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

"There was probably at least one family with a 'married' mother, father, children. At that time, I was familiar with divorce, single parents, and single parents with boyfriends/girlfriends. The only type of family I didn't really do was gay, since I was unfamiliar with that yet, and step families."


-Sarah, 20, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Boston, MA, USA 

How did your parents feel about Barbie?

"My parents bought me second hand barbies. My mum encouraged it by making us clay food which she then cooked so that it turned hard. They liked that my sister and I made things when we needed them, instead of making them buy us stuff. They always made us look at the alternatives of barbie for the houses, clothes, etc since actual barbie accessories and stuff were expensive and mostly cheap, breakable plastic. My mum was sort of upset when I stopped playing with them since I think she also liked making the things with us."


-Sarah, 20, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Boston, MA, USA 

"My father put all of my Barbies into the trash when I was 7, because I told him I was going to stop eating to look like her."


-Glady, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Indonesia 

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

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