie wheelchair dolls in recent years and although I have yet to buy one, I lowkey want one.

@NotAnotherKuromi

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, I particularly like that the "share a smile Becky" was taking photos & had her bag on the back of her chair, other accessories like like the able-bodied Barbie's. Also that it was a realistic hobby she could do & was contributing to the yearbook just like other students. However that was a pretty big gap from 1997 to 2019 to not have any physically disabled Barbie, especially as they come out at a fairly fast pace. The thing I am impressed with the recent wheelchair user Barbie is that they didn't just release one & leave it at that. They have released 5 different ones, with different coloured chairs & different coloured people but also including the standard blond Barbie. I also keep noticing that they are actually making a sustained effort to be inclusive, for the recent dream house they made sure the wheelchair would be able to access inside. I also like how they included a ramp with the doll, rather than with the house like other brands, the lift in the house is also great. Also I've seen several different Barbie adverts, in toy catalogs & on TV/KZread where they are advertising a playset & have chosen to included a Barbie in a wheelchair. Whether just hanging out having a picnic with friends, helping normalize it & reflect the real world. I'm sick of seeing wheelchairs only be included with hospital sets, I really think Mattel (& Lego) are creating a huge improvement & hope other brands follow their lead.

Are we really criticizing Barbie for not having a stance on abortion? Not owning up to her wealth? Is this a joke?

@katelynlup6516

Жыл бұрын

agreed. barbie should just be a doll and nothing else. why should toys have a say at all in politics? they are two different subjects

i’m sorry but the last thing I need is for Barbie to stump for anti imperialism and abortions lol. I am fully pro abortion but let’s let kids toys be toys? not everything has to be political and maybe let’s let little girls have some carefree FUN before the world comes and craps all over them like it eventually will…And, coming from someone who is fat, the last thing we need to be doing is making unhealthy looking Barbies and promoting obesity to little kids when childhood obesity is already an epidemic. Body diversity is good, but going too far aint it either and I think the curvy barbies now are the perfect compromise between showing a diff body type and taking it too far.

@ClaireCraig

2 жыл бұрын

you mean you don't want a barbie with a removable fetus???? jk lol

@thiswillnotdo6027

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, like wtf?

@StarlightPrism

Жыл бұрын

@@ClaireCraig Lol you just sent my brain into a journey where I picture a Barbie Abortion Clinic playset. You get a doll for the doctor, patient, and the pro-life protestor! Maybe a Ken security guard doll so the protestor can't plant a pipe bomb while everyone's inside.

CW: Mention of eating disorders . . . Most of the conversations around Barbie, Bratz, and other fashion dolls try to make it seem like Barbie created EDs or encouraged EDs in young girls and teenagers. I know that I'm just one person, but I've never expected my body to look like any doll. I kinda saw dolls like I saw cartoons, and nobody expects real-life people to look like half of these cartoon characters that exist. They're fictional and made up, so they're allowed to have exaggerated features. Most of my insecurities come from seeing photoshopped images of real actual people. Another youtube, Negative Legend, asked several of their friends about whether dolls made them insecure about their bodies and got similar responses. Watching that video made me realize that a lot of the vitriol against Barbie and body shape were misguided at best. Yes, Barbie and other fashion dolls should be diverse in their body shapes, skin tones, abledness, and other features. But I wonder if Barbie ACTUALLY made young girls insecure about their body shapes, or if that's just what adults ASSUMED.

@piarateking8094

2 жыл бұрын

its possible it had an impact along with other visuals in media but i think this simplifies eating disorders, they are usually a symptom of other mental illnesses and act as a coping mechanism and how they develop is quite complex and isnt just about wanting to be skinnier. eating disorders have also existed long before barbie

@gravy5796

2 жыл бұрын

The body type of Barbie didn’t make me insecure as a 7 year old girl however, the face and hair did because it’s what my friends idolized about their barbie. Fictional characters have only made me insecure when other people idolize their body types or facial features and say they want their women to look like that or that they want to look like that plus dislike their current body type. The life of a chronic people pleaser lol.

@shaina8947

2 жыл бұрын

@@piarateking8094 i fully agree, but i think the commenter does as well; they never said barbie is the cause of them, the comment is kinda saying the exact opposite lmao

@piarateking8094

2 жыл бұрын

@@shaina8947 i wasnt arguing with them just adding to the conversation

@adam.n-steve

2 жыл бұрын

I remember a video by Negative Legend where he tries to find if dolls can cause girls to be insecure (i know ED is more than just about looks) but he really couldn't find much. I don't think most girls will look at Barbie and be like "yeah, I wanna be that" cuz most of the time, the girls will just pluck her hairs out or just do whatever they want with Barbie. That's how I played Barbie. It's likely other medias like fashion magazines or movies that encourage girls to look a certain way and would often use Barbie as an example. That's my deduction but I can't don't know how others see it or what kind of negative effects did Barbie had for children.

I've always hated the controversy around Barbie - that she catered to the male gaze, was materialistic, etc. Growing up as a brown girl in the 2000s, I never really wanted to be thin or anything because of Barbie. There was a time where I wished I was white, but that was more of an issue in regards to Indian society's obsession with fairness than anything else. I wanted to be a fairytale princess like Barbie, and as I transitioned into adolescence I wanted to have the talents she did. And as I grew older, the people around me made the issue grow more apparent. I hadn't noticed Barbie was unrealistically proportioned until it was pointed out to me, and I didn't realize Barbie's race either when her supporting cast (Nikki, Teresa, Raquelle, etc.) were so diverse. It's become more clear to me that it's not a Barbie problem, but instead the demonization of feminity, and just how society views women in general. This might sound weird, most people don't view Barbie's achievements, but instead, just her body. Her waist is tiny, so it doesn't matter that she went to space before the moon landing. She's blonde and likes to wear makeup, so instead of portraying her as the kind sister and friend she is in canon, the world pretends she's a ditzy bimbo. It's honestly kind of infuriating to see the doll who taught me so much about creativity, following your dreams, and educated me on issues like racism and class disparity in a way that was digestible at a young age torn apart just for her looks. Women should support women, and while Barbie is just a doll, she represents a lot of positive aspects that all people should aspire to emulate. (Also, the "math class is tough" controversy is stupid. Math class *is* tough. She's not saying "girls are stupid lmao". Challenging yourself is not a sin.) Sorry for the long rant lol, I get very passionate in my Barbie defense.

@KatieLHall-fy1hw

Жыл бұрын

100% agree with you! Barbie was a toy, and she was fun! The fact that she had so many looks and clothes was a bonus! I don’t think it in any way got you to be a certain way, but it let you play with the hair, colors in the clothes, etc.

I loved Barbie ever since I was a child, but I never really thought like “she is how a women should look like” or “being curvy and beautiful is an ideal woman”. I always thought of her as a friend if it even makes sense😭 infact Barbie’s fashionista line and the career line really inspired me to be a fashion designer. I wouldn’t even know what a fashion designer is at the age of 6 if it wasn’t for Barbies lmao. Barbie has both positive and negative impacts on kids but I personally think the society is labeling her as something more negative than it is. I also think they will expand their diversity in dolls now because some days ago I saw a Barbie doll who has Vitiligo. And their “business” tactic is probably going thru the yearly trends and standards.

@olivia6432

Жыл бұрын

Aw cute ei profile pic

@mane53017

10 ай бұрын

I AGREE

I’m an adult and I still love Barbie. These just something about her that I’m still drawn to as an adult. This is just my experience, but I feel that blaming women’s bodies issues on the toys they played with is diverting the blame from real toxic beauty standards perpetuated by things like social media and celebrity culture. I played with Barbie my entire child hood and I never once questioned why I didn’t look like her because I knew she was a toy. My body issues didn’t start till my teen years when I started comparing myself to real people.

@floweur5810

2 жыл бұрын

Social media and celebrity culture are not the source of insecurities and eating disorders but they perpetuate them severely.

@Ur.Fav.Killjoy

2 жыл бұрын

For me personally, barbie gave me insecurities at a young age. I thought I had to be skinny a slight bit tanned have blonde hair etc, it also made me think of wether I was weird to like girls since barbie always dated ken. Though I'm not gonna hate on you for liking barbie this was just MY personal experience

@alexistijerina7238

2 жыл бұрын

I agree I always knew she was a toy and was never like “why don’t I look like her”

@sentientmarshmallow4644

2 жыл бұрын

I feel like people are misdiagnosing Barbie as a cause rather then a symptom. Her design came out of toxic beauty standards she didn’t create them

@rubysoho423

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Never had issues with her look and my self image. That came in my pre-teens and was influenced by media and magazines (doesn’t help that I have bdd, but my dolls never had a role in that)

"But not feminist enough to have a transparent stance on anti-imprialism or even reproductive rights" Girl I love your videos but pls its a fucking doll for kids

@ClaireCraig

2 жыл бұрын

right hahaha

@sinforoso.

2 жыл бұрын

i love her videos but damn sis was MAD at a doll for kids lmao

@rociotrombert

2 жыл бұрын

I know right hahah

@tasan803

2 жыл бұрын

Love her videos, but a 5 yo does not care and does not understand these issues. It's like asking paw patrol to take a stance against police brutality🐠

@elizrebezilmadommdo1662

2 жыл бұрын

What kid is even going to care about anti-imperialism or reproductive Rights anyway? I'm pretty sure that I didn't know what "imperialism" or "abortion" were until I was at least 10 years old. Plus, how would you even market that to kids? "Here's the new Barbie abortion doctor. She is pro choice and conducts abortions for women." "Here's the new Barbie activist. She is fighting against anti-imperialism." I think that promoting strong messages for young girls is a good thing, but let's make it about something that kids will understand and is a little more appropriate for kids of that age, such as diversity, women having the right to have whatever job she wants, etc. Kids will learn about those things as they get older, and Barbie doesn't have to be the one to teach them. It seems like a tall order for a doll that's targeted towards elementary school aged kids.

To me Barbie only meant one thing: that I was poor. I never had a Barbie, I always wanted one. Still, I loved my cheap dolls, they didn't have pretty dresses but they did have a lot of adventures.

@pepperpattynaise

Жыл бұрын

Same here! In Argentina having a Barbie doll was a sign of status, you were a rich kid whose parents could afford such an expensive toy. For the rest of us there were cheaper dolls and we all just played as well as if they were barbies, but we all knew they werent and it was always a reminder of the class difference. When my mother got to saving for months and gave me my first barbie it was such an important moment for both of us, we were so happy and proud.

@adrianapignolo

Жыл бұрын

@@pepperpattynaise jaja yo soy de uruguay, con razon tuvimos experiencias similares =)

@Alienaddikt

Жыл бұрын

Literal 😭 solo tenía Barbies falsas y discos pirata de las pelis xd

@FunkyPlushies19

10 ай бұрын

@@pepperpattynaise may I ask how much they cost in your country?

As someone who grew up in the 2000s it's so laughable that people criticized Barbie for potentially causing body image issues. Back then, every time you'd walk through a checkout line tabloids were on and on about celebrities weights. They'd put the "good" and "bad" weights of celebrities front and center, in hard numbers, with bikini pics of what exactly the celebrity looked like, and THAT stuck with me more than adult conversations in the news about dolls. I never expected to look like a doll, but man they're saying this real person who everyone likes gained ten pounds, and I look fatter than that... :/ Also the reason Barbie's (and dolls in general) proportions are unrealistic is because fabric made for people sits much thicker on a 12" tall doll, so they had to make the neck longer etc.

@HereIAm247

Жыл бұрын

Exactly. 😅 I find it hilarious that adults think they have to look like a children's toy. Actually, the first dolls was intentionally made to be 'not too pretty', because the intention was a toy, not someone to compare themselves to.

@claireattemptsatmusic7481

Жыл бұрын

EXACTLY! I always hated when adults would complain about Barbie's body as a problem for young girls, bc I see magazines and advertisements promoting weight loss and diet culture everywhere I look. THAT is what made me feel bad as a kid, not the dolls that I turned to to reenact my favourite movies or play out dramatic stories.

I loved barbies as a kid and generally I think that their ubiquidous-ness and non realistic characteristics are what make them great. I always found baby dolls and other things like that sort of horrifying in that uncanny valley way. The thing that is nice is that they have been so common for so long there are resources to make them your own. I had a lot of knock off accessories, my nana made them tiny clothes from patterns, my aunt even crocheted me a living room set (it was epic). Though I may not have had the dream house, everyone coveted my tiny living room.

@liv97497

2 жыл бұрын

Same! I never had the Barbie dream house but my uncles were all carpenters and they would make me little furniture pieces, and my grandma would make extra clothes. It was nice that you didn't need to have the money to buy all the actual barbie products; at least when I was young, there was a huge market for handmade barbie accessories, that weren't made by Mattel, and you could still have a very fulfilling play.

@xylypotatohead3947

2 жыл бұрын

@@liv97497 yeah my mum made my barbie a dress as well it was so fun to play with

@HyperUserGoesHyperer

2 жыл бұрын

Omg this just unlocked a part of my brain. A lady my mum worked with once knitted me a bunch of clothes for my Barbies and it was the best thing ever. I never had the Dreamhouse either but I did make a Barbie house out of a shoebox at one point!!

@aroy444

2 жыл бұрын

though in the movies, barbie was always the clumsy one, she was always portrayed as this quirky girl who didn't fit into the royal standard.

@misss7777

2 жыл бұрын

We always made our own houses out of papet boxes with my mom. I think that's a lot more special and creative since no one else ever had the same house.

tbh i never had a negative way of thinking when it came to barbie dolls. i remember her being the sweet and kind woman in the barbie movies and i think that also made me who i am, by having her as a "role model" in a way. her body, race, etc was never something i really thought about as a child.

@aspannas

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, as a child I never once thought of what she looked like, why would I? I was a child simply playing with dolls, I didn't care what they looked like.

@insideatheart

2 жыл бұрын

same! i literally never once in my life thought about it because i didn't project myself into her, i saw her just like a doll, she wasn't supposed to look like me, she was like an actor and i was the director lmaoo

@evolvedbeauty4852

2 жыл бұрын

same

@Taylorc0de

2 жыл бұрын

Same- As a poc I have never took her or any dolls apperances seriously. I just used to play with them and watch movies based on them.🤷🏽‍♀️

@aroy444

2 жыл бұрын

though in the movies, barbie was always the clumsy one, she was always portrayed as this quirky girl who didn't fit into the royal standard.

I’m so happy people are defending Barbie and realizing she was dragged for literally no real reason. I loved Barbie as a kid, I also loved MyScene, I also love Bratz doll, I also love Betty spaghetti… to me all these dolls showed different types of girls and what we loved. To me Barbie always showed perseverance and being a good person, doing what you love and loving what you do. if you ever watched any of the Barbie movies you could see she was literally the kindest soul and her image was never based on her actual looks, it was based on the things she valued like her family, her friends, and her multiple careers because Barbie was that working gworl💗 Also there’s so many Barbie dolls that were made after iconic woman. Me and my sister used to have the Barbie catalogs that was show all the beautiful and influential woman that Barbies were crated after. I always thought the Barbie slander was stupid when I was a kid and I knew it was grown ass woman projecting their insecurities on an innocent doll. We stan Miss Barbara in this house 🗣💖

I think that only few people actually played with Barbie the way it might've been intended to. The stories that me and my sister would invent oh my god 💀 it was just off limits. One Barbie was literally a failed conspiracy-theory journalist called Kelloggs Cornflakes who tried to expose a famous actress for being a fairy😭. An adult could've never come up with such things

@KatieLHall-fy1hw

Жыл бұрын

Woah! Now that is an excellent story idea!!!

I think it’s funny how they’re still scrutinizing the “curvy” Barbie. like it’s still a toy. What do you want?

@nooraldaimalani8811

2 жыл бұрын

Agree. She’s a toy, she’s not meant to have human measurements. Like she’s made of plastic lol. While body diversity is important, I think people criticize Barbie and her figure too much, it’s really borderline misogynistic. I don’t hear anyone complain about how unrealistic GI Joe is- where is the outrage on that unrealistic body type? 🙃 Barbie is always the target, people forget she’s just a toy meant for kids

@cloed0ll

2 жыл бұрын

@@nooraldaimalani8811 EXACTLY. Society and uneducated parents need to leave Barbie alone

@crushedmilkshake6690

2 жыл бұрын

i'm kinda into dolls so it kinda throws me off when people criticize the curvy body for not being "enough" when other doll lines will *at most* have different height types while still staying the same body type when most doll lines don't even have that going for them

@elizrebezilmadommdo1662

2 жыл бұрын

People will never be satisfied. I think that diversity is important, but Mattel can't just make a size for every specific person imaginable or make the proportions 100% realistic. Dolls are not supposed to be realistic. They're dolls. Just like with cartoons, they can have bigger heads, smaller mouths, bigger mouths, bigger eyes, longer legs, etc. Also, why is it that the doll has to look exactly like the child in order for the child to play with it? None of my dolls looked exactly like me, but I still played with them. I don't think that overweight children should only be allowed to play with dolls that are also overweight and be banned from playing with thinner dolls.

@elizrebezilmadommdo1662

2 жыл бұрын

@@crushedmilkshake6690 Exactly. It's probably because Barbie is the most popular brand. I don't see people criticising Monster High, American Girl, or Bratz dolls for only making thin bodies (though I see Bratz dolls were criticised for other petty reasons in the past).

Omg I LOST IT at "ritualized execution" as someone who butchered my villain barbie (don't lie, we all had one) to turn her into the Borg queen after star trek first contact came out this sentence gave me great pleasure. I wish little girls were allowed to be depicted in their full bizarre glory in media.

@SarahBright

2 жыл бұрын

Omg, you are right. I didn't think about it, but yes, I had a villain barbie!

@334...4

2 жыл бұрын

I honestly made Barbie fall off a made up cliff more than once lol. I wasn't a big fan of Barbie tho. I think I preferred playing with Monster High dolls and the message of them fit me better, since I was the odd one out.

@InThisEssayIWill...

2 жыл бұрын

@@334...4 I am so jealous of kids that got to play with monster high dolls, I was grown (with a kid of my own) by the time they came out (gosh I feel old) but my baby goth heart would have LIVED for them.

@SarahBright

2 жыл бұрын

@@InThisEssayIWill... same

@MeemahSN

2 жыл бұрын

I never had barbie dolls, but I definitely would have a villain one if I did. I probably would have turned her into a full on demon and turned the other dolls against her. I would have created an army for her that would go to war against the ones who hated her. It would be this whole ordeal that would have lasted years. But I never got the dolls so that devilish fantasy never happened :/

Honestly I don't really understand the obsession with putting all of the responsibility of providing healthy role models on a toy. I don't believe Barbie's worthy of either the criticism nor the credit. As a child, I loved Barbie and Sindy, but they weren't aspirational or avatars for my future self. They were characters to play with. They were witches. They were princesses. They were pirates. I was never under any illusion that I would ever (or should even try) to look anything like a Barbie doll. At the same time, despite having Barbie dolls that were business execs and a palaeontologists, I wasn't magically inspired to think that because a doll could do those things, I could too. I still had Mormon parents and I still believed, as they taught me, that the only important thing I could do with my life was to get married and have children. Day to Night Barbie was just as unrealistic an aspiration as Butterfly Princess Barbie. While that mindset is something I've (fortunately) outgrown and moved beyond as an adult, that change never came from toys. It came from adulthood and asking questions and pushing myself out of my comfort zone - something small children playing generally don't do. The fact is, Barbie's an easy target, but children don't really get their role models from their toys, they get them from their family.

I grew up on the barbie movies. She was a strong role model in my life . She showed what it was to be brave, kind, gracious, honest. Despite the films being more toddler aimed now, she is still a well spoken and honest role model. There have been so many complaints about her looking how she looks, but I think that’s more the concerns of adults at the times. Barbies early films are absolute art, and I really hope the can get back there.

As much as barbie body types are problematic, as a novelist today, I loved having a massive pile of dolls at 8 years old to make up stories with. I bet many screenwriters, playwrights, directors, and actors can feel the same.

@toxicsugarart2103

2 жыл бұрын

Ohh yes lol

@MyWeirdNormal1

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! I've realized my obsession with Sims is just me moving from physical dolls to virtual ones lol. I used to make up the most insane stories and play them out for months.

@delfi__arts

2 жыл бұрын

Same here, but with comics >< I went from paper dolls to barbies to the sims to now writing my own stories

@dollz4ever

2 жыл бұрын

same I have always made up stories with my dolls and other toys thats why when I'm older I wanna be a writer

@bianca-ns5fq

2 жыл бұрын

omg yess! That really stimulated my imagination. I remeber talking with someone about girls plying the sims and boys liking games like FIFA and GTA- and it could be something with the fact that playing with dolls is very simular to the sims, as is football and play cars to those other games...

i think its interesting that everyone critiques barbie for being thin (which is valid) but dont do the same for other dolls like bratz and so on. well at least no where near as much. i think about that a lot. of course bratz was HEAVILY criticised but more about how they dressed. i wonder if its because bratz are so stylised you dont really notice how skinny they are

@cris_ad

2 жыл бұрын

No, every fat person has noticed how thin they are, but when it was brought up the answer was always "omg calm down, it's just a doll."

@floweur5810

2 жыл бұрын

Bratz are designed in a way more cartoony fashion so the thinness is not so in-your-face. Barbie falls into uncanny valley.

@isaacb1045

2 жыл бұрын

@@floweur5810 i dont think barbie falls into uncanny valley at all. tbh i think shes pretty cartoony, so ive never really got the “unrealistic proportions” argument because like duh shes a cartoon. obviously i think barbie shuld have more diverse body types tho. i think bratz should have them too especially considering they’re supposed to be a diverse brand

@vivi-ul2qy

2 жыл бұрын

Bratz are overall unrealistic and unproportional - heads bigger then rib cage. On contrary, barbie resembles human much more that unattainable idealistic features are in her case very glaring and upsetting

@mississipi1103

2 жыл бұрын

Bratz are really curvier next to most dolls and it was nearer to the average women than 175 cm 55 kilos ( 5'7 120 pounds) blonde blue eyed barbie Even if bratz are really far from reality too, not gonna lie but yes as some people said, Bratz were more cartoonish

Seeing the little girl in a wheelchair smile when she received a Barbie in a wheelchair brought tears to my eyes 🥺

Ritualized executions made me laugh so hard. It also reminded me of my own "play patterns" - basically big soap operas with a lot of betrayals and murder and a lot of eroticism. As an 8 yrs old in the 90s I didn't know what sex was but I knew that something special was happening behind the closed doors and of course my Barbie had to experience that. Decapitation was also a big thing.

As a Black femme teen, I love all the Barbies. I’ve always loved fashion, and having Barbies was great because not only did I have the fashion she came with, but I made her clothes. I would make them knights or rescuers or have the girls get married. When I was a littler kid, my mother gave me the Black Barbies, and I had very few white Barbies. I got more Barbies in different races as I got older (because they finally had them) and I just had the best time doing the hair and clothes. It was especially helpful when I started getting chronic pain, to be lost in a world of Barbie. I still like Barbies now, and I watched the entire new Netflix show + the movies, and will watch Life in the Dreamhouse soon as well. It is so hard for me to get used to calling the Black Barbies “Barbie”. Its one of the reasons why I liked the new movie. White Barbie goes to New York for a summer art school, and meets a Black girl also named Barbie Roberts. The fact that they both decide on nicknames (Brooklyn and Malibu) instead of only changing Black Barbie’s name meant a lot to me. It’s showing they are equally valid Barbies. And I love showing my little brother Barbie too, along with her honestly heartfelt vlogs about emotions.

@shaina8947

2 жыл бұрын

omg what's the movie with the black barbie called? i'd love to see it

@evaquintanar6798

2 жыл бұрын

I loved that new movie, it portrays healthy friendship between women

@fibromiteready2fight809

2 жыл бұрын

@@shaina8947 Barbie Big City Big Dreams

@fibromiteready2fight809

2 жыл бұрын

@@evaquintanar6798 it really does. It was so enjoyable

@figuremeoutyourself

2 жыл бұрын

i work with kids and one of them was telling me about this movie the other day 😭😭😭

Actually growing up I had Barbie and the middle east "version" of her: Fulla. Same concept of "we can do anything!" Just she was Muslim, wore abayas and a hijab(sometimes) but still did things like work, drive a car etc. Even had her own TV show. I remember a lot of my cousins preferred Fulla over Barbie because Fulla was more relatable to them

As a chubby Mexican kid I wasn't worried that I didn't looked like barbie I was worried how I was going to manage being a teacher/doctor/cyclist/ballet dancer when I grew up. I was worried how I would possibly tell my kindergarten students that I was an astronaut and needed to go to space for some time. They were such hard decisions I didn't know how barbie did it😭

Growing up as a professional ballerina, Barbie dolls and movies always had a very important place in my childhood. I believe her over-criticization was due to her being the most popular doll on the market. Its competitors also had similar issues, however they weren't called out for being materialistic and non-diverse as much as Barbie. Maybe I'm at the wrong here as I had a very harsh training and I was always skinny due to my background as a dancer until I retired and I'm not from US so I'm looking at your issues as an outsider--however as someone from various different ethnic backgrounds I have never questioned _why_ Barbie was blonde and why I had brown hair. Barbie also ignited my love for styling at such a young age, my mother and I would sew my dolls her own clothes, build them houses by ourselves from cardboard and etc. It gave me such sweet memories to cherish, and I'm genuinely thankful for that

@mane53017

10 ай бұрын

I'm a ballerina too, and Barbie ignited my passion for ballet. But my ED weren't because of her but because of my teachers

I never felt like barbie made me feel insecure about my body or race, growing up as a brown girl. The only times I ever started judging myself in that regard was whenever someone would talk about beauty standards, for example, hearing my friends comment on their own bodies and their own insecurities would make me judge myself, not a doll. This reminds me a bit of studies people have done with kids and race, we are not born racist, it's the stereotypes and prejudices perpetuated by the people around us that make us racist. Likewise, if you give a kid a doll, they're not going to care so much about how skinny or what skin color it is unless you have someone around them bring up those prejudices and teach them to think that way in terms of their dolls.

@colorbar.s

2 жыл бұрын

For me, it didn't make me feel terrible about my body itself, but the dolls were a constant reminder that there was something "wrong with me". I WISH curvy barbie existed 10 years earlier. It would have helped me so much. Representation matters.

@Sincerely.Nature

2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing. Kids didn't have a problem with Barbie until older people started telling them about unrealistic beauty standards and other politics.

@Zeldafan1ify

2 жыл бұрын

@@colorbar.s yet you probably would not have felt that way if an outside voice had not pointed out that something was wrong with you in the first place. I'm sure you can agree that the doll itself was not the source of these thoughts, but someone in your circle who began to change the way you thought about your body by forming a negative opinion. I had hair insecurities as a kid and barbie's shiny blonde hair did not bring about these negative feelings, it was the kids around me who made snarky comments, the adults who would joke about my hair, my parents expressing their frustration over it, that was what birthed my insecurities. It is the adults and their indoctrinated children in society who create our insecurities. Don't let society rob you of your enjoyment with your childhood doll. Curvy barbie dolls would have been really nice though I'm sure!

my mum spent months and months looking for my first barbie doll, because she was determined to find one that looked like me. and she did! my first barbie was this special edition half-asian barbie, and i absolutely loved her. i honestly don't know what type of person i'd be today if she hadn't looked like someone i could grow up to be. i ended up with five or six barbies over the years, and if i remember right, i used most of them to act out this dramatic plane crashes or mountain survival scenes. barbie made me the story-teller i am today.

When I was a kid Barbie movies where my favorite! As I grew up I realized how progressive they where, for example: on the mermaidia movie (the sequel to Fairytopia) Barbie rescues the price, and she is always making clear that they are friends with no romantic feelings in between (I know the other girl did have a romantic feeling towards him and she was half of the movie being jealous, but still, even today is hard to find storylines in which the protagonist has no romantic intentions towards the one they are trying to rescue). Barbie was always saving the day, she was always portrayed as resourceful, kind and selfless, and even more ground breaking: she was the one making the movie plot advance (in comparison to other women portrayed on kids movies, in which the female protagonist was always the victim of circumstances and was waiting for someone to rescue her during the whole thing). People might say whatever they want but she was an amazing character to look up to!

I truly believe that the “math is tough!” Barbie was meant to relate to kids. A lot of kids even now think of Barbie as such a beautiful girl and that they want to look like her. A lot of people can’t relate to her or the way she looks. But a lot of people can relate to math being tough. To a child, I think that would mean a lot

@ClaireCraig

2 жыл бұрын

agreed

@juicyparsons

2 жыл бұрын

literally all Americans think math is tough lol

@thinkfirst1989

2 жыл бұрын

I agree, little kids think- Barbie is successful, kind and beautiful...and even SHE struggles with math! I think most kids do struggle with math, a handful are gifted at it. I was not one, and it did frustrate me, but I was still always in the gifted classes. Just because you struggle doesn't mean you can't be good at something!

@user-kg6pr1iv4i

2 жыл бұрын

@@juicyparsons If you don't think that something is tough, then you should be in a higher class. I'm not saying you should be crying every night on how nothing makes sense, but if *everything* in your class is easy then you're not in the right one. School is meant to teach you, not tell you things you already know.

@fiveweenies4533

2 жыл бұрын

@@juicyparsons why wat did u gain from thid

I'll forever be mad that people took the quote "math class is tough" and made it just a grand deal that somehow equated to saying girls are dumb and can't do math. Like no, it was just a quote that is often said by children regardless of gender. I'm not a woman and math was tough for me as a kid with discalculia lol. But yeah, I love Barbie. As someone who's fat, not white, with brown curly hair and brown eyes and looks absolutely nothing like her, she made me feel so happy as a child. I didn't have many friends at school but I could always go home and play with my Barbies, or I could watch the Barbie movies, it brought me a lot of joy. I'm all in for inclusivity and I'm in love with all of the different Barbies that exist now, but as a child I was happy with Barbie as it was anyway. Now though, I'm so glad it's changing. The video of that little kid with the wheelchair Barbie made me sob for ten hours straight

@victoire614

2 жыл бұрын

As a woman in math I'll forever hate Mattel for that on the other hand. If you don't know how pervasive gender expectations are in our culture and how that affects gender ratios in STEM, then don't comment on this. There's a reason they tuned Barbie to say this instead of Ken or GI Joe. Americans are really bad at stereotyping women as bimbos. Glad I never had Barbies growing up. I had Pleasant Company dolls back when they were Pleasant Company. They're more expensive dolls but a way better influence on girls. Ever since they got bought by Mattel though they've slowly become 18 inch frivolous Barbies of low quality and it's sad to see. Not surprising though.

@belladonna5904

2 жыл бұрын

You can be a woman in STEM or any math field and still find math to be hard. It's not gendered, a lot of people have trouble with math...it's literally like learning another language, especially for young kids. I don't understand why that would incite hatred for a doll because Mattel tried to find something relatable to other kids..of all the things to be mad about, I think that is a fairly innocent matter..

@ophanimangel3143

2 жыл бұрын

@@victoire614 You have massive issues over getting triggered from a doll 🙈

@user-dq8km4zt7f

2 жыл бұрын

@@victoire614 I mean, barbie was doing a lot of professions that require a lot of math, and when you compare that with one unimportant quote, I think it really isn't a big deal

@chaaaargh

2 жыл бұрын

i completely relate to this comment. don't look even the slightest like barbie, i'm black and i'm definitely not skinny. but none of that ever mattered to me, i don't think appearance or sharing any likeness to barbie ever did for lots of young girls or just kids in general who loved playing with barbie dolls. i too loved coming home from a lonely day of school and just losing myself in the fake scenarios i'd make up with my sibling as we played with barbie dolls, it's a memory i look back on fondly. barbie was never the problem tbh, it was always the message adults put on her.

I don't think anyone has ever mentioned how great is the fact that you put subtitles on every video... As a non-native english speaker I really appreciate it, so thank you very much 💛

@hp9251

2 жыл бұрын

As a native English speaker who sometimes has difficulty with processing audio, agreed! Subtitles are the best

As a black woman who's almost 30, I've never owned a black doll (I still plan on gifting one to myself one day). However, there's a store where I live that sells black dolls, Asian, dolls, dolls with Down syndrome, Arab dolls, dolls with vitiligo and they make custom made dolls as well. They also sell postcards, backpacks and other stuff with black people on them. That shop is my go to shop if I want to buy a gift for my nieces and nephews. Most of them own at least 1 brown doll that I gave them at birth. I think that it's very important for them to not grow up with the idea that their hair and skin isn't weird/ugly or anything like that.

the chokehold barbie, bratz, monster high and ever after high had on me when I was a kid 😭

@aspannas

2 жыл бұрын

I feel too old to relate to this, can only relate to barbie and some bratz

@Taylorc0de

2 жыл бұрын

Ever after high was my shit😭

@nattmoonlight5285

2 жыл бұрын

For me it was monster high, lalaloopsie, pinypon, novistars and ever after high

@dearvermin

2 жыл бұрын

@@nattmoonlight5285 novistars!!! I remember watching the web series

@peggedyourdad9560

2 жыл бұрын

OG Monster High dolls are the best imo.

My mother used to be very anti-imperialism and thus very anti-US, so for years I would ask for Barbies and she would vehemently deny, and give me some other doll. When I FINALLY got one, it was a ballerina barbie that had actual joints and it was my most prized possession. Barbies are also how I first got into sewing! I would make old-timey dresses, corsets, curl their hair and everything. My grandma was a seamstress and would always make matching dresses for me and Barbie. I always preferred playing with Barbies than baby dolls, I've only just now realized that.

@riverAmazonNZ

2 жыл бұрын

It’s how I got into sewing too!

@Claire_Loves_Music

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! I remember sewing clothes for my dolls too. My favorite creation was the tango dress from the mask of zorro scene.

@liv97497

2 жыл бұрын

@@Claire_Loves_Music that sounds amazing. I can't believe I never thought of recreating movie dresses for my Barbies haha

@CynicalDuchess

2 жыл бұрын

what country was she pro then?

@mcchilde2903

2 жыл бұрын

I may be wrong but I also have a ballerina barbie with joints, does yours have curly hair and a detachable skirt?? We might have the same one!!

I grew up with Barbie as the protagonist of four children's books someone had given me. There she was portrayed as pretty and wearing nice clothes, yes, but also as an intelligent, independent woman part of a group of friends where she had her place and felt well. She had multiple interests and explored them. That's what Barbie is for me until today.

omgg the paper dolls😭 Im only 19 but I remember these so well, when I was younger I preferred the paper dolls for a period because the clothes looked more realistic than the costumes barbie wore

20:20 Thank you so much that you remember this point. Today, as an adult black male, I can say that I had a strange experience with the barbie as a child. I was the type of boy who preferred playing with toys, cars or drawing but this ended up making me have a "lonely childhood" because other boys liked to play football or "fight" so one day I realized that I didn't need to play alone anymore that many girls were also on the street playing with their toys and dolls, but when it came time to put them into practice it was a real disaster because my family, the other boys and even the girls reprimanded me for the fact that theoretically they were playing with their barbies and it was "girl thing", something I couldn't participate in even if I played with my Max Steal. It's strange these days to think how I still remember that fact, even after so long. Since that day I stopped playing with the other children even more and the figure of the barbie was kind of engraved in my memory by this situation, but even so I can say that despite never having played with one I really admired that doll so much for her fashion side and for the fact that through her movies that were shown on TV from time to time, she inspired me a lot in my drawings. Anyway, I can just say that I'm glad Mattel is trying to become more inclusive, but I think there's still a long way to go before they deconstruct these gender stereotypes of the figure of certain toys and games, so if you're reading this comment and if you have children or children as relatives, i can only ask you to let them play with whatever they want regardless of gender, never judge it or let others rate it as "weird" so.

@hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195

2 жыл бұрын

I feel ya. Kind of. For the opposite. "you can`t do that, that`s for boys. here have a barbie doll" while my brother got all the (to me) fun toys... I HATED them! luckily my brother liked them :)

Barbie and other dolls were my LIFE as a child and I don’t feel like she negatively impacted me at all. In fact, I feel like Barbie dolls helped me be creative and express myself when I couldn’t in other ways. I can notice all the faults of course, but I personally think we’ve spent too much time and energy being mad at Barbie at this point.

I absolutely adore Barbie, always have and will probably always love her. I am latina from the Caribbean, not White, nor blonde, don't have blue eyes, I am not tall with a tiny waist (and definitely didn't look like a model when I was 5 or 8 and playing with my dolls). It never crossed my mind that I didn't look like Barbie, it never made me feel insecure that I wasn't blonde or that my body didn't look like hers. It was always very clear to me that Barbie was a doll, a toy, not a miniature person or something. Barbie has always been more than just about fashion and her appearance (also there is absolutely nothing wrong about loving fashion and taking care of your appearance, but this is a whole nother story...). Barbie has had every career under the sun, and honeslty to me that little piece of plastic, that doll, was an inspiration. Barbie wore pink and lipstick, and could be a ballerina, an actress, a pop star, but she was also a teacher, a doctor, the first female president of the US, an astronaut, and many other careers, and for a little girl that loved astronomy and science, but that was very "girly" I didn't feel like I ever fit the image of a smart girl. Yet in Barbie's little world it was possible to be anything. Barbie was just a gateway to my imagination, to make stories and to appreciate pretty things. Barbie was never the problem, it was the adults projecting their issues onto a toy. Barbie/Mattel have always made an effort to be inclusive, and to be on the right side of history in terms of social issues. It is quite misleading to use today's lens to judge Barbie's efforts, particularly with Black dolls. Both the Shani and Asha Black doll lines were made together with experts, and really for their time they were fenomenal. You have to see things within the context and time in which they existed. Mattel did as much as they could and have never stopped trying to be diverse. Today, you cannot name ANY doll or toy brand that shows this much diveristy. The amount of facemolds alone is impressive, and they keep coming out with beautiful faces of different ethnic backgrounds pretty much every year. Honestly this mostly modern Barbie=bad discourse is so confusing to me.

the way y'all in these comments are arguing against representation is nuts.

As a Black girl who played with Barbies in the 2000s-2010s, I never really felt like I wanted to look like her or become her growing up. As a huge fan of the movies most of the storylines I made up with the dolls either had to do with the movie they had come from, or I’d make some sort of undercover spy/hidden life plot (which I remember having so much fun with and taking photos with Nintendo DS lmao). So, for me, I always felt like a director or writer telling someone else’s story, sort of like I was making my own movie. Plus having Bratz and Monster High (which I was especially fond of, due to feeling like an outsider/loner at school a lot) helped a lot in making me feel represented and like myself for who I was. I know everyone has different experiences and feelings though, considering how long Barbie has been around, but I thought I’d share my piece too :)

mina your outfit is adorable !!! i love how you matched red hair with red lipstick and red buttons on your shirt !!!

@maxobakso123

2 жыл бұрын

ikr its so cute

I def resonate with the part about kids projecting onto Barbie. I was always different and growing up with queerphobic and neglectful parents, these toys were actually my best friends. Through my teenhood I was learning about the collector community and I shit you not when I say the only thing keeping me from doing the s word was the community it provided or even seeing something as small as what doll was gonna be released next. In my teens is when the Barbie fashionistas range had the bodytype expansion and with each new type of representation the brand offered, I felt more and more hope to keep me here. When they released a Black ken doll with makeup on, i sobbed uncontrollably and he's my prised posession despite being far from the most expensive thing I own. To me, acknowledging the problematic history of the brand and the misteps they still take and seeing how they continue to grow is a sign that society is growing. I always talk about how all the Black Nikki (barbie's token Black friend) dolls looked the same when i was a kid and so when I saw someone with vitiligo i thought they were literally a burn victim. And just last year they released a doll with vitiligo and she is now my niece's favorite to the point she cried when she accidentally broke her. I'm happy that the next generation is able to have this even though i wasn't able to. Trust me we in the doll community are pressuring doll companies to take accountability and do better.

@NotAnotherKuromi

2 жыл бұрын

I agree I think the positives from Barbie are often overlooked, it's nice to see so much praise in this comment section! I don't quite get how Nikki made you not know about vitaligo though, could you help me understand?

@datsquisheeboi

2 жыл бұрын

@@NotAnotherKuromi I never said nikki prevented me from learning about vitiligo. I used that story as a way of saying, in my childhood, the only Black dolls looked the same (same skin tone, makeup, and face shape). The Barbie dolls now represent a variety of different types of Blackness. Back then Nikki was around my skin tone. Now Black Barbie dolls can be darkskin, lighter, albino, vitiligo, Black and disabled, Black and plus sized, theres even Black gender nonconforming dolls. Tho Mattel does have an obligation as a brand that makes kids entertainment, I wasn't blaming solely Mattel for my ignorance. More like just saying it would have been nice for them to have acknowledged Black people's existence sooner.

Note how Barbie, who has been a good role model for almost everybody I've read in the comments (including myself), is the most criticized doll. But Bratz dolls are seen as the most "iconic", they never did nothing else other than fashion and makeup. Good video and analysis, but I believe this is something that shouldn't be taken seriously.

@Adv18

Жыл бұрын

Bratz are only “iconic” to one generation of kids, Barbie is iconic to over 5, Barbie is still around, and Bratz have gone out of style.

@eli_corn

Жыл бұрын

are we still going on about this whole bratz and barbie thing like its 2006 lmao. both are good in their own ways. bratz originally went out of production because mga lost a lawsuit to mattel. i'm more into barbie as an adult but bratz have a cult following of collectors and newer doll lines similar to bratz such as LOL are incredibly popular

@eli_corn

Жыл бұрын

and sorry i forgot to mention, as a fan of both when i was a kid, bratz had several occupations featured in the tv series: fashion models, superheroes, spies, tv personalities, and they even had their own publication. i wont allow this slander.

@Alienaddikt

Жыл бұрын

@@eli_corn fr, bratz are rockstars, friends with a genie, saved the plantet, were pixies, 😭 both are awesome in their own way

The reaction of the little girl to wheelchair Barbie gave me chills! Thank you for talking about Barbie, she affects so many young girls and how they see themselves

I hope one day, Mattel does a remastered version of all their classic Barbie movies, like Princess and the Pauper and Swan Lake. Same story and dialogue, but with updated 3D animation and models. It would be a smart idea, financially, on Mattel's side, because they would be getting money from the nostalgic 20 year olds who grew up watching these movies, while also introducing them to a new generation of kids who have probably never seen anything prior to "Barbie: Big City Dreams"

@bewilderbeastie8899

2 жыл бұрын

Lmao, if the Nutcracker repro set is anything to go buy, they don't care

@funkadalixx2136

2 жыл бұрын

Mattel would make it worst

@LaBellesGrace

2 жыл бұрын

As long as the character models still have that “doll-like” appearance to them like you are watching your dolls moving on their own with a high Disney-like budget that would be absolutely amazing.

Honestly, I love this doll. I never had one growing up since I'm a boy (to be fair, I wasn't interested at them at the time) but, when I came into terms with my sexuality, I started getting more into fashion history and I discovered a whole new world throughtout Barbie and her period pieces - I even learned to differentiate styles and decades, all thanks to her! I agree that there is a lot of issues regarding her branding and controversies, but overall I admire her message of liberation and empowerment to younger generations. I really hope she is here to stay and evolve with the times! P.s: To any Barbie fan, I recommend the book "Dressing Barbie", by Carol Spencer, who was the fashion designer of Barbie from 1960s-1990s. It's really filled with beautiful images and great history about fashion and pop culture, and Carol is an incredible woman.

I do have to say that Barbie really affected my childhood. Through playing with Barbie dolls i created a really strong bond with my sister, which is still present today. We would create so many families, names, jobs, and personalities for our Barbies and somehow never forgot a single detail. Playing with Barbies helped our memory, as well as our imagination. After spending my entire childhood making up crazy scenarios for my dolls to be in I realize that I want to be a writer, and I would have never realized that without the impact of Barbie on my life.

I like that Barbie has started creating a lot more diverse dolls, but they still have a long ways to go. Love your content Mina! So here for all of it. :)

Furbys are a fever dream come to life and I don’t want them to be popular again 😂

As a young boy I loved Barbies. I used to play with my cousin’s ones al the time. I remember being told I couldn’t and i was so frustrated about it

For me growing up, I absolutely loved Barbie. She can be anything, (whether it’s working or camping with friends) isn’t afraid of being feminine and she travels all over the world. She’s living the dream and is an icon for literally everyone………..and a fashion QUEEN!

My name is Barbie & this made me laugh when I saw the title, like damn Mina😂❤

@maxobakso123

2 жыл бұрын

loll

"Maternity and domesticity" vs. "travel and adventure" - why should it be an either / or? I don't like how the quoted author seems to be downgrading the value of maternity and domesticity, either. I think we can value and respect those things without saying that it's all women can/should do. I had 3 Barbies, each with a different color hair - blond, red, and black. The third one was actually a knock-off Barbie called a Gem Doll. I sewed them little outfits and accessories, and I also remember using them to create an anti-smoking infomercial!

@novepipps

2 жыл бұрын

@Alias Fakename sounds smashing!

Honestly, she had lots of jobs and was very ambitious, while also sticking to her own style which happened to be girly, which wasn’t necessary for men. I think she’s a great example if her lines would be more diverse (they are stepping up their game now luckily) and be both girly and tomboyish (or gender neutral)

As a doll collector I think it's important to point out that the small scale that they are on makes them need to be smaller to look okay with thicker high quality fabrics in such a small scale. Also most doll lines will chose one body type b/c kids love to change outfits so alot of body variation can limit that play option

I literally love Barbie so f-ing much. She's got a massive place in my heart🤧 Barbara is an icon...she created such a massive world around herself that kids were to dive into to escape reality. She doesn't need to have a political standpoint and her having everything imaginable makes total sense!

@lua4353

2 жыл бұрын

dude, it is a toy

@gremlita

2 жыл бұрын

I never said she had to have a political stance but her lack of one or selective one is why she’s so popular… because she stays out of controversy ❤️

@annas8417

2 жыл бұрын

I haven’t watched the entire video yet, but I find it odd that people are so quick to pull the “she’s a children’s toy”. It’s such a weird defence because you’d think that the toys kids play with should be spoken about critically. Something being for children doesn’t mean it automatically invalidates all criticism. I like Barbie and collect some dolls myself, and to like something you don’t have to defend it blindly. Barbie is not real. She is not an actual person. Any hate and Criticism the doll gets is deserved. it’s directed at the people who make her, not Barbie herself.

@bratzscene3131

2 жыл бұрын

@@annas8417 not defending her blindly, I agree, she does deserve critism! However some stuff is literally ridiculous and is partially the reason why Barbie has downgraded in terms of design, concepts and quality MASSIVELY in the past 7 years:/ Feminists as well as "Karens", (two completely different groups however both love to critique this toy that millions of children grew up loving) have been nit picking and complaining about basically everything from her body to the color pink which is so upsetting to witness as a collector and fan😭

@annas8417

2 жыл бұрын

@@bratzscene3131 You literally started off by saying “Barbie does not deserve the hate and criticism” Yes millions of kids grew up loving Barbie, but millions of kids also grew up never seeing anybody that looked like themselves in media, including in their Barbie dolls. The body on the dolls of children who are just becoming bodily conscious, and aware of beauty standard should be talked about critically. I started to feel insecure as early as 6 so no it’s not “nitpicking” . Barbie didn’t entirely cause that but it did contribute to the skinny, white, blonde hair, blue eyed beauty standard that I and many others don’t live up to. That’s something that I’m completely fine with now but wasn’t as a child and had me feeling very insecure at a such a young age. Not all Barbie critiques are as strong as the others, but to sum it all up as complaining or nitpicking is incredibly dismissive. If you’re such a big fan you should hold Mattel accountable for its declining quality and not people who are concerned about the messages being sent out to impressionable kids. At the end of the day people are going to criticize everything and that’s not going to stop because it upsets collectors. I do want to say that there are many things about Barbie that I think are cool and progressive for it’s time. Criticizing Barbie doesn’t mean we hate Barbie or want her to stop being made. Criticism is given because we want Mattel to be better.

i think barbie and her movies are special to a lot of feminine lesbians because it was all very feminine, but not about attracting men. it is, in a way, removed from male spectatorship and maybe even the male gaze. in the movies the men are mostly inconsequential and the stories are focused on her own adventures, and when barbie does things or dresses in a typically feminine way, she does them for herself, which is so nice to see when you're surrounded by stuff that sends the message that being a woman/girl is all about either liking men, or being attractive for men. (these messages are still around in adulthood, they often alienate lesbians and make many of us feel excluded in things that are for women because they're so focused on attracting men as the main important experience of womanhood or the point of being feminine when it's not really, so barbie feels like a break from all of this) she wears pretty dresses and does fun things because she enjoys them. or maybe just because the people making the content thought the little girls watching would enjoy it. either way, it is never about what men want to see barbie do. also i had the princess and the pauper barbies and i used to make them kiss lol

@riverAmazonNZ

2 жыл бұрын

Yes the focus is on being a good person and doing the kind thing, not pleasing men.

As an Arab kid I really loved Barbie. She was my icon. I always thought of her as her own character and never questioned why she didn’t look like me . I also always believed that I can be Barbie the looks really never mattered to me . I just never was that kid who wanted to find a character that looks like them. I was also obsessed with bratz especially Chloe who also looked nothing like me. We actually did have a doll that was supposed to represent the” Arabic girl next door” named Fulla ,but she was not it. I really hated her as a kid. I didn’t feel like she represented me as much a Barbie did. In general, I feel like my imagination as a kid was beyond the looks and the names these dolls already had.

Just want to say that basically whatever topic you cover i always feel super content watching your videos! Seems a lot of other vids i watch get me kinda depressed or feeling bad but even the critiques you bring up is done so in such a gentle(??) tone while still being clear and not, like, sugarcoating, i don't know how you do it! I'm very glad i found your channel :)

I'm 16 and a dude and had to hide the fact that I played with barbies when I was younger because it wasn't socially acceptable now I don't really care 💀 and recently bought the bratz 20 year anniversary re-releases

I love my barbie memories. As a kid I was not upset she didn't look like me since i saw her as a real person so why would we look the same if we weren't related? That being said, I'd put all my barbies in a container at night in case they decided to come to life like in toy story

@BlueFlower___

2 жыл бұрын

haha same all my barbies are safe away in a box 🤣😅

@bunnybunnyhophophop

2 жыл бұрын

Love your comment! I remembered thinking about my Barbie the same way. She was disconnected from my real life; the Platonic ideal of the cool glamorous older girl that I wished to be. The aspirational aspect was precisely part of her allure 🤩

@thiswillnotdo6027

2 жыл бұрын

exactly! barbie to me was another person who doesn't look like me, in the same way I dont look anything like beyonce and I don't expect to.

Im not from the US or from an English speaking country, so growing up I never really thought Barbie was the doll's name, my sister and I always invented new names and characters for them. I strongly remember my aunt, who was a photographer, taking us as three year old to a fashion show and we were in such an awe of the models, we thought they were all Barbies in real life. we also ADORED the movies and would watch each of them when they came out on TV, and would ask our parents to buy us the merch and characters. the selection of dolls were much smaller here than in the US so if some new doll came out and one of our friends got it, it was a very exiting event lol.

barbie is in fact a great way to examine your childhood brain, i used to make all the girls kiss and now im a lesbian.

Barbie is a non-controversial feminist because she is for kids. Kids need to know that they can be anything. They don't need to be smacked in the face with politics or grown-up issues.

@liv-uu1fi

2 жыл бұрын

Feminism is not only for grown ups and neither is feminism involving politics, actually most of it isn't politics so I don't understand your point?

@nattmoonlight5285

2 жыл бұрын

@@sweetembrace6706 not true but ok.

@aspannas

2 жыл бұрын

​@@liv-uu1fi What do you not understand? Barbie is a doll, a freaking toy. Why would a TOY need to be anything other than a toy??

@nattmoonlight5285

2 жыл бұрын

@@sweetembrace6706 oh yeah sooo privileged growing up having two parents who had no jobs, having no electricity at times, and having to boil water to bathe… smh 🤦🏾‍♀️

@thinkfirst1989

2 жыл бұрын

True. And not for nothing but I don't remember Barbie becoming a mother or a wife. Maybe Barbie started as a teenage fashion model, but by the time she was a nurse or a marine biologist, or president, and owning a house, it's clear Barbie was and is a post collegiate, adult woman with no husband and no child. I think presenting a successful, adult woman who isn't defined by her familial relationships is always authentically feminist. Not to mention Barbie appears sexually mature, has a long term bf and clearly expresses her sexuality in the way she dresses soooooo....she must have access to adequate women's health if she doesn't end up with a kid.

What pisses me off about the whole "barbie is too skinny" argument is that people aren't getting the bigger (or should I say smaller) picture. If you look at the clothes of the first Barbie you can tell they are of a higher quality. They fabric is nicer which means it's thicker, Barbie has to have these small proportions so that way the clothes don't look bulky on her and they're easy to put on or pull off. Also the reason her body hasn't changed drastically is so that you the clothes for the doll us universal. Imagine buying clothing packs for your doll but they're not the right fit. I'm not saying that we shouldn't have plus size dolls because that's absolutely amazing that we do, we just shouldn't blame mattel and mask it in malice when it's not.

@whatever3440

2 жыл бұрын

THIS. She's literally the way she is because she's not a real human. Her neck was made longer, her features were adjusted to fit the clothing because she's literally a doll 😭

@LaBellesGrace

2 жыл бұрын

Highly agree with you both!

@montyb969

2 жыл бұрын

@@whatever3440 boy's action figures are given the same attention as dolls, maybe if they were people would begin to see how ridiculous policing children's toys is.

@liste302

2 жыл бұрын

How is it ridiculous? Barbie clearly got marketed as being beautiful and for a long time barbie only came in one body shape. The issue we are talking about is subconscious effects on children. If you grow up with playing barbie and only getting tall and skinny dolls as a representation for beauty then you'll obviously think that being tall and skinny is the (only) way to be beautiful. It's easy to say that "it was just a doll", when you are an adult and experienced years of exposure of body positivity in the last couple of years.

@12Sharon

2 жыл бұрын

@@liste302 Most of the comments here agree that it didn't affect their childhood. On the contrary. As children we don't think critically of anything, we eat we play and sleep. The cycle repeats. I myself didn't see myself in barbie, I would play out Telenovelas. It's adults that see a problem with it and society as a whole when we treat people different based of their looks. That's on us when we start growing up. Not on dolls. We outgrow them and start thinking about our appearance when we hit our teens and by then most of us are over barbies. Either way it's good doll's come in different colors and sizes but that's more for us adults having the option to get that for our kids. Not because kids think critically about themselves they're just kids. & we were too.

Barbie was extremely important for me and my childhood. She helped me scape and live so many adventures, taught me kindness and to believe in myself. I was a very sad and lonely little girl, but she was always there for me. Now I’m a fashion designer and I know she was a great influence into my career choice so I’m thankful. I remember when i was little and how Barbie was criticized for her body shape, for bering blonde and pretty, for liking pink… i just couldn’t understand what was wrong about that, I wanted to be like her, to be feminine, fashionable, smart, kind and independent, to make a difference in the world even tho I felt too small, to grow into anything i wanted to be. The funny thing is that while Barbie comforted me through it all, it was actually the ones that criticized her who made me feel bad about my body, my personality and what i liked. I have embraced pink, all the girly stuff i loved and since i am very happy again, my Barbie side is back with me and i feel whole because I don’t want to repress myself anymore, I am becoming who i want to be just as she taught me.

I never felt insecure about Barbie. I don’t look like her in the SLIGHTEST and I sure didn’t when I was in elementary and I just saw her as a cute doll to play with, nothing more. If anything I made her uglier by shaving her hair off at some point 😭

Barbie has dominated a male society and did it in pink glitter heels! I have so much respect for that! People are more concerned about her body and never see the accomplishments of “you can do anything!” 🥂 👏🏻

i was a boy who loved to play barbies with my sister i was always told as a little kid that "boys don't play with barbies only girls" which always triggered me in a depressing way and i'm so glad to see the next generation of little children have more diverse and more acceptable barbie dolls !!

@yasmeen_kh

2 жыл бұрын

yeah my little brother has a boy Chelsea barbie, and when my cousin found out he got jealous and bought a mermaid ken doll. I was so shocked when my family didn’t mind this since they aren’t the most “progressive” but i was happy that they weren’t bullying them ☺️

@juylianostars.4956

2 жыл бұрын

toy rights forever! 🌟

New subscriber here and so far enjoying your research and insights! Sadly My first Barbie memory was a Malibu Barbie with sunglasses - which my godmother brought as a gift from her trip to the States (I'm from the Phils.). I was about 5 y.o. from and my parents were always fighting at this time, so my beautiful and tan Malibu Barbie got the brunt of my childhood anger and sadness. Her gorgeous straight platinum hair became gnarly from my rough handling... sigh... I am now 46 years old and through my childhood I've had other Barbies up until I was 19 (which was a gift to me, celebrating a win). - so yeah, Barbie was a part of my life. So, here's to you, Barbie! And thanks, Mina Le, for this great vid!

loved the style of the lash advertisement, usually i just skip past promotions but you made it engaging to watch as if that was what i came here to watch !! great video !!

I feel like people still love barbie because of the generational conection and comfort and how it might shaped us through their dolls movies and games like heck she carried me through alot of Depressiv eras of my life another key to her relevance is adressing things that are Happening right now in the World best example is the barbie vlogs that adress things like racism , sexsim and depression things kids today or of the past can or could identify with that since mental health is a big topic today barbie means the World to me because i could always find comfort in her

I was a gay boy who looooved my Barbie’s. I found most women around me supportive and understanding in what she meant to me and most male figures either judged or had quite contempt. To me she was the pretty popular girl I wanted to be but wasn’t, and through her I could be amazing. She didn’t make me vain or anything, she gave me standards for myself. 🤷🏼‍♂️ great video!

I think that playing with barbies really helped me develop my imagination, empathy, and story building skills haha i dont think i was ever upset that barbie never looked like me mostly because the stories we came up with were separate from us. barbie was and is her own person

that "shes just like you" clip made me cry. so much happiness in that clip never fails to make me proud and restore happiness in this world.

Mostly unrelated to the toy herself, but I love Barbie's vlogs and her latest Netflix show (not the one where she's a literal doll but the one where she and her family and friends get into heartwarming shenanigans). Watching and rewatching her content has let me destress and I totally agree that she doesn't have very controversial or clear stances, but I also appreciate how she's been more open about mental health and emotional intelligence on her KZread channel. Also, the relationship she has with Ken in both the vlogs/show feels much more organic since as a kid I had zero attachment to that man and would pop his head off any chance I got.