What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

"From what I remember my Barbies never had a job, they were always house wives with kids and about 14 pets. Ken was the bread winner, but I do recall one or two Barbies being the teacher or a vet, but they never had families"


-Yasmin, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from England 

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

"I never owned a Ken doll, but my brother had GI type dolls. I would steal them from him so that I could use them. Often times, I would dress the girls up in the military gear that they had. For the most part, I believe they had all equal roles. My parents have an equal partnership of cleaning up, taking care of us, and cooking at the time so I believe that rubbed off on us. Depending on the game, however, if it was something to do with fighting, the male dolls always lost in a physical fight."


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

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

"Totally. it contributed to my feministic views. i remember how i used her to act out my sexual and lifestyle fantasies as a kid, and i still have the same inclinations to this day. another thing- we were poor growing up. i had a couple barbies, and no ken. ken was more expensive. so my barbies were lezzing it out in the sink i referred to as the "hot-tub." i wouldn't mind being in a human version of that playtime to this day..."


-Shelly, 36, Caucasian, bisexual female from the USA 

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 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

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

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

"No. While there are a vast number of careers that she has shown, the body issues and the consumerism inherent in buying into the Barbie Fandom is problematic."

-Ally, 25, Caucasian, bisexual, female from New Zealand