Lawmaker out to outlaw Barbie

THATS TO FAR!!!

Get over it! Barbie isn't the source of obsession with physical beauty any way, human beings are!

I think it's going a bit far to outlaw a doll, but I do believe it is time we as adults start taking responsibility for supplying our young girls unrealistic goals in what is beautiful and what is not. Adults make the dolls, clothes, movies, tv show, allow their children access to such things, market the dolls. There are plenty of healthier ways to inspire and entertain young girls then to provide them with an icon who's measurements are lets face completely unrealistic. But, Barbie is not the problem, the social pressure put on girls starting so very young by tv, magazines, movies, dolls, clothing co., etc is so prevalent that banning one doll is simply not going to do anything when the influences come at our girls from all sides!!!!!!

They are actual all genderless and procreate via asexual reproduction.

Barbie has no nipples or vagina...
Ken has no penis...
What do they do when they get it on?

I think this is the perfect example of going to far. Banning a doll because of one's opinion of its influence on children? Dude has no concept of freedom and should not be allowed to suggest another bill... ever.

When will they outlaw GI Joes for boys?

This is bullshit

Nothing is a replacement for parenting.

I believe that it is ludicrous to ban a Barbie, or any doll like her, because it sends 'the wrong message' to out daughters. Please. We still sell toy guns to our sons, don't we? What matters is that the parents, teachers, the real-live human role-models in a child's life impart upon them the values that they believe in. Besides, if we ban Barbie for that, then we'd have to follow suit with all the crap-magazines that exploit women and girls. What do you think?

I always thought barbies body looked strange, I liked playing with the hair, that's all it was just a toy. Damn

Go Barbie death Camp! Go!

How about if we just teach our kids that no one's perfect and honesty is the best way to go? Honesty promotes good lines of communication, communication - understanding and understanding provides better advancement of the ability to learn.
I do, however, think we should outlaw Ken, or at least rename him Bob

The country is suffering a depression and all these moron's we send to Washington have nothing better to focus on than the effect of a doll on people, a doll that has been around for many many years. HTF do we get responsible leaders in America. There are a few good leaders but we need all good leaders not just a few to cover for all the Morons. Congress should be cut back, they should be made to go on to the Social Security system for retirement and get rid of thier private system, and they should take pay cuts like everyone else in America. Congress needs a cleaning up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LMAO, you have GOT to be kidding me. What do you want to bet the loser lawmaker has a FAT kid! How pathetic. This country has truly gone to hell in a hand basket and bottom feeders like this are the very reason!

RT
http://www.privacy-center.pro.tc

Let's follow the logic. The state is going to ban toys (and why stop at toys?) that encourage girls (and why not boys?) to internalize a destructive concept of the ideal body type. So obviously they'll have to start by deciding which ideals are destructive and which constructive. And then they'll have to establish a board to review every toy, movie, television show, magazine article, ad, mail order catalog, video/computer game, etc. to judge whether the body image promoted there, implicitly or explicitly, passes their statutorily defined non-destructiveness test.

Remember when parents did the actual parenting?

Me neither.

Our planet is dying, our economy is falling apart, our food is contaminated and we have no reliable health care...but hey, at least we're taking care of the real problem..BARBIE.

and you guys thought the gov't was useless.

Possibly the impossible standards are closer than Barbie. Women, girls, and even males are affected by the underweight actresses on TV and movies.

Just yesterday I watched a documentary that showed teen boys from 16-18 that thought their body fat should be between 0-5% and were obsessed with looking "perfect" and that ranged from being a "ripped" weight lifter, or having the lean, but defined muscles of a very thin guys. They obsessed over 6 packs, and other body parts.

At the same time, one of the most mortifying thoughts to a teen age girl is being thought of as "fat". And what is "fat" now? And who is judging what? It seems that artificial breasts on an nearly anorexic figure are par for many college age women that are longing to achieve what is "perfect". As the combination cannot occur in nature.

What do these unnatural demands that both men and women, guys and girls put on themselves and each other do? It's not healthy and it's ultimately sad.

Changing Barbie could be a symbol. But changing Hollywood, TV, and Models that have impossible standards put upon them, or that have bodies that cannot be achieved by "normal" men, women and teens, may be a start to putting us on the track to healthy, not obsessed.

i grew up playing with barbies and i don't have distorted body issues - i think lawmakers should ban shitty reality shows and other mass-market media that make women look shallow and weak.

plus, your age demographic is totally off - and playing with barbies promotes imaginative/shared play skills which are crucial for social development.

so suck it, Eldridge.

I'm not a Barbie fanatic or anything. I love that Barbie comes in different colors and different professions (more than just being a young married white mother). From a positive point of view, she does inspire. Being beautiful, intellegent and successful isn't a bad. But her body does put out a totally unrealistic standard of beauty. If she were actual size her proportions would be freakishly unreal.

Instead of banning Barbie why not change her into more realistic female forms?

Having beauty and success is not a bad thing at all. It all depends on the individuals definition of the two. A child is simply a younger person. People who are adults still struggle with 'beauty' and 'success'. People are all endlessly developing and learning. So it is very important to form a positive healthy outlook on self image as well as sustaining it.

Bratz are worse.

Barbie is hardly what causes body issues in girls, look at every thing you watch on tv. From the news, to sitcoms,to commercials...how many over weight girls do you see? Everyone wants to blame it on things like this, where are young girls really looking to for what they should look like? It's not barbie, models, famous movie stars. When I was growing up I didn't know the name of one actress, but I did see all of the thin people in printed ads, on commercials, even people who are featured in shows aimed at young children. Oh boy, was my feminist side breaking out again?

Better than banning toys, I say ban child advertising.

And yes, parents are culpable, but that doesn't justify exploiting children simply because their parents are neglectful. Children can't make these decisions for themselves. Parents SHOULD, but obviously they often don't. Marketers are equally culpable and shouldn't be given a reprieve by placing blame on shoddy parenting. If parents aren't going to look after the interests of their children, society should play at least some role, rather than sneering at the issue and considering it someone else's problem. These kids are going to grow up and perpetuate whatever culture is handed to them.

The height of retardedness.

This is the parent or guardians job... PERIOD.

Peace.
http://www.degreesofemotion.wordpress.com

did barbie ever go to school? maybe it's a lack of education holding her back.

What is actually wrong with these politicians, i thought SL politicos are dumb...

yet more proof....(D) are garbage

i will bet my life he's a pedophile .

barbie has a house, band, business, tv show and is hot. the problem is ken. how come ken gets no love. he is just an after tought. even barbie's friends get houses and cars. why?

This is ridiculous, outlaw Barbie! Like DeliatheArtist says "Barbie is not the problem!"
Completely ridiculous and unfounded, there are more important things out there to be focusing on than placing a ban on Barbie. Boy, I do hope this doesn't go through, besides the fact that I love barbie (I had plenty when I was a child).

I definitely was that little girl who had more barbies than anyone in the neighborhood. I also, am now definitely the girl who cares the least about my appearance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a slob, but I'm far from obsessed with my body or how I constantly look.

AS WE ALL KNOW IM NOT THAT CRAZY ABOUT BARBIE ( DELIA HAS HELPED MY ANGER HAHAHAHA) BUT I DONT THINK SHE SHOULD BE OUTLAWED - THIS IS WRONG. IF YOU FEEL BARBIE MIGHT HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON YOUR KIDS PSYCHE THEN DONT BUY HER AND FIND ALTERNATIVE TOYS. WHAT IS WITH PEOPLE- PEOPLE ALLWAYS THINK- " I DONT LIKE IT - SO IT SHOULD BE BANNED" - WE SHARE A PLANET, AND NEWS FLASH - NOT ALL OF US SHARE EACH OTHERS FEELINGS.

WHY all the Barbie hate? I'm not a huge Barbie fan, but I will jump at her defense because I think this kind of bullshit is misplaced.

Mattel changed Barbie's body proportions. They made the Barbie houses wheel chair accessable for Barbie's disabled friend, Becky. Barbie has her OWN clothes, cars, houses and she doesn't rely on a man (or anyone else for that matter) for what she has. She has had every job under the sun from Lingerie model to Veterinarian to Astronaut.

BARBIE IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

If you are concerned that American girls might be "place[ing] too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development" THEN BAN PARIS HILTON, Lindsey Lohan and other ACTUAL people that influence society in such a way. Ban beauty pageants, modeling and Disney Princess movies. Hell, ban everything you don't like.

OR, you could just give a shot at parenting your own children without Big Brother's Babysitting Service.

Its just a toy. baack off feminazis.

I hate when democrats do this.

It's shit like this that makes me not want to call myself a democrat, and gives endless amounts of fuel to the conservative right. This guy needs to be put in his place, BIGTIME.

This guy has a short memory. Cabbage Patch kids were all the rage when my stepson was growing up. They were anything but pretty. Another government agent trying to control the people from cradle to grave. Parents should teach their children not this guy. Pitiful.

I understand their concern, but maybe this is taking it a little too far?

I imagine mothers who are Beauty Pageant Organizers, Fashion Consultants, Models etc. would desire to provide their children with toys that would reinforce what has made them successful.

Are we to ban Soldiers from giving their kids G.I Joes?

If you really want to see how damaging having a Barbie can be, look up Christopher's Fractured Romance on Google.

Congressman Eldridge obviously has a lot of time on his hands.

You cant substitute a barbie doll for parenting and thats where it starts..THE PARENTS..Im so tired of the blame society game..It starts in the home..I never in all my years ever compared my body to barbie, you wanna know why?...Cause its a fucking doll!!! and not to mention PLASTIC.. and another thing is that there are so many complaints about the wrong image being put out to young girls (and boys) but what else is out there that tells them different?

more responsibility should be placed on parents to teach their kids that being smart is more valuable than being beautiful. also to keep them from playing violent video games and watching questionable television programs.

but when it comes down to it the worst influences on children are their classmates.

Children can be taught to have their own minds . It takes some work . An event like Burning Man or a Worlds fair can dissolve a lot of preconceptions . Barbie has become a symbol . If you have your consciousness developed enough , you , control the symbol , it , does not control you . Politicians fail to grasp such things - at least in this case . The symbol is not the enemy . Lack of other image options is . Lack of self acceptance is . Lack of celebration of human diversity is the reason for regret .

There's no way the bill is going to pass, not even a slim chance. The guy knows this, he's just trying to get a message out. Good for him.

Wow did anyone see the poll? 76% of respondents said there that barbie's DID NOT lead an unrealistic view of body image

Toys are no substitute for parenting one's children; and it is not the place of the Federal Government to be parents. They need to butt out and stick to what the Fed is supposed to do - regulate trade and deal with the economy.
My eight year old has barbies, and completely understands that they are not accurate representations of beauty - seriously, how could anyone think that they need to look like Barbie to get anywhere in our society? No, our daughters look to Ashley Tisdale, Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears for that kind of emulation. Is there any way we could ban Disney from making teen musicals? (only half joking here)

I totally agree that Barbie influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development. But I think there are better ways to deal with the problem then to ban Barbie.
If everyone stopped buying Barbies that would send a message to Mattel to either change Barbie or get rid of Barbie.

Funny how stupid, ugly people are always vengeful toward stupid, pretty people.

wow talk about total over kill...

barbie is a mixxed bag... is has inspired and tormented children...

i would hope parents would instill a level of understanding upon their children... to ban this toy would be criminal... and the fact that this person has a personal hate of the doll should not be justification for its removal...

i think this person needs to look in the mirror and wake up that thier time would be better suited to fixxing the problems they likely helped to make rather then controling people.

Give me a break. I like how in the economic times were in, our government is more worried about something like banning Barbie. Let's worry about our economy right now, and stop trying to ban a harmless toy.

Jeff Eldridge you're an idiot. i'm attending NYIT to get a masters of science in energy management. I do go to the gym in my spare time, not to try to look like a GI Joe, but because I like to be in shape. We all have our own idea of beautiful. Do you think everything should be fed to you with a tiny spoon? and should have the consistency of applesauce?

They are stupid toys, but they hardly need to be banned.

We just need to abandon the hyper-genderization altogether. Just let boys and girls play with whatever they want to play with.

Legos are always a good option IMO. You can do almost anything with them.

before Barbie we only had baby dolls (something that teaches us that we can only be mothers) but even though barbie is the stereotypical image of perfection (or society's ideal) she's also told us that we can also be a scientist, doctor, astronaut, and many other job opportunities. Little girls live out their future lives by playing with the doll so what if she's pretty? It's not like the only thing she's been is a mother.