Barbie Promotes Gender Confusion
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
A conservative public policy group, Concerned Women for America, has identified the Barbie doll as a tool to promote gender confusion among children.
This third choice must be especially hard on intersex children
As evidence of this promotion, the CWA points to a form on the Barbie.com web site. In this online form, children as young as four are asked if they are a boy or a girl. But, what the group takes exception with just the third choice "I don't know". This third choice must be especially hard on intersex children, who are called ignorant for the physical characteristics they were born with.
But, Barbie has always been confusing for children. A boy or girl enters an aisle full of labia pink boxes and either with parental assistance or on their own makes a purchase. They take home a Barbie doll, the symbol of everything that is feminine to many young girls, and discover that she has no genitalia. In addition, the dolls lack adult secondary sexual characteristics.
If we want children to realistically understand sex roles, these dolls should indeed have functioning genitalia. In addition, their choice of mate should not be hunky young men, but rather old, fat, sweaty men willing to pay $100 for a 10 minute lap dance. For without men like these, I never would have made it through grad school.
Bunny Delicious, Opinions
