I Still Love You, Barbie

Originally posted on LinkedIn.

About 18 years ago I started collecting Barbies and Gene dolls.Yes, I’m 56 years old and I still play with dolls. It’s called being a “collector.” When you collect dolls, you get away with doing this. 🙂

A couple of months ago I saw an ad for a Lammily doll. Lammily dolls are the anti-Barbie. She was created by a man, Nickolay Lamm. A Lammily doll is based on “standard human body proportions.” Specifically, an average 19-year-old woman.

This immediately struck me as a great idea. Like nearly all women, I spent my life worrying about my looks and going to great lengths and expense to try to get men to think I was hot. Seriously, looking back, that’s about what it came down to. I no longer worry about it, but a doll meant to make a little girl feel more comfortable about her body is a great idea.

I bought two Lammily dolls. I kept one in the box (should it ever be worth more in the future) and took the other out. (Side note to Mr. Lamm: A girl needs undies. My poor averagely-proportioned doll came with none.) She’s cute. I love her hair. I named her Olivia Hope. I bought some extra clothes and dressed her in her new duds.

Recently I watched a documentary on Barbie. I was fascinated. I immediately pulled a few of my Barbie dolls out of storage. I looked through the assortment of gowns I had and re-dressed them. My word, they are beautiful.

I swear to you I’m a feminist. I know they say that if Barbie came to life, she would fall over due to her completely unrealistic proportions. But, in the documentary, one of the designers said that Barbie was created for fashion. Barbie is a fantasy. Not for men — for women. That tiny waist and those ever-perky breasts make her fun to dress and display.

It’s possible that my Olivia Hope could be just as fun to dress and display if they would make fantasy clothes for her. The Lammily company seems intent on keeping her average. And for little girls, I think that’s a good thing.

Being a woman is complex. It’s fun to feel beautiful. It’s exhilarating. It is one part of who we are. What society does is raise us to believe it’s everything we are. That’s the part that’s BS. The dolls we play with are not responsible for the fact that sexism (like racism) is institutionalized. But, if a Lammily doll can help a girl feel empowered, then every girl should have one.

This older babe doesn’t need Lammily. It took a lot of years, but I like me just fine. I live my Cinderella-at-the-ball fantasy through a doll who is anything but average. Sorry, Olivia Hope, I still love Barbie.

Images: Top Left – Barbie in Wedding Dress by Aviva. Right Center – “Olivia Hope” Lammily doll. Bottom Left – Barbies in Gowns by Aviva.

Aviva Gittle is a children’s book author and owner of Gittle Publishing. Her stories are available in English and Spanish, including the Kitten and Friends / Gatito y amigos series. Learn more at www.GoToGittle.com. Aviva also hosts The Gittle List contest for self-published kid’s picture books: www.TheGittleList.com.