If Amy Schumer can save Barbie, a generation of feminist mothers will kiss her feet.
Because a doll might ‘just’ be a doll, but for us, Barbie will always be Trouble.
Trouble with her improbable proportions and her inability to stand in flat shoes.
Trouble with the many incarnations she can inhabit with a simple costume change. Doll, if it was that easy to switch between being an astronaut and a vet, we’d all be doing it.
Listen to us discuss Barbies. the Post continues after audio.
And Trouble because we know that just as we were once seduced by her attributes – boobs too big for real life and a seemingly never-ending array of life choices – now our daughters are, too.
Flashback to my house, my street actually, a week before the announcement that Schumer – the sharp, allegedly “unlikable” feminist comedian and writer who is nobody’s Barbie – is going to write and star in a new, live-action film about the doll.
Top Comments
just buy her a goddamn barbie you meanie
When I was a kid in the 80s, it was barbie who helps break the stereotypes of women being bound to the kitchen. Barbie was a doctor, a vet, a pilot, an astronaut, a ballerina, a surfer, an Olympian. I loved my barbie dolls, I'd make them new clothes; in fact that is how i learnt to sew and knit. I also class myself as a feminist, but that doesn't mean i will deprive my children of the experiences they wish to have. I'd rather they play with toys and use their imaginations than sit in front of a screen constantly. If your child is able to tell the difference between imagination/fantasy and reality, what is the harm in giving her a doll that she will love? Being a feminist isn't about trooping a female of her femininity, it's about promoting her differences and fighting for equality.
To be critical, it sounds as though you are pushing your beliefs into your child and not listening to what she wants. Where is the equality in that? Also, the fact that she has called the diverse dolls "unpretty" is a bit concerning as it appears that, whether you like it or not, she is still being influenced to believe that a woman should look a certain way to be considered "pretty"; so in a way you're already teaching her that yourself by distinguishing between a "normal" barbie (beautiful), and a "diverse" barbie (ugly). No one can tell you what to do with your own child's upbringing, however please don't stifle her imagination and creativity by pushing your own agenda onto your daughter. With a strong and wonderful mum teaching her about the works, she will grow up to be a wonderful adult whether or not she is the owner of a barbie doll.