Odd cultural moment
Dec. 15th, 2010 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marinessSo, at the checkout line at Target today, I got behind a woman with two children - an infant and a kid of about four, I think. The girl was playing with an unclothed Barbie.
I know this, not because I was paying attention, but because the woman ahead of me brought this to our decidedly unshocked attention. "Excuse me," she said, in an exceedingly loud voice. "Are you aware that your child is playing with a Barbie who ISN'T WEARING CLOTHES?"
The woman with the kids was paying more attention to the cashier and to the infant than to strangers making comments about Barbies, so the woman between us had to yell this out again. The mother glanced down at the kid and then up at the stranger. "We've been in a rush," she said.
That was not the right answer. The woman between us launched into a long lecture, which I'm afraid was completely lost on the mother who was trying to check her receipt, about how children should never ever walk around with an unclothed doll of any kind, much less Barbie, since it would give them the wrong ideas. If my vague memories of Barbie and some of her more risque clothing choices are correct, those ideas are already there, but I am willing to admit that I am wrong on this point and naked Barbies in public will harm a child for life.
Maybe.
Anyway, for those of us without children, this is another argument against parenting -- at least we can go to Target without worrying that complete strangers will be critiquing our kids' taste in dolls. At least most of the time.
I know this, not because I was paying attention, but because the woman ahead of me brought this to our decidedly unshocked attention. "Excuse me," she said, in an exceedingly loud voice. "Are you aware that your child is playing with a Barbie who ISN'T WEARING CLOTHES?"
The woman with the kids was paying more attention to the cashier and to the infant than to strangers making comments about Barbies, so the woman between us had to yell this out again. The mother glanced down at the kid and then up at the stranger. "We've been in a rush," she said.
That was not the right answer. The woman between us launched into a long lecture, which I'm afraid was completely lost on the mother who was trying to check her receipt, about how children should never ever walk around with an unclothed doll of any kind, much less Barbie, since it would give them the wrong ideas. If my vague memories of Barbie and some of her more risque clothing choices are correct, those ideas are already there, but I am willing to admit that I am wrong on this point and naked Barbies in public will harm a child for life.
Maybe.
Anyway, for those of us without children, this is another argument against parenting -- at least we can go to Target without worrying that complete strangers will be critiquing our kids' taste in dolls. At least most of the time.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-16 03:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-16 03:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-12-16 01:47 pm (UTC)Plus, the Barbie in question was performing an admirable job of keeping the child quiet, which I am pretty much going to approve of whatever the toy is :)