What kind of Barbie accessories did you own?

"I had all the shoes and purses and everything, but what I really fixated on were the cell phones. That and a pair of hiking boots, because they actually stayed on their feet."


-Deborah, 21, Caucasian, pansexual female from the 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 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