Awesome Eight-Year-Old Tells Dwell Magazine What She Thinks About Architect Barbie (VIDEO)
Photo credit: Mattel
Back in August, Dwell magazine writer Alexandra Lange wrote an excellent piece about Architect Barbie and marketers’ attempts to “girl-ify” classic toys like Lego and Lincoln Logs. She concluded with the thought that even though Architect Barbie’s focus seems to be more on the pretty outfit (which includes a hot pink blueprint tube, of course) than the profession itself, playing with her might encourage girls to develop an interest in architecture – which is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
Eight-year-old possible future architect Olivia Steger had some thoughts of her own about Architect Barbie. In a very well-written letter to Dwell, Olivia explains that encouraging a young girl’s interest in architecture isn’t as simple as handing her an Architect Barbie. Check it out:
Via: JessicaValenti.Tumblr.com
When I was a kid, I had a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe (in classic red and yellow), educational games, stuffed animals, art sets, My Little Ponies, markers and cardboard boxes and empty shampoo bottles, and yes, a few Barbies. In fact, I even had the hot pink Barbie convertible. That thing ruled.
My parents always encouraged me to use my imagination and use toys and other objects in whatever manner I saw fit. Because of this, I ended up with crime-fighting My Little Ponies, pencils and markers hanging out inside the Fisher Price castle and talking feudal politics, and Sailor Moon Barbie getting in a serious relationship with Doodle Bear.
It was weird. But in the end, all that creative play probably helped my development as a blogger (not to mention my Sailor Moon Barbie / Doodle Bear fan fiction).
Inherently, there’s nothing wrong with a young girl playing with Barbies, or baby dolls, or any of the other stereotypical “girl toys”. But, as Olivia says in her letter, handing a girl an Architect Barbie and expecting it to take care of the whole “girls can’t be architects” thing is a little misguided. Girls should be encouraged to read books, pursue their interests (whatever they may be), and play with toys that fall everywhere along the gender-marketing spectrum.
The girl in this video gets it:
What do you think? Are “Career Barbies” a good way to get girls interested in subjects that are normally boy-centric? What kinds of toys did you play with as a kid, and do you think they affected your development and the adult you became?
