The Barbie Girl Craze on the Internet

[Coito ergo sum]

Latest internet craze...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... dolls.html

Girls wearing lots of makeup and frilly clothes, and making videos about seemingly odd hair, fashion and make-up styles. Older people object.

"I'm shocked. Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here."

[FBM]

We're always a step or two behind Japan, aren't we?

[Coito ergo sum]

60 years ago, Elvis's pelvis was going to oversex America. Now, it's girls aged 16 putting on make-up and trying to look like porcelain dolls. That'll send us over the edge.

I find the article a bit odd, talking about the objection that this might "sexualize" girls. Well, girls start wearing makeup and sexy clothes, in the places I've lived, as early as middle school. They want to look grown up and they ARE sexual, and they ARE interested in sex, just like boys are. Girls aged 16 in our society are generally given the right to wear what they want, within limits set by parents. But, traditionally, girls would get around those rules through ruses and things, like wearing a sweater over sexier clothing until they leave the house, that sort of thing.

And, girls are quite often interested in makeup, hair, shoes, frilly things. For whatever reason, some girls are interested in that stuff. I looked at the images in the article I posted and the only thoughts that crossed my mind were that whoever is doing their makeup is pretty talented, and one or two of the girls probably have a chance at becoming models. They were fully dressed, and wearing makeup - if someone suggested that they be denied the right to do either, I am sure there would be objections from women's groups that women ought to be able to wear what they want. Well, in the "it cuts both ways" category, you can't have a rule that says 16 year old girls can wear what they want and then rationally complain that they wear what they want.

[Robert_S]

How much of it is sexual and how much of it is them just wanting to be seen as pretty?

[Drewish]

Sexualize? Who wants to fuck that? Ewww.

[Svartalf]

the twain cannot be parted, especially for girls 12 and above.

If it were little jonbennets being dolled up by abusive parents without understanding what they were led into, it would be different. In this case, it's quite pubescent girls doing their misled best to be attractive, and old enough to know what people want of girls they are attracted to.

[hadespussercats]

I think it's performance art. I also think people get their knickers in a twist over really stupid things. A girl making herself up and putting together a tutorial about how to do it is actually developing marketable skills, and is having fun in a far less dangerous way than the girls who get dressed a lot faster so they can go get drunk at a kegger in the woods and have sex they don't remember the next day.

Not that these are the only two options. But I don't see how what the girls are doing is dangerous to them. Maybe other people looking at the images they make don't like how those images make them feel. But that's their problem.

[Warren Dew]

Looks more like anime than barbie to me.

[JimC]

Ridiculous! They should be putting all their time and effort into studying higher algebra and relativity!

[Blind groper]

The gals in that dailymail reference are quite gorgeous. And I am sure they are loving it.

It is a fact of life that guys love to look at gorgeous gals, and gals love to look gorgeous and be admired. What is wrong with that?

[JimC]

The gals in that dailymail reference are quite gorgeous. And I am sure they are loving it.

It is a fact of life that guys love to look at gorgeous gals, and gals love to look gorgeous and be admired. What is wrong with that?

Nothing, as long as social pressure doesn't push the line that looking gorgeous is the only game in town for females...

[hadespussercats]

There are girls who wouldn't be able to look like those girls, no matter how much makeup they used. And looking that way is something that has value in our society.

I don't know-- I get frustrated with these discussions. Yes, women should be valued for more than their looks. But if a woman (or girl) has really exemplary looks, why shouldn't she use that quality/talent? Most fashion models have a limited shelf-life, sure. But if they're lucky they'll make good money and see the world before the clock runs out. What's wrong with that? Same is true of dancers and most actresses and professional athletes-- but you don't see nearly the same levels of condemnation against kids pursuing those fields.

There's nothing inherently better about pursuing a career as a mathematician, or what-have-you. What's wrong is dissuading girls who have a real capability and interest in pursuing a career in math because that's not an "attractive" choice for a woman, or because women aren't supposed to be interested in that kind of work.

There are different talents and abilities-- why not celebrate the whole range?

[Coito ergo sum]

[Coito ergo sum]

[Coito ergo sum]