Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"I had a few Max Steel dolls. One was one of my barbies' brother, and was "dating" my favourite barbie. The other was a "badguy" and had a bunch of girlfriends. One of them would always kill the other."


-Helena, 15, Persian, heterosexual female from Toronto, Canada

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"Almost never. Sometimes I had Barbie and Ken couples, but the relationships were usually platonic. I had some Kelly dolls, so sometimes my Barbies were aunts or babysitters."


-Deborah, 21, Caucasian, pansexual female from the USA 

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I asked for a gymnastic Barbie for Christmas that can with bars for her to do stunts on. That's the only Barbie I remember asking for specifically."


-Eva, 20, Caucasian, heterosexual female from South Carolina, USA

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"They let me do what I wanted. I liked making movies with my barbies, usually involving one of them being a princess, and my parents would sometimes watch."


-Helena, 15, Persian, heterosexual female from Toronto, Canada 

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"I had like three. They were pretty equal to Barbie in their roles, although I think Barbie was a little tougher and smarter."


-Deborah, 21, Caucasian, pansexual female from the USA 

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"Not very often. They were mostly all friend scenarios because I didn't have but maybe one or two Skipper or Kelly dolls. Also because I didn't have very many Ken dolls, most of my family scenarios were just mother/daughter."


-Eva, 20, Caucasian, heterosexual female from South Carolina, USA 

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"[I] specifically liked the damaged ones. if a leg was broken or something [I] would but a tissue and tape cast on it and make it fit with the story, me and my cousin would fight over the kelly with the broken leg"

-Sara, 18, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Long Island, NY, USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"[I] didn't want to look like barbie, but [I] had a freckled kelly doll with a reddish-brown hair that [I] envied as a child"

-Sara, 18, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Long Island, NY, USA 

Do you remember doing anything violent to Barbie dolls?

"[I] occasionally deheaded them and de-legged them...just to see if [I]could but that was once [I] got older"

-Sara, 18, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Long Island, NY, USA 

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"A few Barbies lost a head and they turned into zombies. Barbies with minor imperfections like missing fingers or chewed on limbs were like any other Barbie, they didn't get a special treatment."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany 

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"[I] asked for the spice girls barbies (cause [I] love spice girls) and the Spanish speaking barbie because it was electronic, and a few others like the one that did gymnastics."

-Sara, 18, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Long Island, NY, USA 

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"Yes, a lot of them as my younger brother would often pull the heads off our dolls. About half our dolls either had heads that popped on and off or were super-glued on and had no necks. We played with them just as equally, just giving them back-stories as to what had happened to them."

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States 

What kind of Barbie accessories did you own?

"I built a house out of shoeboxes and I owned the car and some pieces of furniture. My favorite was a squishy chair, because I wanted a chair like that for my room."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany 

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to female dolls?

"[Y]es [I] had ken dolls, in play they were always the one driving the car, the first one [I] dressed (because he went to work) and then not much was seen of him once he was at work."

-Sara, 18, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Long Island, NY

What kind of Barbie accessories did you own?

"Your typical clothing, shoes, bags, etc. I did have the McDonalds workplace for one of them, so one of them at least worked. My favorite was a fuzzy large doll that I had traded a doll with my friend for, since she had more than one dog. I treasured it because it was a trade and because the brown fur of the toy reminded me of our own family pet."

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States 

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"Sometimes. I had an asian doll that I named Claudia (after the character in the Babysitter Club books) that I loved and thought had the prettiest hair imaginable. Besides that, I don't recall."

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States 

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"I always thought I looked like my favorite Barbie, because we had the same hair and eye color. Other then that I never compared myself to any Barbies."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"[M]y mom loved that [I] played with barbies its all [I] ever wanted for every present"

-Sara, 18, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Long Island, NY, USA 

"I enjoyed giving the dolls choppy haircuts and even drawing tattoos on them"

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States 

What occupation did your favorite Barbies have?

"Zip-line builder! And incredibly well dressed jungle explorer. and person who invented a way to cook meat without heat, after much research and finding a strange object in the jungle"

-Jordan, 23, Caucasian, bisexual trans-female from France 

Do you remember doing anything violent to Barbie dolls?

"I cut their hair sometimes, but usually only to shoulder length. I found that more practical."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany 

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I remember really wanting the Esmeralda that came out after the Hunchback of Notre Dame, because her limbs were jointed and could do cooler poses. I did get her for an occasion of some sort, though I don't remember the particulars."

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States 

Did you ever cut your Barbies hair? Why or why not? If so, how did you feel about the dolls once you did so?

"No I didn't, they were too precious of resource. And my mom would have been furious."

-Jordan, 23, Caucasian, bisexual trans-female from France

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I wanted a brunette Beach Barbie. She had the same hair color as me. I got it and she was my favorite Barbie for a long time."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"They were usually writers, artists, or CEOs."


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to female dolls?

"I did. Some of them were the typical plastic haired ones, some with actual hair and some Disney (such as Aladdin and The Beast from Beauty and the Beast). The number of female Barbies always outweighed that of the male Barbies so they weren't as primary to the play."

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States

When did you stop playing with Barbies?

"[P]robably around 12, nobody wanted to play with toys anymore except me. So I couldn't play with them, since my mom wouldn't let me play with them alone. I would just play with legos instead, although I did impose some barbie style playing on my legos at times, building houses, changing clothes and hairs."

-Jordan, 23, Caucasian, bisexual trans-female from France

How did you feel about Barbie as a kid? Did you like her? Hate her?

"I LOVED her. I also loved these other dolls I had (I think they were called Get Real Girls or Get Real Dolls?) that were all like soccer players or scuba divers. They were really muscular and came in a wider variety of body shapes and races than Barbie did."


-Maureen, 20, Caucasian, gay female from Oregon, USA

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to female dolls?

"I had one Ken dolls. He usually dated my favorite Barbie. But they were pretty equal and usually my Barbie owned both the house and the car."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany

Did you ever cut your Barbies' hair?

"I have always had short hair, and I wanted my Barbies to match me. I always lamented that choice after I did it."


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA 

Has playing with Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"I really like fashion but I think I imposed that on the barbies rather than the other way. I think really long legs that are tan are super hot, but my whole family is tall and blonde and long legged so it could be genetic"

-Jordan, 23, Caucasian, bisexual trans-female from France 

Who bought you your Barbies?

"My parents and family members mostly, but my friends and I always bought each other dolls for birthday presents too."


-Maureen, 20, Caucasian, gay female from Oregon, USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"Not really, if anything I wanted to have bright red hair like my Ariel doll, but to me all the Barbies were the same and there was no reason I'd want to be like them."

-Helen, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Essex, England

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"My parents were always fine with the different toys I wanted to have, as long as I actually played with them once I got them."

-Nicole, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Germany

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"My parents were pretty neutral about Barbies: my sister and I had them but we also had other toys, often ones that we played with more. I enjoyed playing with them, particularly when I was verging on a little older (age 12+) and would come up with more imaginative stories behind them."

-Scarlet, 25, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States 

When did you stop playing with Barbies? Why did you stop?

"I stopped playing around the age of eleven. I knew that it wasn't cool anymore. We girls were supposed to channel all of our creative and imaginative energy into attracting boys. A part of me really dreaded that loss of girl-centered play. I knew that the focus was shifting and I was hesitant to make the change."


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA

Did your Barbies have pets?

"Yes, but they weren't the Mattel pets, so the scale of them compared to Barbie was always odd. My mom still had these tiny dolls from when she was younger and I used their pets. I also used old Fisher Price farm animals as pets."


-Maureen, 20, Caucasian, gay female from Oregon, USA

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"Teen Skipper, because she came with green hair mascara and I liked the idea of giving them wacky coloured hair. Also, Ariel dolls/Ginger Spice doll or any one really that was different - I liked the ones that didn't fit in with all the hundreds of other blonde Barbie dolls. More often than not, I did get these dolls."

-Helen, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Essex, England

Has playing with Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"I am still a storyteller. In a lot of ways it is an extension of that child that I was. I think barbie was just a conduit for that. However, I think the doll gave me unrealistic expectations about my own body from the start. Having suffered from anorexia, I know that pop culture can have a very negative impact."


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA

Would you buy Barbies for your children? Why or why not?

"yes, because kids have such high pitched voices that when they start complaining it makes me want to faint. I always debate wether to buy my future kids the kind of horrible toys, junk food, video games, and so on that I grew up with. I like to think that I learned how awful all of it was through experience, and so it's a truth I know more deeply. But it could be that I was subjected to a lot of terrible things because my parents just didn't have the energy to fight all the desires that tv commercials on nickelodeon put in my head."

-Jordan, 23, Caucasian, bisexual trans-female from France 

Do you think Barbie is a good role model for children?

"Not especially, although she's hardly an exception to the rule. She's just one of many horrible role models for children in childrens toys, movies, etc"

-Jordan, 23, Caucasian, bisexual trans-female from France

Which was your favorite doll in the Barbie series? Was it Barbie herself or one of her friends?

"I liked Midge the best. I liked that she had freckles. The Midge dolls I had had wider hips and smaller breasts than Barbie did too, I thought it was cool that she had a different body shape. I also LOVED the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen Barbies. I had several versions of them."


-Maureen, 20, Caucasian, gay female from Oregon, USA

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios? Were families always made up of a mother, father and children? If not, what did families consist of?

"Quite often, though they would be a large mix of family members - not all families would have both parents etc. Most often, it'd be mums with children (I never quite understood how Skipper, Stacie etc were meant to be her sisters... I always thought of Barbie as much older than them and more their mother/aunt)"

-Helen, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Essex, England

How did other people affect how you played with Barbies?

"I usually re-enacted soap operas. My favorite character as a child was Erica Kane from "All My Children." I do think that playing with barbies allowed me to be creative. I developed a real flair for storytelling."


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA

Do you remember any specific story lines used in your Barbie games?

"There are a few I remember pretty vividly, mostly were a lot of weddings and honeymoons. Most of my Barbies were fashion designers or models so there was also a lot of runway shows. I would also have a teen Barbie sneak out to meet her friends and party a lot. It seemed so risque to me at the time."


-Maureen, 20, Caucasian, gay female from Oregon, USA

Do you still have any of your Barbies?

"No. I had Barbies as a child, much to my mother's dismay. I got rid of them years ago."


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA

As a child, did you think it was weird for boys to play with Barbies? How do you feel about that now?

"No, but I didn't know many who did. I would play Barbies with my brother and the one boy friend that I had. I still feel like it's totally okay for boys to play with them."


-Maureen, 20, Caucasian, gay female from Oregon, USA 

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"[I]still played with them, usually I would interchange arms and legs depending on which one i was playing with. mis and match limbs."


-Sandra, 23, Caucasian, lesbian female from North Carolina, USA 

Would you buy Barbies for your children?

"I think that you can't shield your children from popular culture. If I had a daughter I would try to be sensitive to her desire for a Barbie. I would probably give in, but I would try to offer alternatives like a Beth Ditto album and a copy of 'Free to Be You and Me.'"


-Anna, 33, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the USA

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"All of my dolls had been chewed on by my elder sister, or victims of my attempted make-overs. Missing hair, green legs, chewed off fingers. But they still rocked it."


-Tasha, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from central California, USA 

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"I had 2 Ken dolls that i never played with unless it was to make them try on Barbies clothes."


-Sandra, 23, Caucasian, lesbian female from North Carolina, USA

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"Yes! I had several dolls that had been messed up. I made them handicapped, or just ignored it and kept playing. To me, they were still beautiful, just worn."


-Denise, 14, Caucasian, pansexual female from the USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"Not that I remember. I have always looked up to her style and grace, but that's all in the attitude. Think like a queen, be a queen."


-Tasha, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from central California, USA 

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"I never did have Ken, nor any older siblings army guys to use. If I wanted a guy I had to choose between Woody and Buzz Lightyear, both of whom already had distinct personalities. Buzz was a playboy, but all the girls knew it so he never broke their hearts. Woody was a sweetheart. A little stubborn but he was alright. Only ever had one romantic relationship in all of my storylines. Other than that, if I needed a male, he'd have to be a toilet paper roll."


-Tasha, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Central California, USA 

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

 "I didn't...they usually got thrown out."


-Luz, 21, Mexican-American, heterosexual female from the USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"I never seriously wanted to look like her. I mean, obviously, I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world, so in a way I did want to look like her, but I never thought, 'Wow, I wish I looked like her.'"


-Denise, 14, Caucasian, pansexual female from the USA

Did your Barbies have pets?

"Yes, always. I can't live without my pets and neither could they."


-Maggie, 19, Caucasian, female from Toronto, Canada

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I don't remember. I'm sure I was excited about the Spice Girls dolls, though. I was infatuated with strong independent women back then. The Spice Girls, Charlies Angels, Destiny's Child."


-Tasha, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Central California, USA 

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"The special edition 2001 doll. I thought she was beautiful and her dress was fantastic. And yes, I most certainly got it."


-Louella, 16, multiracial (Caucasian/Hispanic), questioning female from Berkeley, CA, USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"[I] didn't want to look like Barbie physically. [I] did want my hair to be long like hers."


-Sandra, 23, Caucasian, lesbian female from North Carolina, USA 

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"Rarely. Usually, I selected a Barbie and she was single and ready to mingle. Or had a boyfriend/girlfriend...or multiple. On few occasions did I make Barbie families, and they only ever had one child. For some reason, the dad was usually a divorcee."


-Louella, 16, multiracial (Caucasian/Hispanic), questioning female from Berkeley, CA, USA

How do you feel about Mattel announcing this Valentine's Day that Barbie and Ken are officially back together?

"They're dolls. I think its kinda annoying and weird. And demeaning considering Ive always been single on valentines day but they're saying that you need somone on valentines day?"


-Susan, 14, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Maine, USA

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"I had single mothers, never single fathers (I didn't like my Kens as much as my Barbies, so I usually picked a woman)- I believe I had some "orphanages", some teen moms, and of course homosexual relationships"


-Denise, 14, Caucasian, pansexual female from the USA

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"One of my favorite Barbies had a chewed hand. But I thought she was really pretty. If anything, her hand made me like her more. My all-time favorite was a Kira doll with an orange swimsuit. She was a gift from a babysitter. I kept it her pristine. But she had a skin thing. It was starting to deteriorate. I thought it looked like skin-peeling. It made sense to me ('cause she was always out in the sun!) and I liked her more for it. I hated the few Ken dolls I had. They were either douchey or dudebro-y and they held zero attraction for me or my Barbies. They were not treated with care. And they were always naked."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I always asked for the sporty Barbies because I felt like they were more like me."


-Luz, 21, Mexican-American, heterosexual female from the USA

As a child, did you think it was weird for boys to play with Barbies? What do you feel about this now?

"I cant remember but I probably did just cause i always knew them as "girls toys" but now I think anyone should play with what they want, i mean as a kid i played with hot wheels as much as i did barbies maybe even more!"


-Susan, 14, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Maine, USA

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"Yes. Ken didn't do much. Sometimes he drove the Corvette but then his head popped off so he was removed from that job. The male dolls were pleasant to the female dolls, but I didn't play with Ken much."


-Louella, 16, Multiracial (Caucasian/Hispanic), questioning female from Berkeley, CA, USA

What kind of Barbie accessories did you own?

"I had a lot of clothes, shoes, and brushes. I had a supermarket, too. But I played with that myself; I didn't have Barbies play. I wasn't interested in cars or the Dream House or stuff like that. I made all of my Barbie houses. The majority of my play consisted of fabricating their environment. I liked to dress them up, make their homes, imagine what kind of person they were. But I didn't act out scenes. Once I'd exhausted my imagined life for them-- I was done. I had to start over or do something else."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"I had a few Ken dolls. Gender roles were pretty much smashed. I had stay-at-home-moms, but I also had stay-at-home-dads. I didn't really have any gender roles besides clothing belonging to one gender or another."


-Denise, 14, Caucasian, pansexual female from the US

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"Don't have a dad, mom thought they were wonderful because they kept me occupied for hours. I adored my Barbies and my mom neither encouraged nor discouraged my play with them. She was happy as long as I was..."


-Louella, 16, Multiracial (Caucasian/Hispanic), questioning female from Berkeley, CA, USA

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"My Barbies were frequently in family scenarios, though there wasn't always a father, mainly due to my lack of interest in the Ken doll (it wasn't his fault, though. He just had ugly clothes)."


-Luz, 21, Mexican-American, heterosexual female from the USA

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"I continued to play with my imperfect dolls. Several Barbies' feet fell victim to my teething puppy, a Ken lost an arm at a sleepover, and one unfortunate Barbie was tragically decapitated. I worked my Barbies' various disabilities into my play narratives, except for the headless Barbie. (I did, however, keep her head and play with her around Halloween.)"


-Glenda, 24, Caucasian, queer female from Connecticut, USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"I never thought of Barbie as something I wanted to look like. I was envious of her pretty dresses, but it never occurred to me to want to look like her. The bad haircut was my sister and me trying to make a Barbie look more like us."


-Kathryn, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Milwaukee, WI, USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"I wasn't interested in blonde Barbie. I always liked the more "ethnic" looking dolls. I don't think I grew up with particularly low self-esteem, but I know I didn't look like Barbie and I also knew that Barbie was "perfect". But I still didn't want to look like her. I thought that the darker Barbies with darker hair and skin were prettier anyway. But I was envious of the doll's face. I still have issues with how I feel towards my profile. And theirs were so dainty and perfect."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

What kind of Barbie accessories did you own?

"I owned a lot of Barbie accessories. A bright pink convertible car, some kind of pink Jeep, a two-story Barbie house, a Barbie hot tub, a bike for Barbie, etc. The house was by far my favorite because of all the different scenarios I could act out."


-Glenda, 24, Caucasian, queer female from Connecticut, USA

Did you ever cut Barbie's hair?

"I cut my Barbies hair. I always thought that they'd grow back, but they never would. I always liked the Barbies with short hair better than the other ones."


-Doreen, 18, Caucasian, lesbian female from Canada 

Do you remember doing anything violent to a Barbie doll?

"I'm not proud of it-- but I defaced my Britney Barbie pretty horrifically. It's just that I didn't want the doll. I don't know why anyone thought I'd want it. But I think I also ripped Ken's head off. It was squishy. I put it back on but he never looked the same."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"We had several Barbies with dog-chewed hands and feet and glued on heads that couldn't turn anymore. We played with them just as if they weren't damaged. One couldn't wear the shoes because of how the foot was chewed, but we would just pretend she had shoes on. A broken doll was a small tragedy, but she would get carefully repaired by our dad as much as possible and cherished once more."


-Kathryn, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Milwaukee, WI, USA

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"I don't have any specific memories of wanting to look like Barbie, except for a period of time when I was slightly obsessed with Barbie's feet. I took ballet as a child so I had plenty of experience pointing my toes, and I am pretty sure I believed that I would need to develop permanently pointy feet in order to wear high heels."


-Glenda, 24, Caucasian, queer female from Connecticut, USA

Has playing Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"My Barbies kissed each other. My Barbies slept with each other in the same bed. And had they been able to talk, they would have told you that this was normal. And when I grew up, girls kissing girls was still normal."


-Doreen, 18, Caucasian, lesbian female from Canada

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"She didn't work. She just talked and had sex with Ken."


-Roxanne, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"We rarely played with family scenarios with our Barbies. Every once in a while there would be a wedding between one of the Kens and a Barbie, but we didn't have any of the little kid Barbies so they never had kids. If a friend brought a little kid Barbie over, it would be a little sister rather than a daughter. Our Barbies were usually single and busy doing various important jobs."


-Kathryn, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Milwaukee, WI, USA

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"We had two Ken dolls to our ten-ish Barbies. We only had one Ken for the longest time so he was usually the prince at the ball our Barbies were going to. Ken was pretty much ignored. He would dance with the barbies at the ball and that was pretty much his role."


-Kathryn, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual, female from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I always wanted brown haired Barbies. I wasn't interested in the blonde ones. I liked ones that I could relate to. I remember really wanting the Flying Hero Barbies, though. Between my sister and I, we shared them all. I played with Teresa and Kira the most. My sister liked Barbie and the sparkly horse."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"My Barbies were frequently in family scenarios. When I was very young my Barbie families were heteronormative - mother, father, and children. However, once I was a little older I had single-parent, blended, and gay/lesbian Barbie families."


-Glenda, 24, Caucasian, queer female from Connecticut, USA

Do you remember doing anything violent to a Barbie doll?

"My grandmother gave me ONE Barbie doll, against my parents' will. My brothers and I tore it limb from limb and tied its head to a piece of string to use as a toy for the family dog."


-Leah, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia 

How did other people influence the way you played Barbies?

"Nobody influenced how I played with my Barbies. All I remember, is that I never had a Ken doll, so I would make my Barbies kiss each other, and have fashion shows and weddings with each other. It was incredibly homoerotic."


-Doreen, 18, Caucasian, lesbian female from Canada

Did you ever cut Barbie's hair?

"Yes, because she needed a new look. I felt good. I loved it. Even though she looked wrong afterwards. It was refreshing."


-Roxanne, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"I think I had sister Barbies if there were families at all. My Barbies were typically loner-types. And happy about it."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

"As a young child my Barbies held traditional gender roles, but as I grew older this changed (I specifically remember ripping one of my favorite Barbie dresses trying to put it on Ken and then hiding it from my parents because I knew they wouldn't approve)."


-Glenda, 24, Caucasian, queer female from Connecticut, USA

When did you stop playing with Barbies? Why did you stop?

"When I was about 7. I got really into playing with cars and I just never went back."


-Roxanne, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"No. I wanted to look like the girls on Pantene ads."


-Leah, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia 

Would you buy Barbies for your children?

"I would buy Barbies for my children if they asked me to. I would also buy them Tonkas if they asked me to. Toys are toys."


-Doreen, 18, Caucasian, lesbian female from Canada

Was there any particular Barbie you asked for specifically?

"I specifically remember wanting a Barbie that came out in...probably 1995 or 1996? A Barbie in a wheelchair. I wanted this Barbie very badly because, as a child, I was very concerned with having a widely diverse population of Barbies. However, my mom apparently thought I shouldn't have this Barbie because, even though I asked for it for my birthday AND Christmas and also showed it to my mother every time we were in the store, I never got it. (Of note, my mother also generally refused to buy me Barbies of color, even though I asked. I had to recruit friends and extended family members to get me these dolls.)"


-Glenda, 24, Caucasian, queer female from Connecticut, USA

"I never asked for a Barbie. I preferred games that centred around imagination. My brothers and I would play imaginary games where we had a whole storyline going, and we'd stage sword fights, rehearsing each move so we could look 'badass' and not hurt each other."


-Leah, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia 

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"All of my Barbies were in a magical world with fairies, leprechauns, and unicorns. My favorite Barbie was Kendra, and she was a fairy thief, but usually a princess in disguise. Brad, my normal Ken, was a leprechaun prince. Mika, who was that Barbie with the first movable belly, was a barmaid fairy and worked in a bar."


-Marcie, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States

Did you have Ken dolls? How did male dolls act in relation to your female dolls?

"I had Ken dolls. But unless they were being used for fake sex (in a humorous way) I was incredibly disinterested in them. They were nearly always at the bottom of my Barbie trunk. I found them unattractive and laughable."


-Melinda, 23, multiracial (Hispanic/Caucasian), bisexual female from Indianapolis, IN, USA

Did you ever play with imperfect dolls?

"My brother would occasionally break my Barbies- it didn't matter to me, I would usually overlook the imperfections and continue on with my game."


-Linda, 15, Chinese, heterosexual female from Canada

Has playing Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"Yes. I used to make Barbie and Ken have sex. Ken was always domina[n]t and Barbie was the submissive one. Now when I have sex, I want to be the submissive one."


-Roxanne, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

Do you think Barbie is a good role model for children?

"I don't think that Barbie is a good role model for children, but I don't think she's a bad one either. As much as the Barbie company is releasing Barbie's that are ethnic, and alternative, they would need more "types of womyn" for me to consider them feminist."


-Doreen, 18, Caucasian, lesbian, female from Canada

When did you stop playing with Barbies? Why did you stop?

"When I was in grade seven. Probably because grade eight was high school and it wouldn't be cool to still be playing Barbies."


-Jessie, 23, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

"When my brothers and I played, I was always some strong heroine figure.. or the bad guy."


-Leah, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia 

Did you ever cut Barbie's hair?

"I ended up with 2 of the same Ken dolls, the one with the kind of movable blonde hair with really bad lowlights in it. We didn't want to get them mixed up or look the same, so we decided to change one of them. Carolyn and I cut off his hair, and died it green with a washable marker. The ink also died his face green, so we tried to clean it with fingernail polish remover, but it took off his eyes instead of the green tint. We drew them back on with white-out and sharpie. It was pretty awesome; at the time I was a little upset, but I got the normal one and Carolyn got the green one. We also cut all of Anastasia's hair off, once we got it out of that terrible bun, and it was a definite improvement."


-Marcie, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States

Did you ever wish to look like Barbie?

"Not like the old version of Barbie- the newer one. I just wanted to have pretty clothes like her..I didn't care for my appearance until I was 13 years old. However, I wanted to have perfect skin, waist, boobs."


-Linda, 15, Chinese, heterosexual, female from Canada

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"She didn't have one. She just drove her Barbie car all day and went shopping! How unrealistic is that?"


-Loraine, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual, female from the United States

"I didn't have dolls. I had a community of stuffed animals that had as complex a legal system as my five year old mind would allow, though."


-Leah, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia 

Has playing Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"I think it encouraged me to build stories inside of my head, to put myself into a story rather than just take it in. Creating the story lines allowed me to build a story in an interactive way rather than just on paper. Because I played with Barbies, I'm pretty good at building fantastical worlds with lots of potential for characters and stories, but, since we usually abandoned a story half way through, I'm not good at finishing my ideas. But my experiences taught me to play in my own mind. I think if I ever became a fiction writer, my experiences with Barbies would play a big part in a subconscious way."


-Marcie, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States

Do you think Barbie is a good role model for children?

"No. She's all legs, and hips and hair. Also her feet are moulded for high heels, that is so wrong. She's teaching girls that you needed to be moulded and uniform and cookie-cutter."


-Roxanne, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"They were against the whole Barbie doll phenomenon. In fact, in my entire childhood, I had one Barbie doll, given to me by my grandmother against my parents' will."


-Leah, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia 

How often did you play with your Barbies in family scenarios?

"Most of the time they were empty nest families"


-Linda, 15, Chinese, heterosexual female from Canada

Did you ever cut Barbie's hair?

"I did cut her hair and once I did she became trash. She wasn't perfect anymore."


-Loraine, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual, female from the United States

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"I don't remember her ever having one. She had pretty rubbish clothes and I didn't have many other toys to play with her so she was a bit of a loner. Sometimes she'd be a vet but that was mostly because I wanted to play with my animal toys."


-Emma, 20, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the UK

How did other people influence the way you played Barbies?

"My best friend Carolyn and I would set up these elaborate story lines that would last months. We would build these stories and worlds together, but our characters always stayed the same. The same dolls would have the same names and the same personalities and the same significant others. She was a lot older than I was, so I usually followed her lead in story ideas or projects, like building cardboard cities for them."


-Marcie, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"Super-Heroines, Super Villains, or alien/zombie refugees."


-Addison, 20, Puerto Rican, gynesexual, androgynous individual from the United States

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"[M]ost of them were musicians because they always sang songs that moved the plot of the game along, I can't remember any specific careers, other than perhaps a vet, which was my best friend's dream job"


-Jeanie, 19, Caucasian, pansexual/questioning, female from Canada

Has playing Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"I can't say a positive yes or no but I do know that it has contributed to my low self-esteem. I used to believe that if I lost one more pound or looked like Barbie, I'd finally be happy. That's not true but the images of Barbies and Princesses are engraved in my mind. Probably, forever."


-Loraine, 19, Caucasian, heterosexual, female from the United States 

Has playing Barbies as a child affected who you are today?

"I think it affected me when i was younger. I was best friends with a girl who was like a barbie, blonde hair, pretty and rich, I pretty much wanted to be her. then she turned out to be a massive bitch and I realised for myself that looks and clothes aren't everything. But i guess maybe Barbies might have added to that way of thinking in the beginning."


-Emma, 20, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the UK

Would you buy Barbies for your children?

"If they wanted one, I would. I'd probably buy them one because I played with them, but I would encourage them to play with Barbie in creative ways."


-Marcie, 21, Caucasian, heterosexual female from the United States

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"They didn't have any. They weren't like Nurse Barbie or Flight Attendant Barbie or anything like that. Just a generic Barbie. But I don't remember giving them occupations while playing with them either. They were just single ladies hanging out."


-Jessie, 23, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Canada

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"I'm not sure but I LOVED my pink Barbie car and my Barbie mansion - so I guess my favorite Barbie was super rich or something."


-Nancy, 23, Caucasian, heterosexual, female from the United States

Did you ever cut Barbie's hair?

"I cut a couple of dolls' hair. I just remembered liking them better shorter hair. Also, it made their hair get in the way less when they were fighting Doctor Doom."


-Addison, 20, Puerto Rican, gynesexual, androgynous individual from the United States