apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I immensely dislike all of it. Too much pink and...Barbie. But I would have loved it when I was a little girl.

I think I'll need some pepto bismol.

I like the fashion drawings. But that's it.

I am so happy that my 5 year old seems to be over her Barbie phase (she asked me to throw out all the Barbie stuff a couple of months ago, and hasn't asked for it since).

I would frame a couple of vintage outfits in a perspex box, maybe on a vintage Barbie, but that is as far as I would go with decorating with Barbie...

I like it. It's a bit over the top with all of the accessories and the pink walls, but so is every set of bedding they show in any catalog.

It really bugs me that PBK is now selling licensed bedding (this, Dr. Suess, MLB). I loved that it was one place where you could buy cute kid's bedding that didn't have Barbie or Disney Princesses on it.

Obviously, this isn't for adult tastes, but maybe, just maybe, there is a girl out there who would LOVE this kind of room. I don't have a problem with that.

I like that it's 50's Barbie style and not the current hot-pink look. It's a bit more lady-like.

That said, I think a girl has to choose this for herself; you can't foist it on a child.

these are the moments when I'm really happy I don't have girls.

"PB Kids makes an attempt in honor Barbie's 50th Birthday."

That just depresses me. "Honoring" the Barbie doll??!! Celebrating and reinforcing continuous strong sales, more like...

Many thanks to this post for inspiring me look into the history of the Barbie doll -- what I found has surprised me, and I wonder if I was the only one not aware of the doll's not even remotely wholesome origins...

Turns out, Barbie was a virtual copy of the German Bild Lilli doll, who was considered a novelty toy for adults, and not appropriate for children -- at least in the beginning. (So that explains the bod!) "Bild Lilli" was a popular cartoon in the Bild newspaper, described thus:

"Lilli was post-war, sassy and ambitious and had no reservations talking about sex. As she had her own job she earned her own money as a secretary but wasn't above hanging out with rich men ("I could do without balding old men but my budget couldn't!"). The cartoon always consisted of a picture of Lilli talking to girlfriends, boyfriends, her boss ("As you were angry when I was late this morning I will leave the office at five p.m. sharp!"). The quips underneath the cartoons handled topics ranging from fashion (to a policeman who told her that two-piece-swimsuits are banned: "Which piece do you want me to take off?"), politics ("Of course I'm interested in politics; no one should ignore the way some politicians dress!") and even the beauty of nature ("The sunrise is so beautiful that I always stay late at the nightclub to see it!"). The last Lilli cartoon appeared on January 5, 1961."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild_Lilli_doll

And here I thought Ruth Handler "invented" the Barbie doll...

Now that I have learned the history of the Barbie doll, I am even more disturbed by Barbie, and would never encourage or support any little girl's desire for Barbie and her paraphernalia, bedding included.

I don't really have a problem with Barbie. It's all in how you present them, IMO. When I was a little girl, (back in the late 70s/early 80s) I had about 5 or 6 Barbie's (and one lucky Ken!). My favourite part was all the accessories (I had a Barbie pool, and the Barbie van). I used to gather them all up into that van and play out Charlie's Angels-type adventures with them (usually involving them busting up a crime ring consisting primarily of my small collection of Hot Wheels cars!)

Anyhow, my point being that, to me, these were very "in charge" ladies. I never saw Barbie as the bimbo so many have made her out to be. And my mother certainly never discouraged my interpretation.

Would I choose to decorate my daughter's bedroom like in the above pictures? No, a bit too "pink" (though she might argue) But I won't discourage Barbie if she likes it. I'm just going to present it to her in the same way it was presented to me. I'm still coming to terms with the notion that my daughter is entitled to her own opinion, even at the age of 2-1/2, and that sometimes I have to let her win. Even if that sometimes means oodles of frilly pink.

I'm with Libberator. It's easy as an adult to poo-poo everything Barbie and wish your daughter wouldn't get into Barbies. But then I remember how much I loved playing with them as a kid - they were great! And I think I came out okay -- Barbie did not give me self esteem or body image issues, and my sister and friends and I did not think of her or treat her like a bimbo.

As for the decor - not my taste at all, but I'm sure some girls would LOVE it. If that ends up being my own little girl one day, I think I'd have to gently nudge her a few steps towards more moderation on the pink... whoa! But of course, as others have pointed out, this is a catalog page. Most people aren't likely to incorporate everything pictured.