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?

"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

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

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