Growing up I loved playing with my
baby doll. I was happy to take her everywhere, feed her, change her, push her
in her stroller, etc. so having and taking care of my baby doll was a big part
of my childhood. From my baby doll I learned how to be responsible, kind,
loving, etc. I specifically learned how to take care of her by noticing how my
mother, along with others, took care of their own children. As I took care of
her it gave me a sense of accomplishment because I felt like I was doing
something important. Throughout my life I received many baby dolls as gifts which
made me so excited that I could not wait to grow up and have a child of my own.
When I look
back on this cultural artifact I do feel slightly different. As a little girl I
grew up focused on ways to become a better mother in the future through playing
with my baby doll. I did not focus much playing with other toys like those related
to the career [doctor] I aspired to be. This is ironic because now I am more focused on obtaining a career than having children. When I think critically about the toy baby
doll I feel slightly negative towards the idea. I feel like it reinforces the idea
of society that a women’s primary role is to take care of her children. I say
this because It is heavily populated in the “girls” toy section and is covered
in colors associated with girls constructed through society. However, the toy
does have a positive impact by helping shape the personality of the child along
with developing helpful characteristics. I think the toy is a great gift but
the people giving the toy to the child should be aware of the message they may be inflicting on the child. They should also
introduce a variety of other toys that may seem “out of the ordinary” so traditional
gender roles are not reinforced, but this is just my opinion.
