Tag Archives: Barbie

Anyone read ‘Goddess Girls?’ I hate the covers.

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After Thanksgiving, my two older daughters came home from their cousin’s house with at least three Goddess Girls books. I haven’t read them yet, but I’ve seen the covers before, in stores, and I hate the look of the goddesses.

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I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and that I often do, but I don’t know how to get past the giant heads, doe eyes, and tiny bodies. Even when Artemis is killing a serpent, she looks like she’s in an Estee Lauder ad. Obviously, goddesses are supposed to be beautiful, but this limited, distorted 2013 depiction of what is attractive makes my stomach turn.

The books could still be good, I suppose. One Barbie movie is on Reel Girl’s recs: Fairytopia Mermaidia. It’s a great adventure where two brave girls rescue a prince and the entire ocean. The just released “Frozen,” which is also great, has some pretty terrifying skinny, big-headed protagonists. It drives me crazy, because the message here is, and I got this same message when I was a kid: If you want exciting adventures to happen to you, then you must be “beautiful.” Otherwise, you’re invisible. The end goal here is not to be pretty, it is to exist.

But maybe you’ve read Goddess Girls and can tell me how great they are.

Happy Meal Barbie promises girls: When you grow up, you too can be skinny and blonde

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Check out McDonald’s new Happy Meal box which I read about on Phd in parenting. It features Mattel’s Barbie I Can Be with 4 different Barbie variations in doctor/veterinarian, school teacher, model and globe-trotter.

These career Barbies are so stupid. The last thing you notice from the picture is what profession they are supposedly involved in, especially if you’re an illiterate kid. What you do see is flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and a skinny body. If you want to teach kids to DO something, give them a toy that does stuff. I recently listened to a panel of women architects talk about the newly released Architect Barbie. Those professionals didn’t like the doll, telling the audience that if they want their kids to grow up to be architects buy them blocks and Legos. So much for Legos which has recently soared to new heights with its sexist marketing, but blocks are still a good option.

What do you get if you’re a boy  with your Happy Meal? Oh, Hot Wheels.

“Get ready for the release of January’s McDonald’s Happy Meal toys sets one geared to little boys and one for little girls. Team Hot Wheels set has 8 different types of vehicles from mini monster wheels to race cars.”

This makes me so sad about my two-year old daughter who loves cars right now. But I know, very soon, with all this marketing, she’ll start to go for the Barbies if I’m not super counteractive with this relentless gender marketing. UGH. One more reason not to go to McDonalds. Wow, so much money money and effort by huge companies doing their best to stereotype little kids.