Oh now that was interesting about the HIV stats. How frightening is that? I am going to read that and may even blog about it too. Thanks for adding it. I think Duchess may have mistakenly left her comment here meant of another post but I am glad you put that link there.

My interest as a child was because I loved dressing up in my mother’s jewellery, high heels and wearing her lipstick. I loved dressing up Barbie in all sorts of outfits I recall. It was like playing grownups. I am not sure if I paid much attention to her unrealistic figure but who knows. I am sure there have been many psychologists who have looked at this issue. Now we just have to look at Hollywood or magazines to find the same unrealisitc role models. In fact, they were always there.

I was only reading a magazine from 1930 this week at the library. I was shocked. If we think we have an unhealthy obsession with the body beautiful now then it was a lot worse then. The magazine was telling women how thin they had to be and what body shape (boyish) they should have. my curves would have been run out of town in those days. An unrealistic standard of beauty has always been an issue and driven by the media purely to sell products.

I grew up to be 5ft 9″ with long blonde hair just ten times her waist and hip measurements, ha ha. I never thought she was anything other than a plastic doll. My real role models were my mother and aunties and older sisters and grandmothers.

My daughter on the other hand wasn’t into dolls at all. Someone gave her about 8 Barbies once. Other than removing their heads and taking off all their clothes and leaving them in the toy box she wasnt interested. She grew up to be a lawyer which some may say was evident from her Barbie days. I think we give Barbie and dolls like her way too much power. Its we mothers that influence our small children the most. I wonder how many small children hear their mommies talking about their weight, their wrinkles, the stars they most admire because of theri looks etc etc.

Regardless Barbie is an interesting phenomenon and has made a lot of money for Mattel.

Lilly

Re: HIV…not sure that goes with this post but it just happens that I was contacted by someone at MORE magazine a few days ago about an alarming article that will be in the new issue. 1 in 3 women newly affected by HIV in the US are over 40. Because they don’t worry so much about pregnancy they don’t use condoms. That and we’re operating under ‘old’ rules with respect to the dating game. And, our husbands are apparently playing around more than we know… Anyway, a little scary. Here is the preview link: http://www.box.net/shared/yokidl77pg

I was trying to be pricky. Debate on this is important. Knee jerk reactions are easy and since reasoned debate is rare I thought I would take a stand far on the other side.

I like evidence. I hate political correctness. I think there are some things that we don’t have to worry (quite so much) about as we get older. It is not PC to say so.

(I’m know being provocative again.)

The fact is, there hasn’t been the predicted explosion in AIDS even in YOUNG people, let alone in the middle aged, or even more improbably, in the elderly. I really do think it is mostly a non issue for the elderly, viagra notwithstanding.

I am not saying it doesn’t happen and it is not a potential problem, and not a small one if you’ve got it. But the fact seems to be that the AIDS virus is really quite fragile and difficult to catch. You really have to help it by some seriously risky behaviour or else you have to get it straight into your veins. I admit that will do it.

Heterosexual transmission, despite the scary predictions of the 80s and 90s is still not at all common outside Africa. There are particular reasons that Africa was affected and these are being addressed. The rate of infection there, in countries that are dealing with the problem (especially Uganda) has dropped dramatically.

I’m not saying be complacent or be stupid. I’m just wondering whether most midliffers have a better chance of being run over by a bus — but AIDS makes better copy.

In any case it is clear that Barbie, at whatever age, makes a poor role model. According to the BBC, posted a couple of weeks ago

“Researchers at Finland’s University Central Hospital in Helsinki say if Barbie were life size she would lack the 17 to 22% body fat required for a woman to menstruate. So again, not an unachievable figure, but certainly not a healthy one. ”

The full article is here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7920962.stm

I only very reluctantly allowed my daughters Barbies in the same way I allowed my sons guns. I never banned them (because I know the lure of forbidden fruit) but I didn’t buy them either. I let my children have gifts other people gave them, and I let them buy them with their own pocket money.

But if they asked me I said, Mummy thinks Barbie’s feet are just too silly. But of course you can spend your pocket money on whatever you like.