Early adolescents' experiences with, and views of, Barbie

Adolescence, Spring, 2004 by Tara L. Kuther, Erin McDonald

Play Activities

When asked whether they currently play with Barbie dolls, many reported that their only play activities include dressing up the doll and styling its hair.

   I don't like playing with them, but I like dressing them up.
   Sometimes I just cut their hair.

Although the participants did not currently play with Barbie dolls often, all reported having played with Barbie dolls in the past, as children. The girls' reported patterns of play fell into three general categories: imaginative play, torture play, and anger play.

Imaginative play. All of the girls reported engaging in make-believe or imaginative play with Barbie dolls as children. Many described creating intricate and extended play scripts, illustrating family life, imagined adolescent life (e.g., attending high school proms), and glamorous events (e.g., fashion shows).

   We used to make ... [Barbie dolls] talk. One day we had a wedding
   for Barbie and Ken. So I went and got all the [stuffed] animals
   from my room [as an audience].

   I used to put their dresses on them and pretend that they were
   going to a prom or a dance or something.

Torture play. A surprisingly common form of Barbie-related play reported by the participants was torture play. All reported damaging their dolls by cutting off the hair, painting them, or even removing appendages.

   I used to switch heads on Barbie and Ken. And then take the little
   pink dress and me and my brother used to put him [Ken] in it.

   I stripped them and threw them in the snow. When it became spring
   and they all thawed, I picked them up and my brother and my sister
   and I, because they didn't like Barbie either, took my mom's
   [chicken] bones scissors she used to cut bones and so we cut
   them in half.

Most of the torture play reported by the girls occurred in older childhood and in the presence of boys. Often boys initiated torture play, but the girls reported joining them and supporting their torture-related Barbie play.

   This was in the summer and we [my brother and I] were really bored
   and we took my nail polish and we all painted their hair. And
   we cut their hair and one Ken had real hair and we cut it like
   a Mohawk. It was purple.

   I used to take Barbie's car and put Ken and Barbie in it and then
   find the closest wall and go "pow" [crashing the car].

Overall, the girls reported perceiving torture play with Barbie as humorous. Many reported still engaging in this form of play when the opportunity arises, as evidenced by one of the participants removing the head from a Barbie during the session. When asked whether they "torture" other dolls, all of the girls responded that torture play occurred "just [with] Barbie." One participant's response to why torture play is fun with Barbie illustrates the overall consensus among the girls: "because she is the only one that looks perfect."

Anger play. Many of the girls reported playing with Barbie dolls when they were angry, as a means of releasing contained emotions.

   I used to get mad at someone if they called me a name or something
   in school. I used to come home and then I would stab my Barbie
   and pretend that [Barbie was] that person and then I would say that
   they got it back.... But I would never really do that to a person.

   And then I had this doll that was a Ken doll and pretend it was my
   brother and I used to get mad at my brother a lot and I would
   take the Ken doll and throw it at the wall.