The Barbie Interviews

Did your Barbies ever have sex? If so, how did you simulate sex?

2012-02-20T13:23:00.000-06:00

"Yes. I just kind of bumped them together repeatedly though. I had a general idea of how sex worked, but the specifics were a total mystery to me."

-Maggie, 23, Caucasian pansexual female from The Bible Belt, USA

Were your Barbies ever in interracial relationships? What about same sex relationships? How did they act within these relationships?

2012-02-19T13:22:00.000-06:00

"Yes and yes. I only had two boy Barbies so LESBIANS EVERYWHERE. I really didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought a lesbian was just someone who married their best friend and that sounded pretty cool."

-Maggie, 23, Caucasian pansexual female from the Bible Belt, USA

What kind of environment did your Barbies live in?

2012-02-18T13:20:00.000-06:00

"Some lived in the half put together Dream House. One lived with the Power Rangers. One lived in the tub. Superhero Barbie lived up high on a shelf. Everyone else was either homeless or lived with the My Little Ponies"

-Maggie, 23, Caucasian pansexual female from The Bible Belt, USA

Who did you play Barbie's with? How did you interact when you played?

2012-02-17T13:18:00.000-06:00

"I only played Barbie when my friends came over, I was much more interested in the barbies. She was always the cooler barbie and I was a bit of a loser barbie."

-Erin, 19, Caucasian and Native American, heterosexual female from San Fransisco, USA

What careers did your Barbies have?

2012-02-16T13:17:00.000-06:00

"I don't remember her having much of a career, she was mostly a teenager. I just really wanted to be a teenager at the time. It looked like lots of fun."

-Erin, 19, Caucasian and Native American, heterosexual female from San Fransisco, USA

What did your favorite Barbie clothes look like?

2012-02-15T13:15:00.001-06:00

"I liked my weird clothes, like the skirt that turned my barbie into a mermaid or a fairy."

-Erin, 19, Caucasian and Native American, heterosexual female from San Fransisco, USA

How ethnically diverse were your barbies?

2012-02-14T13:14:00.001-06:00

"Not very diverse. I only received barbies as gifts at birthday parties, I think when your parents invite over their friends to their 8-year-old's birthday party they just assume to get a white girl a white barbie."

-Erin, 19, Caucasian and Native American, heterosexual female from San Fransisco, USA

Did you ever cut your Barbie's hair?

2012-02-14T12:54:00.000-06:00

"All the time. If a doll's hair got gross or I was bored I'd immediately grab the scissors. Initially I'd be happy with the results, but as time went on the buzzcut dolls got played with less and less."

-Nita, 23, Caucasian lesbian female from the United States

Tell us about your favorite Barbie dolls. What did they look like? What made them special?

2012-02-13T13:12:00.000-06:00

"My favorite barbie had pink and blue hair, and sometimes fairy wings."

-Erin, 19, Caucasian and Native American, heterosexual female from San Fransisco, USA

How did other people influence how you played Barbies?

2012-02-13T12:53:00.000-06:00

"All of my friends but one enjoyed playing the "normal" way--having them run the supermarket or do stuff in the dream house. The one friend who didn't liked playing the same way I did--rough. Our Barbies cursed, insulted and fought each other until one doll ended up flying across the room."

-Nita, 23, Caucasian lesbian female from the United States

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

2012-02-12T14:59:00.000-06:00

"My parents had bought me an airplane that came with a flight attendant Barbie but no pilot so I made her the pilot instead. Sometimes my Barbies were doctors, teachers, housewives or students."

-Lorraine, 18, Hispanic heterosexual womyn from the United States

Would you buy Barbies for your children? Why or why not?

2012-02-12T12:52:00.000-06:00

"I'd fight it a lot, but if my kids wanted them badly enough I suppose I'd have to give in. I think the best thing in that case would be to make sure my kids knew Barbies were toys, not role models."

-Nita, 23, Caucasian lesbian female from the United States

Did you ever cut your Barbie's hair?

2012-02-11T18:57:00.000-06:00

"Always, except for my princess barbie, because I thought I could make them look edgy. But they just looked ugly."

-Cynthia, 15, Caucasian gay female from the USA

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

2012-02-11T14:55:00.000-06:00

"No, I don't think children, and especially young girls, should grow up to believe that they should look anything like barbie."

-Christine, 15, straight female from Australia

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

2012-02-11T12:50:00.000-06:00

"Not really. Look at her body! A real woman couldn't live with her physical proportions. Also it's taken Mattel waaaaay too long to give her any professions that aren't gender-stereotypical."

-Nita, 23, Caucasian lesbian female from the United States

Would you buy Barbies for your children? Why or why not?

2012-02-10T18:49:00.000-06:00

"Yes. They are fun toys and allow imagination to grow."

-Liza, female from the United States

Did you ever cut your Barbie's hair?

2012-02-10T14:44:00.000-06:00

"[Y]es, I thought it would look better because all the others had long hair. Then realized i should never cut hair."

-Tania, 13, Caucasian female from the United States

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

2012-02-10T12:41:00.000-06:00

"Watching the Barbie movies is a fond memory I will always have and influenced me to start dancing."

- Lenore, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia

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

2012-02-09T18:46:00.000-06:00

"[Y]es, because [the Barbie movie] A Fashion Fairytale inspired me to design and make me believe in myself"

-Lorrie, 11, female from Japan

When did you stop playing with Barbies? Why did you stop?

2012-02-09T14:43:00.000-06:00

"12, Barbies weren't cool anymore"

-Tania, 13, Caucasian female from America

Would you buy Barbies for your children? Why or why not?

2012-02-09T12:38:00.003-06:00

"If my children wanted them, yes. I never had a barbie as a child as my mother could not afford them."

-Lenore, 17, Caucasian, heterosexual female from Australia

What occupation did your favorite Barbie doll have?

2011-06-27T17:02:00.000-05:00

"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 ever cut Barbie's hair?

2011-06-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

"Yes, how cruel. I had this one Barbie with beautiful long black hair down to her knees, I gave her a bob! I think I half thought it would grow back! It never did, and I was riddled with guilt."

-Yasmin, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from England

When did you stop playing with Barbies? Why did you stop?

2011-06-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

"Honestly I was 15, I stopped because I naturally grew out of it. I used to get worried thinking I was the only one who played Barbies up until that age, maybe I was. I suppose I was becoming an adult so just gradually stopped."

-Yasmin, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from England

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

2011-06-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

"I have realised that I am pretty much the same now as I was as a child. Without Barbies to play with I may have been outdoors a lot more and could of been more active now as an adult, but I feel playing with Barbies allowed me to see what life would be like as an adult. As we all viewed Barbie as an adult, right?"

-Yasmin, 22, Caucasian, heterosexual female from England