I have to admit up front: I bailed on this book by Susan J. Douglas and Meredith W. Michaels after a chapter and a half. It’s an interesting idea: a couple of female professors (one at Smith and one at University of Michigan) study the effect of the media on motherhood and how it relates to the feminist causes from the 1970s. Why did I bail? I read The Price of Motherhood by Anne Crittenden a while back, and it seems to me that she had pretty much the same idea (motherhood is unrecognized by the government and society as a viable occupation) and went about it in a more interesting way. The thing that irritated me most about The Mommy Myth was all the snide and snarky comments by the authors. They assumed that whoever was reading this book was already pretty angry that society encourages mothers to stay home and not work, and set about mocking the non-feminist/liberal point of view. As a side note, though, it did deepen my resolve to get rid of the Barbies.
The Book Nut 
Don’t get rid of the Barbies. It’s adults that have a problem with Barbies – not kids. I loved mine when I was little, my girls loved theirs when they were little.I have a friend who took away her girls’ Barbies and it just seemed sad to me.
LikeLike
I read this not long after it came out. I wasn’t impressed. And, as a side note, I grew up with only sisters and there wasn’t a Barbie in the house. I don’t think Barbies are necessarily evil, but they’re certainly not necessary.
LikeLike
I’m of two minds about the Barbies — as dolls go they aren’t too bad. They’re cheap, they’re good for pretend play, etc. It’s the whole Barbie world that I despise, and have refused to buy into. (No books, clothes, backpacks, bikes, etc.) But lately, the way my second daughter has been playing with the Barbies has disturbed me. She’s more intent upon being a “rich girl” and “cool” than her older sister was. And, it’s made me wonder if Barbies were a bad choice in the beginning. Especially since there are now other alternatives to dress-up pretend small dolls.
LikeLike
Ah, I’m not saying Barbies are necessary. We haven’t bought that much Barbie stuff ourselves, but have been given plenty as gifts. My girls are actually beyond the Barbie stage (I think because there are so many other options out there). What I was thinking of was my friend that took the Barbies away. There was something very sad about it, because her girls did love playing with them and they didn’t <>get<> why they lost them.The Barbie message is very much about being a consumer and being ‘cool’, and I would be concerned about that.
LikeLike
So, Ichan, how do I go about it without traumatizing my 5-year-old. I’m planning on replacing the Barbies with other dolls. But other than that, I have no plan. I’d rather not do it in a fit of frustration one day.
LikeLike
I’m as clueless as anyone else. I think it’s hard dealing with kids’ stuff, because it’s clearly <>their<> stuff in their minds. If she were a little older, you could try talking to her about it. But, I think at this age, telling her why you don’t like them would probably make her cling to them more.I guess I’d try buying dolls that you would prefer and hope that the focus shifts to the new dolls. At some point I’d probably pack up the Barbies and put them in the garage (but not actually get rid of them). In the end, you have to decide what your goals are. For me, if my daughter asked for the Barbies I would want to be able to hand them over. But, my daughter has an incredible memory – if I had gotten rid of them, she would indignantly point out each doll and who had given them to her on what occasion – all while pitifully crying her eyes out.I don’t know if this is any help at all, because my girls played with Barbies, but it never became too much.
LikeLike