I think this is something left up to the parents to decide for their particular child or family. I don’t feel there is a right or wrong answer to this. You can hardly go into a store or pass a billboard without seeing unrealistic looking women. I think no matter what you do with Barbie you are going to have to have these ongoing conversations with your daughter about body image at some point.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ~ Eph. 5:15-17
I don’t think the article is about the general exposure of young girls to objectified women. Barbie is a toy specifically geared to little girls, which right there, IMO, is weird and creepy. What dad would buy a G.I. Joe for their son that was anatomically correct?
There is also a difference between driving past a billboard or walking past a magazine stand, and purchasing something for our child to play with on a daily basis. Children bond with their toys, and they identify with their toys. Little girls don’t ‘identify with’ a woman on a billboard or on the cover of a magazine, nor do they talk to her and pretend she is their friend. I think that is where the ‘danger’ lies.
Discussion
NewNo right or wrong answer
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ~ Eph. 5:15-17
NewToys and children
There is also a difference between driving past a billboard or walking past a magazine stand, and purchasing something for our child to play with on a daily basis. Children bond with their toys, and they identify with their toys. Little girls don’t ‘identify with’ a woman on a billboard or on the cover of a magazine, nor do they talk to her and pretend she is their friend. I think that is where the ‘danger’ lies.
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