Contrary to what most people think, I never played with dolls as a small child. I was more into leeches and bugs. To my parents credit, they let me have toy guns and tanks. In fact when I was 6, my father bought me a realistic looking machine gun. That thing was really loud when I swung the crank. I also had a collection of little plastic soldiers who rode into battle on my plastic dinosaurs.
I did own an extensive doll collection which I never touched. However, when I returned home from school, their hair and outfits would all be different. I don't understand why my mother just didn't buy them for herself and say she was a collector! Lots of men do that with model trains and airplanes.
Shortly before I turned 9, an amazing new doll hit the scene, one different from any on the market. She actually had breasts, her name was Barbie! Plus she came with an assortment of beautiful clothes just like a movie star. Barbie struck like a blazing comet! My mother and I both were spellbound. Mommy wasn't getting this one!!! Soon I had multiple Barbies, so the problem was solved.
My father on the other hand, didn't condone Barbie. He felt since dolls are made for children, they should look like children, not 30 year old chorus girls! The original Barbie did have a rather hard, almost vampiric face. She appeared too sophisticated and mature for the teenage fashion model she was supposed to be.
Of course Barbie's origins were less than respectable. She was created in Germany as a sex toy for men. In other words, she was a little plastic prostitute!
Soon came the Barbie imitators! Most of these dolls had softer faces and longer, prettier hair. As a bonus, they could fit into all of Barbie's glamorous attire. I preferred them! Barbie was always Barbie, but these could be anyone I wanted. There was Adeline, Miranda, Juliana, & Letitia. The first 2 were angelic outer space maidens, Juliana was a movie star, and Letitia was a socialite. They joined the ranks among my Barbies.
Being a cheeky little kid, I took my mother's red nail polish and painted nipples on all their breasts. A neighbor noticed the red nipples under their sheer tops. When he thought no one was looking, I watched him peek under their skirts. -- I'm sure he was disappointed!
My mother learned of a shop that sold one-of-a-kind Barbie clothes in a municipality 2 hours away from us. Of course we had to go. I remember the enormous back room and all the women busy on sewing machines. However, we bought nothing. Mom got sticker shock!!! Those little clothes cost just as much as mine, and in many cases even more!
As I reached my teens, I lost interest in dolls again. By this time, Barbie was being labeled a poor role model by many. It seemed to me that she was being stigmatized because she was beautiful. After all, Barbie had evolved beyond teen fashion model. Now she was a doctor, lawyer, singer, even an astronaut! She could do anything and look great doing it! I saw her as a positive role model. Barbie actually cared about her appearance and it showed. We could use a lot more of that today!
I saw a poster on Facebook that read: "Most girls want a big closet, but I want a big library." Why must we choose??? WHY NOT BOTH!!!
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