Growing Up Like Skipper: On Breasts & Objectification
Posted: January 16, 2014 | Author: diahannreyes | Filed under: Body, Body Image, Breasts, Feminism, Objectification/Sexualization, Sexism, Woman | Tags: Barbie, Bodies, Body, Body Image, Feminism, Memoir, Objectification, sexualization, Woman, Women's Bodies, WPLongform | 165 CommentsMy first Barbie was a Growing Up Skipper doll. Skipper is Barbie’s younger sister.
A gift from one of my aunts during the 1970’s, my Skipper doll wasn’t an ordinary doll. Living up to her name, she could “grow” from girl to young woman in an instant. All you had to do was take her arms and wind them forward in a circular motion. Not only would she grow taller but her bust would get bigger. Wind her arms in the opposite direction and all of her would shrink back to original size.
At age 6, all I knew was that I had a “2-for-1” doll. Growing Up Skipper even came with an extra outfit for her older self to wear, and she had a tank top that doubled as a bathing suit. Now, when I look back I am able to see how this doll was sexualized—just like when people prematurely endow girls with certain attributes and qualities so that they seem sexier and more mature.
Stories From the Belly 