Today I went to this barbies shop and was trying to find a gift for my friend's daughter as I know she loves dolls. But unfortunately my heart did not allow me to buy one of them. I mean the available designs are not even close to a child mind or have no relation to childhood stage!! All of them were like half naked and the different sort of applied makeup on them. I think this is some kind of abusing the child mind/mentality. And I'm not talking about the eastern children but children in general and everywhere.

Some might disagree with me and will say for god sake it's an innocent child but I believe the child's mind is like some sort of clay and the enviroment around it will shape it up and if the child since that younger age starts seeing such images then it will build up in his/her mind the way she/he should dress or look like!!

Share your thoughts!! :rolleyes:

I never liked Barbies and still don't like them. Too blonde and perky happy.

I think it's true that the children do get influnced with what they play with. I mean barbies is a way for them to express the stories going on in their heads.

Don't get her a Barbie. Get her something she can use her brain to play with or create, like arts and craft :)

Get Fulla.

I don't see how muslim dark middle eastern girls can relate to a blonde, "career woman" doll like Barbie.


And you can't even undress fulla. ;)

How is Barbie a career woman?

How is Barbie a career woman?
well, (let's not change topic.. but..pk jeff? LOL) the lifestyle of the general western non-muslim woman is a little different from that of the muslim one.

First of all, she had Ken.

She has a ferrari.

And she has a horse.

Then, you get Barbie in zillions of career jobs..


Fulla.. she is an unmarried virgin. She wears long johns and she prays 5 times a day. She's not got a bf, and she's not protrayed as a career woman.. more on the 'family woman'.. which I'm sure you agree is what most muslim girls identify themselves with.

I'm not being degrading or rude. A family is more important than a career.. but muslim girls fantasise about being married at 16, and western girls fantasise about being airhostesses in cute little uniforms .. It's just the way it is.

Ps. My daughters have both Fulla and Barbie. ;)

This is why I DO NOT LIKE BARBIES OR FULLA.

Either brainwashing girls into either being cute little airhostesses with a ferrari and therefore installing into them the whole hollywood lifestyle with lots of glitz and glam, or being a good houewife and so they learn too cook and clean the house and think that's all that's important in life.

As I said before, get her something useful :p perhaps she's a budding artist so a sketchbook and a huge crayola box will be awesome.

Slow your roll.. whatever happened to just playing? Why we over thinkiing here..
THEY DONT LOOK AT A TOY AND GO.. omg I see a beautiful career woman.. orrr What an amazing mom?... They just wanna play.. LOOL

Fengy how many muslim girls do you know? Take it easyyyyyyy...
Thats not the way it is.. U should write "SOME" cause my ***** is muslima and our families are all about our education before we start thinkin about "family life and gettin married" ;)

And another thing.. Barbies, barbie.. Ur not being forced to buy it if u dont like it.. Ur not gonna become corrupted if u do either.. and Yeah kids arent stupid.. thas why u gottah talk with them.. Their still gonna see those things regardless ? so ur not "protecting" them from anything.. if thats wut u think ur doing! ;p

and btw.. Those ideas that kids start forming dont come from dolls.. since they dont even talk.. ( well not full conversations that is. ) Those ideas and thoughts come from what their hearing and seeing around them! soo its "U" thats doing all the impacting.. not the freken toys! ;) lol

This is why I DO NOT LIKE BARBIES OR FULLA.

Either brainwashing girls into either being cute little airhostesses with a ferrari and therefore installing into them the whole hollywood lifestyle with lots of glitz and glam, or being a good houewife and so they learn too cook and clean the house and think that's all that's important in life.

As I said before, get her something useful :p perhaps she's a budding artist so a sketchbook and a huge crayola box will be awesome.
but all girls will look for "role models" in their play.. That's why such dolls exist. Demand - supply.

Same as giving boys tractors, trains and airoplanes when they're most likely to become accountants. lol

Slow your roll.. whatever happened to just playing? Why we over thinkiing here..
THEY DONT LOOK AT A TOY AND GO.. omg I see a beautiful career woman.. orrr What an amazing mom?... They just wanna play.. LOOL

Fengy how many muslim girls do you know? Take it easyyyyyyy...
Thats not the way it is.. U should write "SOME" cause my ***** is muslima and our families are all about our education before we start thinkin about "family life and gettin married" ;)

And another thing.. Barbies, barbie.. Ur not being forced to buy it if u dont like it.. Ur not gonna become corrupted if u do either.. and Yeah kids arent stupid.. thas why u gottah talk with them.. Their still gonna see those things regardless ? so ur not "protecting" them from anything.. if thats wut u think ur doing! ;p

and btw.. Those ideas that kids start forming dont come from dolls.. since they dont even talk.. ( well not full conversations that is. ) Those ideas and thoughts come from what their hearing and seeing around them! soo its "U" thats doing all the impacting.. not the freken toys! ;) lol
I know rich girls who's daddies can afford them foreign colleges and universities and I know poor girls who's future will never get further than the kitchen sink.

It's not about the muslim girls I know.

It's about demand and supply.

I've read up about Fulla and that is why she exists. Because the muslim market needed such a doll. Merely 6 or 7 years and the doll is a hit.

Having a veiled doll for a muslim girl is a good idea. She can relate to a doll in an abaya but not one driving her Ferrari convertable in a bikini with Ken by her side.

So the argument is not why Barbie is bad. It's why barbie is the wrong choice of doll for a muslim girl.

LOL.. Yeah I know rich and pooor girls as well.. Muslims and non muslims..
It doesnt make a difference.. and If u wanna start talkin about poor gurls.. I dont think they really would give a sh!t whether barbies covered up or not.. they'd be thankful and happy with any toy.. If you ask me .. and if we gonna get realistic.. some girls would actually want that.. Seeing how they cant have it in the real world.. It might just actually be what they want.. And that could possibly be the motivation they need to be able to get one some day?


Also it makes sense for Fulla to be a major hit.. why wouldnt she be in the muslim world.. But I think anyone who JUST sticks to buying their kids THAT DOLL is clearly someone whos overly religious.. cause ur not lookin like fulla 24/7 .. lol.. They tend to look a lil more like barbie once their in the house.. Or thats just me maybe ;p

The way I see it, these dolls are a form of brainwashing :p. For example the new Bratz dolls are really popular among young girls and it’s leading them into caring more about fashion and looking good than other stuff. I mean Bratz even have their own cosmetic line and clothes! My sister bought the Bratz PS2 game and I played it (hehe :angel: ) and all you have to do is go to the fashion capitals of the world, dress them up and teach them poses so they can appear in fashion shows. I guess just like violent video games promote violence, these games promote airheadness :p I don’t see why these dolls could be portrayed as being beautiful and fashionable but also clever and independent. Why does Barbie need Ken? Why is she more inlove with makeup than books?

So yeah I agree with Thalia on children looking up to these things as role models, just like they get role models from the shows they watch on tv and also in their real life. It’s important to make sure your child is playing with a proper toy coz it could have a big influence on who they are coz kids are like sponges they absorb a lot at this age (no offence in using a Spongebob pun :p)

In the future, when I have my daughter I wont get her a barbie, jus incase it ruins her,,, and my daughter thinks of developing breats and wearing a bikini or what not.. :rollseyes: Gosh, get a life, it's all about the socity that you're gona or raised your daughter in.


Wow.. me and all my friends are educated and we all played with barbies when we were young.. :o did we defeat the odds or something?


Like, come on, sooner or later.. kids cant act like kids anymore because that would mean they'll become immature when they grow up. :rolleyes:

I don't like bratz, for example..

I didn’t say all children get influenced :). A lot of my friends played with Barbies as kids. These companies try to make the chilldren buy their products by making the lavish lifestyle seem amazing. Also, the majority of children will get influnced because as they grow up there won’t be any paternal intervention and so they will think this is the way one should live their life.

I didn’t say all children get influenced :). A lot of my friends played with Barbies as kids. These companies try to make the chilldren buy their products by making the lavish lifestyle seem amazing.

Even adults believe a lavish lifestyle is amazing.. I'm not sure I agree with you here, since this idea is instilled in every single person at one point or another..

Also, the majority of children will get influnced because as they grow up there won’t be any paternal intervention and so they will think this is the way one should live their life.


Why not?

How did you come to this conclusion about the majority of kids?

I hate Barbies, always did. I remember shoving a lot of them down the toilet :bored:

I grew up playing with Barbies. It was so engrossing my mom could just leave my sister and I for hours playing without having to worry about our whereabouts and whatnot. Speaking for myself, I was too young to relate or not relate to Barbie. It was just a toy that filled my time, and it was never anything beyond that. I don't think most kids start noticing the little details of life and the differences between people and cultures until a later stage, and by that time, they would have grown out of Barbies anyway.
At least Barbies are better than video games in the sense that they develop a child's imagination. I remember making up numerous stories everyday, and acting them out with my Barbies. And yes, I did play nintendo, watch TV, and own a sketchbook and crayons.

I grew up playing with Barbies. It was so engrossing my mom could just leave my sister and I for hours playing without having to worry about our whereabouts and whatnot. Speaking for myself, I was too young to relate or not relate to Barbie. It was just a toy that filled my time, and it was never anything beyond that.

I remember making up numerous stories everyday, and acting them out with my Barbies. And yes, I did play nintendo, watch TV, and own a sketchbook and crayons.


Same here! I had tons and tons of Barbie dolls and kens as well! Along with the accessories: cars, houses, etc. I probably owned more than 60 dolls! It's fun playing with Barbie...you get to dress her up, do her hair, buy her clothes and shoes...you see a lot of imagination and creativity involved. My dad encouraged us to play, he's the one who bought us these dolls when he went abroad. I would presonally prefer playing with Barbie rather than Fulla. Barbie is more original. And about Barbie affecting and corrupting the minds of little girls...I mean comee ooonnnn that's loadsa bull...she's just a toy.

I never loved dolls xD I owned many barbies but I ended up giving them away only few days after my parents would give me the new dolls, instead I enjoyed playing with my brother's trucks and bikes... lol

I used to play with Barbies when I was little, yet they didn't ruin or influence my behaviors in any way "or that what I think at least".
But as a better alternate, you can get "Fulla".

Toys do have effects on girls whether we notice it or not. In fact, barbie manfactures were forced to increase the hip size of barbies because it was causing the girls to be anaroxics.

However, I dont agree that the automatic soloution would be fulla .. although fulla is living a muslim life style it still inflicting the same "perfect" image on young girls ..

I am not saying, stop young girls from playing barbie .. that would be insane esp. in times like these where kids channel cant stop advertising fulla and barbie!! But you have to give them other things too .. Like a chubby baby doll, something else where they can get varaiety and realise not all women should be barbies!

The funny thing is, although I'm aware that people say barbie's thin figure would make kids anorexic, it never occured to me. Ok. I wasn't a fat kid.. but I've never looked at barbie's figure in itself.. I was almost always focused on the "story" she was living today..

Truth be told, I always prefered playing with "My Little Pony" ponies ... and my two barbies both had horses. :hyper: I had a thing for horses..

The only physical feature of these toys that really mattered to me was.... their hair. :yes:

and you became a hairdresser, Imagine little kids who are intrested on how far and thin objects are. They will look at barbie's figure and grow up aspiring to be as thin as babrie.
The thing with toys and other educational games, thier effect is not obvious. Kids dont learn them and they dont know they are learning them but it is engraved in thier sub-contious mind.

and you became a hairdresser, Imagine little kids who are intrested on how far and thin objects are. They will look at barbie's figure and grow up aspiring to be as thin as babrie.
The thing with toys and other educational games, thier effect is not obvious. Kids dont learn them and they dont know they are learning them but it is engraved in thier sub-contious mind.
You certainly have a point. I'm not disagreeing with you on it.

I think it also has to come from parents to not make a fuss on how a child looks. Like some parents would put their kids down for being fat.. and I think that's when things really turn bad.

As a kid, my mum used to hammer it into me that physical appearance is nothing. That it's horrible to tease kids in school because they wore glasses, looked different or where fat. Or had a different skin colour or dressed differently etc..

Kids are nasty. So I can see how a fat child will have serious problems that get worse with this expectation to be as perfect as barbie. Or Fulla.

I agree that kids need a variety of toys.. and in my own way, that's why I don't rule barbie out over fulla. The reason I bought her fulla is because I don't wear a hijab. So if she's gonna have to wear it later on, the doll just makes it appealing at this point in time.

But anyways.. I guess my case is a special case. lol .. I'm infidel barbie, and she's fulla. :hyper:

m.... well it's funny somehow to me!
i used to play with barbies.....n few years back Bratz n i still have them, i never thought bout "barbie has KEN she rides horses" or whatever! i jus enjoyed changin her dress ( even tho im not the type who likes to play with dolls i jus love collectin them ) n i don't see any harm playin with these dolls! after all, all of them are DOLLS!!
it doesnt make diffrence for me....
depends on the "commercial" n how\what the child wants!

Glad to see different point of views here. Just try to relate it to a social/behavior matter for children and leave the religion part sor now. Thank you.

Glad to see different point of views here. Just try to relate it to a social/behavior matter for children and leave the religion part sor now. Thank you.
You can't because the way a muslim girls behaves or how society expects her to is directly related to Islamic beliefs.

These dolls just keep getting more slooty:think:
I was a my little pony tot:rolleyes:
Shun barbies! SHUN!

The Extreme Barbie Make over ..
the Before..


http://blogs.timesunion.com/inthemiddle/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/barbie30.jpg



The After ..


http://shopping.beloblog.com/archives/BRATZ%20DOLLS.JPG


????

^Lol ..they look like *****s to me :angel:

Well as for me i never liked Barbie ever! all my aunties and friends knew that so they just got me trains or sport cars or a puzzle as a birthday gift

Im not saying girls shouldn’t play with plastic dolls they should it’s normal it helps them build up there imagination :)

isnt barbie out of fashion these days :S

These dolls just keep getting more slooty:think:
I was a my little pony tot:rolleyes:
Shun barbies! SHUN!
Salutations, noble and wise woman. You chooseth the way of the pony. Good choice! :hyper:

Long live my little pony!

http://www.searchamateur.com/pictures/my-little-pony-crystal-rainbow-castle-1.jpg

Strange: no guys are posting in this thread. :os

^ Share with us your thoughts Jeff :cute:

I just noticed a post by you Thalia that slipped by me :os

Ok you asked why I came to that conclusion. They way I see it, we live a very busy lifestyle these days, and as much as parents try to spend time with their children, most unfortunatly cant. And so children end up raising themselves. They will look up to other role models, for example say the bratz doll. They'll watch their show and play with the dolls and eventually start to see how nice it would be to dress like them and act like them (I mean look at the photo The P!an!st posted). And the demands to the parent will start as well as rebellions for not getting what they want. Your mother was there for you to hammer that looks are not important into your head. But most children will not have such a person in their life.

I mean when I see girls as young as 9 wearing makeup and heels and talking like adults it makes me think where did their innocense go? The children Halloween costumes last year was in the news because of how hooker-like and $lutty some made young children look!! Barbie and Bratz are not the only source of this problem. Televesion shows, new children books and even parents themselves may have caused it.

i used to be so in love with Barbie :p i think she's out of fashion now coz the Bratz r taking over XD
no i don't think they affect young girls they're just dolls come on :bored:

But most children will not have such a person in their life.

Why?

How do you come to the conclusion that most children won't?

HUH?

I played with barbies until I was 13 or 14! I don't think there's anything wrong with it, plus I don't think I ever noticed how tiny their waist is! Also, what's up with the make-up or dressing issue? So what? Are you telling me kids never see ladies in make up? that's just stupid, and yeh Fulla is not a solution if I was a kid I'd be more attracted to a colorful/pink barbie than a barbie who's wearing a abaya or whatever.

I can't believe this thread!

my daughters have lots of barbies.
the favourite is barbie ballerina and barbie magic of ballet that dances and you can play with her because you wear the ballet wristbands and follow her movemnts.
barbie can be a good role model.
children dont' take notice of the size of barbie, but they do take notice that this barbie is a doctor, a lawyer, a computer programmer a pilot...which i think is cool .

Oh ya the pictures of barbie make over or whatever is wrong, cze the other dolls are Bratz, which I find ugly.

I had a lot of barbies including the townhouse, airplane, van etc....and it didn't influence me as far as what I wanted to do. Goodness I joined the army! There are more options available for girls now regarding the different types of barbies out there and ethnic looks which were not available at my age. That is one thing I can say about them....they are trying to cater to the minority masses en group.....I only wished that a minority barbie was available for me at that age but am glad there are now many of them out there for girls to enjoy. And I also played with the GI Joe dolls (for boys) so do not always assume girls have to play with this or that....it's their imagination which takes hold of the toy...

my daughters have lots of barbies.
the favourite is barbie ballerina and barbie magic of ballet that dances and you can play with her because you wear the ballet wristbands and follow her movemnts.
barbie can be a good role model.
children dont' take notice of the size of barbie, but they do take notice that this barbie is a doctor, a lawyer, a computer programmer a pilot...which i think is cool .
Exactly.

Now conservative muslim parents will not want their daughters to have ballerina barbies. Or Mermaid barbies .. or Life guard barbie.. (imagine the hoos and haas at CPR practice)

Is it silly? Sure it is! And that's why Fulla exists. Because she's the image or role model these parents want for their kids (and nothing else).

Fulla has only been out for about half a decade.. so all those saying "but I had barbie" that's because there was no other choice. (apart from the Uni-brow iranian doll)

Looking at the success of Fulla, one can understand why Bint_arab won't buy Barbie.

Then of course... there is that little issue of Saudia banning infidel Barbie.. but let's not go there.. we don't wanna rock the boat and make some people sicker. :hyper:

oh by the way....barbie is a juggling woman. she has a kitchen and a bathroom to clean too. pots and pans and stuff. but she has a carreer and a ''stunning'' husband.

Why on earth would a parent want a friggin doll to be their child's role model lol The sole reason why any parent would buy a barbie doll is cause they want their kid to play and have fun! I used to have a mermaid barbie and she only had this tiny bikini top on...and I had this handsome ken and I used to let them make out and all in front of my dad and he would just laugh lol really it's okey ... it's just a stupid toy at the end of the day :) good ol' days...I'm obviously too old for this now :P

Its barbies!!!:S whats the deal here...thats all i gotta say...kids r bound to go through the whole barbie phase...unless they turn out to be something else(if uknow wat i mean by that) then thats a diff. situation there...

Why on earth would a parent want a friggin doll to be their child's role model lol The sole reason why any parent would buy a barbie doll is cause they want their kid to play and have fun! I used to have a mermaid barbie and she only had this tiny bikini top on...and I had this handsome ken and I used to let them make out and all in front of my dad and he would just laugh lol really it's okey ... it's just a stupid toy at the end of the day :) good ol' days...I'm obviously too old for this now :P
you're just giving your own personal experience as the norm.
ok let's take this somewhere else, away from the barbie argument.

what if i had a son and all i gave him to play was dolls? would that affect him or not?
or a girl and all she had was cars and soldiers?
or kids who are given toy guns...almost perfect replicas.

toys are there because children pretend to be other people with them. the same way they get to play 'doctors' mummies and daddies and teacher.
it's a normal part of growing up.
that's why thalia said that barbies don't always fit in with a culture that does not like women do do ballet and run on the beach in a bright red swimsuit (baywatch barbie)....
my opinion anyway.

I used to have LOTS of Barbies and played with them all the time, and to be honest, I don't think I was ever influenced by this. I just had fun.

I hate how all Barbies are perfect, though :bored:, but I certainly didn't notice this when I was a kid.

You can't because the way a muslim girls behaves or how society expects her to is directly related to Islamic beliefs.

That's true, but as for parents regardless thier religion, they want their children to grow up/beahve or look in a decent format. Also, brining religions to the topic there is a huge possibility of insulting/direspecting others religions which is something not accepted by none.

I used to be a barbie freak when i was a kid. I had a huge collection. I don't think they influenced me in a bad way. They are just toys to have fun with. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with them.

I hated Barbie and anyone who used to play with them! I was a boy back then, playing with WWF toys :p Barbies are for spoilt gals :hyper:

That's true, but as for parents regardless thier religion, they want their children to grow up/beahve or look in a decent format. Also, brining religions to the topic there is a huge possibility of insulting/direspecting others religions which is something not accepted by none.
Are you saying that your disgust to what barbie was wearing has nothing to do with the fact that, as a muslim, you think it is indecent and damaging to give to a child?


Interesting.

What is 'decent' for you might not be the same kind of "decent" for someone else.
We won't go into why that is, since you don't want to discuss that, but we both know the reasons.

Why?

How do you come to the conclusion that most children won't?

I kinda already answered that

Ok you asked why I came to that conclusion. They way I see it, we live a very busy lifestyle these days, and as much as parents try to spend time with their children, most unfortunatly cant.

I kinda already answered that
Ok.

But I disagree with you. I don't think that parents are "too busy" to sort their kids out over such matters.

Maybe some parents would rather have the easier way out when it comes to dealing with their kids. But barbie isn;t to blame here.

My whole point in this thread is:

Why b*tch about barbie's modesty when there is a doll that caters for muslim girls?

Now that Fulla exists and is widely marketed, why go looking for barbie in the first place?

That's the basis of the topic..

it doesn't have to be barbie!