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 

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 

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 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

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

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?

"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

Do you still have any of your Barbies?

"The ones I ever played with were ones I stole out of my older sister's room I was always careful to put them away where she had them stored after awhile. She either still has them stored somewhere, or gave them as hand-me downs to our cousins, or Good-will or something. Neither of us really ever collected them, though. We just played with them. Most of them were hand-me-downs, too."


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

Did you ever cut Barbie's hair?

"I never cut their hair but my sister cut one of my Barbies hair and I was very upset at her for it. After her hair was cut she became the ugly Barbie and I rarely played with her again unless I wanted to use her as a bad character."


-Tiffany, 23, white, heterosexual, female from Britain