tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post3827181145261888565..comments2024-03-27T03:15:55.367-04:00Comments on EPBOT: Things I Learned Today: Barbie Is Based On A Bachelor Party Gag Gift?!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11888187687405622408noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-48396837846133793052016-03-30T13:14:28.499-04:002016-03-30T13:14:28.499-04:00Personally I identify most with "Fat" Ba...Personally I identify most with "Fat" Barbie, I am pear shaped, have a very tiny waist and ample bottom. I have smallish breasts and fat arms (but that IS lack of exercise), so I look more like fat Barbie than any other. I am only a few pounds above my ideal but I can still turn a head. I like curvy Barbie.Joellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-67222758242390416952016-02-04T10:51:20.532-05:002016-02-04T10:51:20.532-05:00'Cause it's darned near impossible to manu...'Cause it's darned near impossible to manufacture every doll individually. You have to go handmade for that sort of detail, and the price is going to be significantly greater. To have four different body types requires four different machines to make it (for each body part that's differently shaped, not just the torso), instead of the one for the American Girls dolls that everyone's willing to pay a small fortune for (at least, I haven't seen large differences between the American Girls dolls). They're also going to have to adjust their patterns for clothing, as Tall Barbie is not going to be able to wear regular Barbie's clothes without showing some... plastic. <br /><br />I do have to give Mattel credit for this, though. That's an expensive way to get Barbie back on the shopping lists. Murianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-16877994560643073062016-02-03T10:20:20.248-05:002016-02-03T10:20:20.248-05:00I think the hourglass figure of the curvy one make...I think the hourglass figure of the curvy one makes her look fatter than she is, even though the waist is smaller. She's not fat, she's "curvy" with more of a hourglass shape than stick-figure Barbie.Damonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11568963389205192534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-31593686876273625232016-02-03T08:52:12.189-05:002016-02-03T08:52:12.189-05:00In one of my women's history classes, we learn...In one of my women's history classes, we learned that while Barbie was based on a sex toy, it was because the woman who created her was looking for a doll that was older than the usual baby dolls and would help a girl feel a little more comfortable when they began "the change" and started to develop breasts, because that was not a thing to be spoken about back then and she herself had been a little traumatized by that event. She saw Lilli in a store window and went with that model. <br /><br /><br /> I'm not trying to support Barbie's unrealistic size or anything, I just find that to be an interesting story that gets a little lost through the modern lens. Of course I don't know the source of that information, but there are some good books about the history of Barbie out there, if anyone wants to verify :-)Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02624608433825225766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-36955298903310569072016-02-03T01:27:21.582-05:002016-02-03T01:27:21.582-05:00I think the outfits I have seen for curvy barbie l...I think the outfits I have seen for curvy barbie look just like what they're selling at Forever 21+. I wouldn't wear them because I don't have a waist now but at my smallest (size 17) I would have rocked every one.Absolutely Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02502231824783819728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-16133151242125701542016-02-02T19:44:59.521-05:002016-02-02T19:44:59.521-05:00This discussion is getting so far off the rails th...This discussion is getting so far off the rails that I find it more amusing than informational. My sister and I had some of the first Barbies to come out, and we played with them incessantly. Our dolls didn't have sex or careers or chase boys; they pretty much just changged clothes. Neither of us grew up to be a clotheshorse. Sometimes we popped off Barbie's head to make it easier to pull on a top or dress. Boy, that surely would have made it easier to dress a squirming youngster, but it never occurred to me to give it a try. We styled Barbie's hair into elaborate do's and held them in place with straight pins stuck into her scalp. Nope, no holes in my girls' heads, either. My point is, I never thought Barbie was real, I never aspired to look like or be like her, and to this day I don't really like changing clothes all that much. Let's just let go, let kids play, and quit worrying about all this ridiculous stuff. Mary S Marxernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-37639635345985621512016-02-02T19:25:08.914-05:002016-02-02T19:25:08.914-05:00And short and curvy? Curvy that doesn't have ...And short and curvy? Curvy that doesn't have thread-thin arms? I know that some time ago a company tried out a pregnant Barbie-like doll, with a tummy and baby that snapped on and off. Needless to say, not well-received. Anyway, I had one of the first barbies and played her nearly to death as she was meant to be played with: putting colthes on and off. That's it, that's what she's for, let's just accept that and move on.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-66147134572707459342016-02-01T17:41:19.066-05:002016-02-01T17:41:19.066-05:00I don't think she looks fat either. She's...I don't think she looks fat either. She's definitely larger than original Barbie, but not fat. I'm an 18/20 and I wear stuff like that all the time. I'm actually wearing a pencil skirt right now. I'd also totally rock that blue hair if I could get away with it. I like the way I dress and I get a lot of compliments on my clothing and "style" so I guess I'm doing something right and I'm definitely fatter than that Barbie.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12619161113060279630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-27360675303673422852016-02-01T00:07:38.068-05:002016-02-01T00:07:38.068-05:00Thank you for all the commenters pointing out the ...Thank you for all the commenters pointing out the issue of a scale model doll with full-thickness fabrics. I'd honestly never though of that. I never got into Barbies as a kid, so I still hold a vaguely condescending feeling toward them. I only ever saw the dolls and didn't realize all the variety of stuff they came with (astronaut Barbie etc). I've now done a 180 on this and would be delighted to buy these new barbies for future only moderately-hypothetical spawn. I agree with other commenters about hopefully they'll continue the trend of more diverse fashionistas. Some of Barbie's weird proportions make way more sense to me now! TIL :) Thanks, Jen & Epbot community! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-32853840208627609852016-01-31T11:40:33.604-05:002016-01-31T11:40:33.604-05:00Admittedly, I have not read all 92 comments, but m...Admittedly, I have not read all 92 comments, but my first thought is that curvy Barbie just needs better styling. That is the wrong outfit for her shape. I'm a curvy girl myself, and I'd never leave the house in that outfit, it practically screams "THIGHS!" I would like the blue hair, though. And I'd consider trading my soul for her ankles. My cankles can not compare. LOLAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09689890985871798212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-43105303790654611742016-01-31T03:07:31.170-05:002016-01-31T03:07:31.170-05:00I've really never understood how so many peopl...I've really never understood how so many people or kids think that a doll or cartoon is something to look up to as a role model. <br /><br />I had tons of Barbies as a kid, and loved the Disney movies, but I never once in my life thought "Oh Barbie is so skinny I have to be just like her!" or "Ariel gives up something super important to try to get a guy and Ariel is awesome, that means I must do it to!". <br /><br />I'm not sure if I'm different or if kids were just raised differently 25 years ago, but it really kind of drives me crazy that people get so up in arms over how toys look because somehow a kid might think they are supposed to look the same as a plastic doll. THAT is what truly boggles my mind. <br /><br />Now, getting up in arms that a female character in a live action film (Rey from Star Wars) doesn't have the same merchandise representation as male characters is totally justifiable to me (same thing as so many toys in Sci-Fi/Fantasy genres being marketed more towards boys).Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07202431822599632468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-63745338625126764542016-01-31T03:01:08.821-05:002016-01-31T03:01:08.821-05:00Bwa-ha-ha. I don't worry that the yardape is g...Bwa-ha-ha. I don't worry that the yardape is going to get unrealistic body shape ideas from her lego mini-figs, either!<br /><br />I hope the folks that like the new Barbies get to enjoy them without being hassled by the wrongfun puritans: "Stop! You're enjoying a toy fashion doll in a politically harmful way." <br /><br />I hope the same thing is true for those gals (and guys) who liked playing glamorous dress-up pretend games with the super-skinny coup-de-crayon Barbies. Not my cuppa, sure, but who died and made me the moral arbitar of what little kids ought to enjoy?The Overgrown Hobbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09806927514541692971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-67656361751107032892016-01-31T01:05:49.657-05:002016-01-31T01:05:49.657-05:00My daughter (6) has a Lammily doll. She asked for ...My daughter (6) has a Lammily doll. She asked for "a doll that looks like a grown up, but a real grown up. Not Barbie, she looks weird." The Lammily doll is just exactly what she wanted. I didn't get it for me, I got it because it was one of the only options for a realistic picture of what someone's body could look like.<br />When we got the doll I was actually kind of impressed by how average they succeeded in making her. She is brown haired, brown eyed, and in person her skin is olive or darker. She is not lily-white. <br />The part I like is hearing my daughter talk about her doll, she named Kira. She sees her doll as beautiful and just right, and that has been the common reaction of her friends as well.<br />It is a shame if the creator is acting like a putz. I am glad he did what he did and got the ball rolling. I am a staunch feminist, and I deeply believe that we need men in it with us. Is a doll, or a line of dolls the magic solution to culturally entrenched misogyny? Nope, of course not. But every little bit moves us one more step in the right direction.Katherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02747698465305404042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-43148902952696178622016-01-30T17:41:13.006-05:002016-01-30T17:41:13.006-05:00Please please take down the chart comparing the &q...Please please take down the chart comparing the "average female" body measurements to Barbie's. It's highly inaccurate (20" head my a**), and it is sourced from a website that promotes wrong and harmful ideas about eating disorders. (Eating disorders are no more caused by Barbie than autism is by "refrigerator mothers"). Inaccurate and harmful! Please take it down. NYC Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06763340277002643976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-37331989954067545582016-01-30T16:33:57.631-05:002016-01-30T16:33:57.631-05:00They've changed the design since I was young I...They've changed the design since I was young I think. I'm sure mine was more trianglular through the torso in the 80sTimes mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16198134181235242150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-77391673523383571862016-01-30T15:13:48.920-05:002016-01-30T15:13:48.920-05:00For the guy perspective, I give you He-man toys fr...For the guy perspective, I give you He-man toys from the 80's when I was growing up: http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/heman/images/8/8e/Toys-slider.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/670?cb=20150316163934<br /><br />I'm pretty sure that's an unobtainable body type also. I also feel ashamed that I never grew a turtle shell and acquired ninja abilities to emulate my other toys.I DID however maintain a near perfect troll doll body for several of my formative years, except mom made me get haircuts. <br />Capn Badgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09966242933186821785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-58128057407731958612016-01-30T13:41:47.979-05:002016-01-30T13:41:47.979-05:00My daughter has no interest in Barbies, so I'm...My daughter has no interest in Barbies, so I'm the only Barbie fan in the house. I loved playing pretend with my Barbies because they could have glamours, fancy lives. They went to fancy parties, they swam, sometimes they worked in formal wear. I had some seriously ugly 70s homemade clothes. As an adult all my Barbies are still in the packaging in my mini Barbie museum.<br /><br />Unfortunately the new curvy doll looks frumpy and dumpy, most likely due to styling. She doesn't look fun to play with, she looks like she comes with a mini van with a soccer sticker on the back. My ten-year-old self would not want to play with her. My 40 year old collector self doesn't want to buy her. If my friends and I were playing soccer mom Barbie, she'd still probably be dressed in a fancy gown because that's something you don't do in everyday life.Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17616517145578402506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-11801738654879529642016-01-30T13:40:37.154-05:002016-01-30T13:40:37.154-05:00I have never met a woman in real life who played w...I have never met a woman in real life who played with Barbies as a child and thought, 'gosh, I have to look like this toy when I grow up or I'm clearly ugly.' The women in my house didn't look like Barbie, because Barbie is a TOY, and I understood the difference between toys and reality. If a girl is shamed into thinking that Barbie is what a normal adult woman looks like, then the people in her family are the problem, not a toy.Played with dollsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-19647569347281466292016-01-30T10:40:19.677-05:002016-01-30T10:40:19.677-05:00One of the things I do find fascinating about Barb...One of the things I do find fascinating about Barbie's history is that she was the first 3D version of the fashion paper dolls at the time. Also at the time she was unique that the dolls toys available for little girls were all baby dolls, given to girls so they could play at being mothers. (Teddy bears had a huge backlash because people of the day argued that if a girl played with a toy animal she wouldn't be able to be a proper mother when the time came.) So for the first time girls had a doll that was an adult woman who wasn't a mommy. She wore pretty clothes, and had jobs! They were encouraged to see themselves as Barbie, as an independent woman, instead of seeing her as a practice baby for their eventual fate. <br /><br />It is important to see things in the context of their time to properly keep them evolving and updating. What was surprisingly progressive for the time needs to keep changing to stay progressive. <br /><br />Someone already pointed out that the freakishness of Barbie's tiny waist made sense when you were working with a 1/12th scale figure and 1/1 scale cloth. The gathers and seams couldn't be made smaller, but the inside of the doll could. For example, you can look up Tonner dolls (There's some especially gorgeous Gone with the Wind and Disney Tonner dolls) and they're all on bodies with teenie tiny wasp waists and strange unnatural proportions to accommodate all that fabric! I expect that Barbie's more elaborate fashion lines will keep the same inhuman look, since those aren't designed to be undressed, but for dolls that are designed to change outfits and to have outfits that aren't ballgowns it makes sense to make the bodies to fit the function. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08214336764199011889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-20091029987647761492016-01-30T03:28:59.194-05:002016-01-30T03:28:59.194-05:00HER daughter.HER daughter.Whirlwitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15193539496047145279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-73770763052098823652016-01-30T01:52:43.434-05:002016-01-30T01:52:43.434-05:00Here's the creepy part: "[...]and what I ...Here's the creepy part: "[...]and what I like about real women is [...]" <br /><br />Who cares what a DUDE thinks about women, in a GIRL'S toy line? <br /><br />Why does a straight, white man get to decide what HE likes about women, and thus what young women get to play with? What about women who are cold, or unfeeling, or angry? Or, perish the thought, thin? Are these not "real" women in Lamm's mind? Do they not deserve representation if they don't personally appeal to him? Why does an adult man get to decide what's "real" enough for little girls to play with? <br /><br />Why does a straight white man get to decide what are, and are not women's struggles, and create a doll wholly devoted to making money off of that struggle? Why is a man capitalizing on women's body issues in media to make a profit? <br /><br />I'm a little worried as to how you think "Lammily Co. [...] are supportive of their fan base," when I've seen at least one example of their CEO/founder harassing women who state their dislike of his questionably made doll in comments sections. Ponyguruhttp://ponyguru.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-88407177656297699662016-01-30T01:34:13.374-05:002016-01-30T01:34:13.374-05:00I'm sorry, but I don't think I agree with ...I'm sorry, but I don't think I agree with your interpretation of Lamm's statement or the ad campaign (which I've seen before) - "If Barbie were a real woman, she'd be intimidating and cold, and what I like about real women is that they're warm and friendly." I just don't see how being warm and friendly is creepy. It's not insulting, it's not sexual. At least *I* don't read it as sexual. <br /><br />As for the commercial - I didn't not find it gross. I thought it was cute and uplifting. Here is a girl that doesn't fit in in some way being constantly told by the media and everyone around her that she is not worthy of notice. At first she feels ashamed, but then she finds worth in herself and ultimately ends up making friends with the other dolls on the beach in a game of volleyball. They all play together - none better or worse than the others. <br /><br />For the cost of the outfits they sell - 1) The clothes are made by workers being treated fairly, which does make it a bit more expensive. 2) Lammily Co. uplifts and champions the DIY movement, are supportive of their fan base. And you dislike her fashion. Ok. That's fair, you have your preferences, but I like them. Aikifox85https://www.blogger.com/profile/02035563103204850651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-16222222126760062882016-01-30T00:06:20.460-05:002016-01-30T00:06:20.460-05:00That seems about right for plus size. I have a La...That seems about right for plus size. I have a Lane Bryant skater dress that belts around my ribs, not my waist.sailorzeohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02072833190932175043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-26241441334893287762016-01-30T00:04:19.023-05:002016-01-30T00:04:19.023-05:00That seems about right for plus size. I have a La...That seems about right for plus size. I have a Lane Bryant skater dress that belts around my ribs, not my waist.sailorzeohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02072833190932175043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-78121367331735704342016-01-29T23:07:16.335-05:002016-01-29T23:07:16.335-05:00Lilli was somewhere between sexpositive and a gold...Lilli was somewhere between sexpositive and a gold digger but in the 1950s, that was a rather progressive attitude to have, calling her a prostitute is (with all respect to sexworkers) really just slutshaming a fictive figure that went from newspaper cartoon to fashion doll and really had already all the attributes they ripped off for Barbie after seening Lilli in a shop in Germany. <br />the english wiki is much shorter than the german one but really, couldn't they do some research?<br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild_Lilli_dollnikkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06256628985811314793noreply@blogger.com