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I'm the Queen of the Click..Brooklynite taking over the world from her computer. MCSE, Martha Stewart Wanna Be.























October 4, 2009

Why Not Having Ken Made a Feminist…

As a child I loved Barbie. The blonde haired beauty was dressed and played with everyday. No one can deny that my love of fashion came as early as my Barbie days, but what if other things in my mind were shaped back then too? Although I owned ten or more Barbies, I was never given a Ken doll.

I remember flipping the pages of the Sears catalog to pick out dresses and accessories for Barbie. Folding down pages and making lists of Barbie’s needs was a favorite past time. I remember wanting the Barbie sports car and of course the coveted Barbie mansion (even at a young age I wanted the house). Yet, I don’t recall ever wanting or asking for a Ken doll. New Barbies were bought for me by my godmother and brothers yet, somehow my fashion doll didn’t receive a mate. I became aware of this when an older neighbor brought her Barbie collection over. My neighbor was a bit older and had the coveted mansion. I gladly played with it when she brought it over. Once night she decided to leave the plastic house overnight because we had everything set up. As soon as she left, I took Ken out of the house and placed him on another table so that Barbie could enjoy her domain.

Something about Ken turned me off – maybe it was that he didn’t real hair. Maybe I never felt that Barbie didn’t need him. Even now I find it surprising that Ken’s clothing and shoes didn’t interest me, but maybe that’s because Barbie was just so fascinating.

Other post about feminism & my childhood

Hugs,
marlene

Topics: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “Why Not Having Ken Made a Feminist…”

  1. Rob Wilcox Says:
    November 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 am

    I think you hit on something – dolls (ahem, er, action figures) for kids help them identify with gender roles. Me? I didn’t even want a Princess Leia figure. I was too busy with Luke and Vader. I hear ya!

  2. Kim Says:
    November 2nd, 2009 at 5:23 am

    Where did you find that pic!? I so had one of those. Memories… As for the Ken, I got one when I was about nine. I can’t remember playing with him much. I think he might have driven up to the house in his car, but I’m not sure I let him inside. ;)

  3. Renee Michaels Says:
    November 5th, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    Fab post about Barbie & feminism! Yes, having Barbie gave me the space to dream about having my own place and doing what I wanted. Ironic, isn’t it? I also read your other excellent post about feminism/childhood & women speaking at tech conferences. My parents also gave me Legos and Lincoln Logs and a fave memory—a Joe Palooka punching doll that was weighted at the bottom and sprang back into position after you hit it. I realize only now how unusual that was for a parent to give that to a young girl (I was about 4-6) in the 50s. Hah, I think my Dad probably wanted a boy for his first-born!

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