“On a deeper level Barbie has become inanimate. She has lost any individual warmth that she might have possessed if she were perceived as a singular person. This may go some way towards explaining the violence and torture.”

University of Bath academics conducting research on the roles of brands among children ages 7 to 11 found that Barbie dolls are frequently singled out for decapitation, scalping, burning, and microwaving. Instead of cultivating maternal instincts or inspiration among its consumers, Mattel’s Barbie dolls seem to bring out “violence and hatred” — possibly because they are too old for the dolls but possibly also because Barbies represent some form of cultural excess. Dr. Nain stated, “The girls almost always talked about having a box full of Barbies. So to them Barbie has come to symbolise excess. Barbies are not special; they are disposable, and are thrown away and rejected…”

While Barbie dolls have long been the target of feminism and gender equity advocates (and even, on some occasions, of vigilantes and mad scientists), Barbie hatred has always previously been seen as an adult phenomenon. Dr.Nairn’s research suggests that Barbie’s pert plastic breasts may also represent more than merely a doll to the children who covet her.

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