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I have nieces who loved Barbies, then later loved Bratz, and then moved on to other things. If we looked in the bottom of their toyboxes, we would find all kinds of things there, including cast-aside Barbies and Bratz, their hair askew, their clothes scattered in among Legos and play food.

I think that, as with so many things, toys probably make a difference depending on how they are presented and what the parents' perspectives are. I remember playing with Barbies, wild dimensions aside, and what most irked me about her was her feet, which were permanently molded into high heels. I didn't confuse my body image with Barbie's any more than I confused my sneaker-clad feet with her molded ones.

I agree with Alysia, though, on the effects that young pop and country and television stars have on kids. I remember having my teen idol crushes from about age 14 to maybe 16. Now it's totally a tween thing when it begins, if not earlier. It starts on Disney and Nick, with kid-charming shows like Hannah Montana, Full House reruns, and so on, and somehow in there it becomes Mylie and Ashley and Mary Kate and the Jonas Brothers, and suddently my 9-year-old niece is attracted to someone's new video. I think every generation believes that the generation that comes after it grows up faster than it did, but you have to wonder just how much farther it can go.

December 15, 2008 - 9:21am

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