Comments on: Colonial Barbie http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/ History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:09:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Knitting Clio is back from vacation « Knitting Clio http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-393113 Knitting Clio is back from vacation « Knitting Clio Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:37:28 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-393113 [...] extra days in Prague.  One of my favorite sites was the Toy and Barbie Museum.  I hope my buddy Historiann will enjoy looking at the website on the Barbie exhibition, in honor of the doll’s 50th [...] [...] extra days in Prague.  One of my favorite sites was the Toy and Barbie Museum.  I hope my buddy Historiann will enjoy looking at the website on the Barbie exhibition, in honor of the doll’s 50th [...]

]]> By: Seriously–I need this doll for my research : Historiann : History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-391490 Seriously–I need this doll for my research : Historiann : History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:21:35 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-391490 [...] I bought a Frederick Douglass.)”  This of course connects back to my post on Thursday about Marla Miller opening her book with a discussion of Colonial Barbie, and our discussion in the comments.  Why do some dolls based on historical periods or individuals [...] [...] I bought a Frederick Douglass.)”  This of course connects back to my post on Thursday about Marla Miller opening her book with a discussion of Colonial Barbie, and our discussion in the comments.  Why do some dolls based on historical periods or individuals [...]

]]> By: Mary http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390740 Mary Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:17:18 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390740 Ugh. Things like that are so disturbing Historiann! I've seen it too. I had a friend in high school whose father offered to pay her to lose weight. He thought she should lose 40 pounds and offered some riduclous reward at the end (a couple hundred bucks I think). Talk about warped. Ugh. Things like that are so disturbing Historiann! I’ve seen it too. I had a friend in high school whose father offered to pay her to lose weight. He thought she should lose 40 pounds and offered some riduclous reward at the end (a couple hundred bucks I think). Talk about warped.

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390694 Historiann Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:43:04 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390694 Mary--good points. Of the women I know who have a messed-up relationship with their bodies, it was in fact their parents who loom large in messing them up. (The parents who asked, "Do you really think you NEED butter on that toast?") And, Erica: I like your mother's style. A $100 doll (for children to play with) deserves to be laughed at! Mary–good points. Of the women I know who have a messed-up relationship with their bodies, it was in fact their parents who loom large in messing them up. (The parents who asked, “Do you really think you NEED butter on that toast?”)

And, Erica: I like your mother’s style. A $100 doll (for children to play with) deserves to be laughed at!

]]> By: Mary http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390692 Mary Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:32:32 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390692 I think outright banning toys is counterproductive too. However, I was relatively uninterested in Barbies so I didn't care much. But my 20-year sister (who loves Barbies) still talks bitterly about the Barbie ban. Eventually, my mon did give in and let my two youngest sisters have Barbies; I guess she finally realized that one toy wasn't powerful enough to shape one's body image. I think outright banning toys is counterproductive too. However, I was relatively uninterested in Barbies so I didn’t care much. But my 20-year sister (who loves Barbies) still talks bitterly about the Barbie ban.

Eventually, my mon did give in and let my two youngest sisters have Barbies; I guess she finally realized that one toy wasn’t powerful enough to shape one’s body image.

]]> By: Erica http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390687 Erica Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:01:29 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390687 And I never got an American Girl doll either (my mother just laughed when she saw the price) -- but be sure that I read every one of those catalogs from cover to cover, learning as many details of the Girls' stories as I could (and drooling over the adorable accessories). They felt a lot more substantial and approachable than Barbie's Beach House or Barbie's Convertible. And I never got an American Girl doll either (my mother just laughed when she saw the price) — but be sure that I read every one of those catalogs from cover to cover, learning as many details of the Girls’ stories as I could (and drooling over the adorable accessories). They felt a lot more substantial and approachable than Barbie’s Beach House or Barbie’s Convertible.

]]> By: Erica http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390686 Erica Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:58:09 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390686 As others have said, how funny that Colonial Woman is only seen as the silk-clad lady of leisure who embroiders all day, ignoring the thousands of others who weren't so well off... The funny thing about my family history is that everyone is quite proud of some guy ten generations back who owned lots of property around Boston before the Revolutionary War (~1760), including chunks of land around Faneuil Hall. Nothing of the great fortune remains except for a few nice antique chairs, but there's a lot of family pride about that one guy, and almost no information about the other 511 men and women who contributed to my ancestry. (Of course, it's <em>easier</em> to find out about family who happened to have some measure of resources -- they bought or sold land, they got mentioned in the papers upon their marriage, they counted in the census -- than it is to learn anything about the life of John Smith the farm laborer who didn't do anything remarkable enough to get noticed by history.) As others have said, how funny that Colonial Woman is only seen as the silk-clad lady of leisure who embroiders all day, ignoring the thousands of others who weren’t so well off…

The funny thing about my family history is that everyone is quite proud of some guy ten generations back who owned lots of property around Boston before the Revolutionary War (~1760), including chunks of land around Faneuil Hall. Nothing of the great fortune remains except for a few nice antique chairs, but there’s a lot of family pride about that one guy, and almost no information about the other 511 men and women who contributed to my ancestry. (Of course, it’s easier to find out about family who happened to have some measure of resources — they bought or sold land, they got mentioned in the papers upon their marriage, they counted in the census — than it is to learn anything about the life of John Smith the farm laborer who didn’t do anything remarkable enough to get noticed by history.)

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390677 Historiann Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:07:12 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390677 Oh, Gavin--I was only teasing you a little about saying that you creeped me out! But perhaps my post today is what made you reconsider. Rest assured, you were not at all someone in mind when I wrote today's post, and I took the comment you left in response in good humor. Oh, Gavin–I was only teasing you a little about saying that you creeped me out! But perhaps my post today is what made you reconsider. Rest assured, you were not at all someone in mind when I wrote today’s post, and I took the comment you left in response in good humor.

]]> By: Gavin http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390673 Gavin Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:40:22 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390673 Historiann: I'm sorry if I creeped you or anyone else out. When I typed my second comment above I assumed that you were joking, but in the couple of hours I've been offline I thought about it more carefully and realised that you might not be, and that even if you were it was still a valid criticism and something I need to consider. My first comment was always likely to look more creepy coming from a man than from a woman. Us men do need to keep asking ourselves awkward questions about how we eroticize the mistreatment of women. Historiann: I’m sorry if I creeped you or anyone else out. When I typed my second comment above I assumed that you were joking, but in the couple of hours I’ve been offline I thought about it more carefully and realised that you might not be, and that even if you were it was still a valid criticism and something I need to consider. My first comment was always likely to look more creepy coming from a man than from a woman. Us men do need to keep asking ourselves awkward questions about how we eroticize the mistreatment of women.

]]> By: Gavin http://www.historiann.com/2009/07/30/colonial-barbie/comment-page-1/#comment-390597 Gavin Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:16:59 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=6595#comment-390597 "but I’m a little creeped out by how into it you seem to be…!" I guess I'm not going to get out of this by saying "that's just how it was back then" or "look how far we've progressed". ;) I'm pretty creeped out by what a lecherous abusive sex-pest Samuel Pepys was, especially having been brought up to think of him as a nice man who wrote about nice things. “but I’m a little creeped out by how into it you seem to be…!”

I guess I’m not going to get out of this by saying “that’s just how it was back then” or “look how far we’ve progressed”. ;)

I’m pretty creeped out by what a lecherous abusive sex-pest Samuel Pepys was, especially having been brought up to think of him as a nice man who wrote about nice things.

]]>