[EDEQUITY Technology] Encouraging your child to play...

From: Carolyn E. Adams-Price (cea1@Ra.MsState.Edu)
Date: Thu Jul 26 2001 - 17:38:58 EDT


The following statements and responses are based on the past EDEQUITY
Dialogue on Technology and Equity, July 16-20, 2001.

J.Sheeran wrote: "I am an ardent believer in educating parents to raise
successful children.When you do this, Barbies will not be the toy of choice
for a three year old girl."

"Dawn" <dawn@educatingjane.com> response to J. Sheeran statement:
This is an extremely damaging stereo type- that girls who play with Barbies
will not be successful!My 4 year old can plan the development of a small
Lego town and complete the project, discuss the logic of what came first
the chicken or the egg, and and she does it with her dolls at her
side! Her dolls come with her to science day where I teach her and the
neighbor girls the basics of science. No one would say that she will not
be successful in her future. She has focus, determination and drive. I
would love to see her become a scientist, engineer or a computer guru of
some sort, but she was born with her own mission that will unfold as she
grows. I will continue to give her the language of science, math and
technology..............."Dawn"

I don't think anyone really thinks that girls who play with Barbies can't
become successful. I even bought ONE for my daughter when she was
three--but I made sure she had non-Barbie toys that were much more
interesting. Barbie was pretty boring next to my daughter's Playmobil
castle (the smallest one--they're definitely expensive) and dragon. The
problem with Barbie is that she reinforces unrealistic body images (which
are worse in ambitious girls anyway), and she inspires a rather narrow
range of play options compared to other types of toys. I also don't go to
Toys R Us anymore because there are two few nonstereotypical toys.

Barbie hasn't been around forever. Encouraging your child to play with
toys other than Barbie is NOT making her something she's not.

Carolyn Adams-Price, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Mississippi State University

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