Gender Role-Models

While growing up, did you play with Barbie or another kind of doll - for instance, baby dolls, action figures like GI Joe, figures based on cartoon or movie characters? In your journal, describe you relationship with such toys, or explain why you never played with them.

• Even if I am a girl, I was never attracted to or was fond of Barbie dolls. There was something about them that made me feel uncomfortable seeing them, let alone touch them. Perhaps it has something to do with my tomboyish attitude (since eventually I do grow up to behave more like a boy in many situations and circumstances). Yet, I never played with more masculine toys such as GI Joe and so on. I remember that the only dolls I played with was my Pokemon dolls of Pikachu and others Pokemons. One thing I should note was that I was never fond of the human figures, and therefore all of my Pokemon dolls were the Pokemons and never the humans. Other than that, my other dolls were all teddy bears. It seems as if I have an affinity for cute, non-human dolls.
• My relationships with my dolls arose more from my love of the cartoon itself during those periods. I remember I would pretend that I was one of the human characters in Pokemon, and simulate a battle. My love for Pokemon stayed for quite a while, but eventually, it faded away. My more permanent, and personal, relationship was with my teddy bears. Somehow, I feel a sense of home and comfort with them. When I was young, it was also good to know that I have someone/something to turn to, and the idea continues on to today, even though it may be somewhat of a ridiculous one.