Barbie - Destroyer of the World

I will admit, I'm not a Barbie fan.

I don't like that she's all pink and girlie. Her greatest adventure is to put on her roller blades (not forgetting to don her tiny little knee and elbow guards). I don't like the consumerism of buying all the accessories et al. Of course there's the whole body-image issues - although I'm not so worried about that.

Lyra has a doll from China that is "barbie-like". She has a Chinese costume on and long black hair. She played with her for about 1 day after opening the package. She also has a "Coming Home Barbie" that she doesn't know about. When we were in China, Mattel had a deal with the hotel where we were staying that they gave all families a Barbie doll with a little Chinese baby in her arms. I've kept it as a momento - but it kind of makes me queasy. I don't like the implication that Lyra was a toy or that adopting a baby can be sponsored by Mattel. Anyway, I still have it for her.

Here in Dubai, they have a character called Fulla. Fulla toys fill the shelves in the toy aisles here. Girls get Fulla backpacks, Fulla tennis shoes, Fulla bicycles, Fulla pencils, Fulla stickers, Fulla everything. All her items come packaged in pink, just like Barbie. She wears an abaya and shayla and you can purchase a pink Fulla prayer mat for her. She has brown eyes, brown hair, and doesn't come with those scandalously skimpy swimming costumes. Lyra has her coloring books and has sent a few to friends back home. Russell liked the irony. But to me - I have the same problems with her as Barbie.

So much for not being a fan. We now have a Barbie, Fulla, and our Chinese version of a Barbie in the house - how did this happen? TodayI've read that as much as Barbie makes me uncomfortable, she is viewed as " a 'danger' that needs to be stopped" in Iran http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Iran/10209372.html. Good luck to them. Barbie has a way of insinuating herself into your life.

Mamacita said...
I'm more afraid of her pimped out cousin....The BRAT Doll.
Yeah, I'm with you there! We don't have any Bratz dolls in the house and so far none of Lyra's friends seem to be into them either. I'm thinking that maybe this will come in a few years. One of the things I miss about home is that our friends in WI seemed to be on the same wavelength regarding these toys. But here all of Lyra's friends are into Barbie, Disney Princess, or Fulla. So now she loves pink, only wants to wear dresses, will say things like "that's not for girls". Aaaagh! I hate that.