Over Half Of Mommyish Readers Would Buy The New President Barbie

The new “I Can Be…President” Barbie is apparently well-liked among Mommyish readers. The controversial doll, which was met with some scrutiny by me, as well as a couple of other readers, for equating warped beauty ideals with success is apparently a hit.

A small percentage of readers polled did find President Barbie’s proportions irksome, but a little more than half would still shell out money for the doll.

However, just because mommies would admittedly line up to bring this Barbie home doesn’t meant that they are necessarily promoting unrealistic body images in the home. Quite the opposite actually, as one reader, named Jen, commented that she buys her daughter Barbie despite the aforementioned concerns. The mother wrote that despite whatever obsessions her daughter may have with problematic emblems of femininity, she teaches her daughter to actively question some aspects of the toy:

 We need to talk to them regularly and from an early age about how to engage with various types of media without being taken in by the images it attempts to sell. For example, right now my daughter is going through a huge princess stage. This is alarming to me…because princess culture is at least as rife with problematic portrayals of females as Barbie…Instead I ask her questions about this obsession. Why does she like princesses so much? Why does she want to be a princess. What does it mean to be a princess? When you actually ask kids (even young ones, my daughter is only four) to engage in these sort of thought activities it changes the way they approach things and it can also help us sort through potential issues so that we can address those most relevant to our child.

That way, the next time My Little Pony starts chatting about how gorgeous her hair is, your little boy or girl will be more likely to connect the sexist dots.

(photo: styleite.com)

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