Like every girl, I grew up playing with toys, specifically dolls and Barbie’s. In my spare time after coming back from school and finishing up my homework I used to either read books or play with my Barbie. Unlike other girls who would play with their dolls once in a while because they had other productive things to do with their time; like studying, playing with their friends or playing sports; I just used to sit in a room and play! Sometimes, my sisters would accompany me otherwise it was just me. This of course would explain why I was such a poor student back in school. I remember as a child, I would rush to the mall and buy the latest Barbie doll available. I had plenty in my collection. Being a spoilt brat, my parents would agree to buy my sisters and I the toys we wanted. Sometimes, if my parents would disagree, I would purposely break one of the Barbie’s legs or give her a nasty hairstyle just so I could get a new one. The ‘handicapped’ Barbie would then be used as ‘the ugly sister’ or some other pity evoking character in my play story. This would give me a reason to argue why I needed a new one. My parents annoyed with me for pestering them would eventually cave in.
It took a lot of planning and consideration to decide which one would be worthy of my collection. Barbie’s would range from ‘sports’ Barbie to ‘Movie Star’ Barbie to even “Queen of England” Barbie. There were PLENTY of different types of Barbie’s. If I didn’t like the colour of her eyes, the colour of her shoes or even the colour of her brush, that Barbie wasn’t worth the effort to buy her. What used to differ were the things that came along with her. I spent endless hours and a whole lot of my parent’s money on the useless accessories that came along with Barbie. My parents, seeing the interest shown in the dolls, built my sisters and I a whole collection of custom made wooden and polished furniture.
My imagination knew no bounds when I used to be in the zone while playing. Along with my sisters we used to come up with some pretty creative stories. Sometimes the stories made no sense, sometimes the stories were ripped off from movies we saw. But mostly they involved the usual storyline. This was once again heavily influenced by Bollywood/Disney cartoons. Rich boy meets pretty girl (she could sometimes be rich or sometimes be from the slums), she plays hard to get, eventually he wins her over and they share a kiss to seal the deal of their romance (we’d start blushing at this time but did it because movies told us this is what should be followed after confessing one’s love.) Once in a while we’d throw in opposing parties from either sides, otherwise the couple lived happily ever after. As soon as we finished planning and executing the wedding part the story was over. Not once, did we think about how life carries on after the ‘happily ever after’. I personally blame Disney and Bollywood for this!
Barbie also brought out our other creative sides. My sister would experiment stitching clothes and trying out different styles. At first, my sister started off by having the stitches and seams of the clothes on the outside. Then, she progressed to stitching on the inside of the cloth. For a seven year old she was pretty talented. I tried once to stitch something and ended up making a handkerchief for Barbie!
Barbie’s hair was a constant concern for us too. We used to buy the ones with long hair and experiment hairstyles on them. Usually the hairstyles were so hideous we’d have to resort to chopping off all the hair and giving Barbie the hairstyle of a boy. This outcast would again become another unfortunate character in our stories.
I realize now how Barbie played such an integral part in my outlook towards life. I always used to see Barbie as being perfect. There was never an ounce of fat where it wasn’t needed. She had perky breasts, shapely hips and the tiniest waist possible. Pair that up with perfect skin and complexion as well as shiny, glossy hair! Sometimes, I made sure I roughed up Barbie’s hair with powder to give her a bad hair day. She was always just so perfect!
There was no ‘fat’ Barbie in the market! Being a plump little girl, my eyes always used to scan the new Barbie’s in the market for an ‘unconventional’ doll. It’s funny how after almost two decades there still isn’t a ‘normal’ looking Barbie. She’s still skinny!
Barbie always had the best of everything. For me, the life of a Barbie was always like a party. There didn’t seem like there were any problems she had to deal with. She even had the perfect mate, Ken. Personally, I hated Ken! I always thought he looked dumb. He hardly had any of the accessories that Barbie came with and he always had a smile that seemed more plastic than Barbie. He seemed content living in Barbie’s shadow. Barbie didn’t have to work hard to find her a man, she had one ready! He just tagged along with HER friends, in HER house doing what SHE wanted. Over the years he just became more feminine looking! There were initially no doubts that ‘white’ Barbie would end up with ‘white’ Ken. Then the makers of the doll decided to throw in a ‘black’ Barbie and a ‘black’ Ken.
She seemed independent and selfish with all the focus just on her and her things. She also embedded the seeds for the importance of materialistic things. There was no end to the things she could have. I’m not saying Barbie is the only source to blame for all this. Movies played another important part in my outlook towards life. But yes, Barbie did play a pivotal role in defining my thinking. The thinking that changed only after I became a teenager. It took me a while to get my head out of the clouds and realize life is quite different in reality. Could my parents have shielded me in anyway from this? Probably a little, but I’m sure some other external source would have influenced my thinking one way or another.
