More taxpayer money being spent on STUPID (to the max) proposals...
--------------------- Ditch the doll? Lawmaker targets Barbie
West Virginia state delegate says iconic toy overemphasizes beauty to girls
TODAY staff and wire
updated 8:21 a.m. CT,Wed., March. 4, 2009
Barbie could get an unwelcome present for her 50th birthday: outlawed in West Virginia.
A state lawmaker proposed a bill Tuesday to ban sales of the iconic Mattel doll and others like her.
The Barbie Ban Bill, proposed by Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge (D) Lincoln County, says such toys influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development.
"I just hate the image that we give to our kids that if you're beautiful, you're beautiful and you don't have to be smart," Eldridge told West Virginia news station WOWK.
The delegate concedes that the chances of getting the bill passed are slim, but adds that he stands behind it.
"I knew a lot of people were going to joke about it and poke fun at me," Eldridge said. "I couldn't get anybody to sign on the bill with me but I said I'm still going to introduce it."
A Mattel spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Barbie doll officially turns 50 on March 9, and the toy maker has made big plans this year to mark the anniversary.
Barbie has had her foes over that half-century. Critics say the doll promotes materialism and an unnatural body image.
The bill has been sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
i wonder how many little girls actually play with barbie's anymore... --- "I just hate the image that we give to our kids that if you're beautiful, you're beautiful and you don't have to be smart," Eldridge told West Virginia news station WOWK.
i think those images mainly come from advertising that uses half naked models in their advertising.
and how does he know that barbie isn't smart anyway? i've seen doctor barbie -- you have to be somewhat smart to be a doctor
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
I heard this on the news this morning. UNBE-FREAKIN-LEIVEABLE! I had a Barbie and it didn't emotionally scar me. I knew from very young that I was not EVER going to look like a Barbie girl. Then again, perhaps that is what saved me. Not being beautiful has its advantages.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
My oldest girl loved playing with her Barbies. My youngest didn't exactly play with them; she'd undress them, yank the pony holder out of their hair, and throw 'em in the toy box. I was more concerned about her use of handcuffs and tie-downs on her stuffed animals.
Your youngest would have blended well in my house. My brother had a GI Joe and the space capsule accessory. We went through a lot of bottle rockets and a few M-80's trying to launch him into space.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
My grandma tried really hard to get me to like Barbies. She bought me the 3 story house with the elevator, where you pulled on a string to get it to go up. Well, if you yanked on the string, you could get Barbie to fly across the room! Although SheRa's castle had a rising throne that worked better for that.
Oh good grief...like Barbie has ANY responsibility for a girl's self-image. And Barbie's hourglass figure was modified years ago to make her more realistic because of the crazy media it got then. Seriously, if Barbie is a target, then why not Bratz dolls? Why not any of the TV aimed at youth? It's just a hyperactive case of an illogical fallacy if you ask me.
I loved playing with Barbies, but usually not the way they were intended. For example, Barbie made a pretty decent boomerang if you posed her just right.
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-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
My brother had a GI Joe and the space capsule accessory. We went through a lot of bottle rockets and a few M-80's trying to launch him into space.
