Our Barbies Ourselves By Emily Prager

In Emily Prager's essay “Our Barbies, Ourselves” she reflects on the impact that Barbie had on gender roles and the connotation of what men and women expect of each other; this reflects back to the person who made Barbie who happens to be a man. When I think back to the time of playing with toys, many come to mind but only one stands out between them all and that was my stuffed polar bear Marshmallow. Marshmallow is a stuffed bear with white fur and black eyes and nose. He was my comfort toy, always there on vacations, playdates, church, everywhere I went he went. He had two special things about him that I remember and it's that his right foot on the bottom was super soft because I would pet it when I was sad and comb it to keep him pristine, just how my dad combed his beard. The other one is the top

He would even come home from work on time for dinner. When I was around 7, I started creating a traditional family consisting of a wife and seven kids, all polar bears and of course a small dog. Marshmallow always went to work and came home late and his wife taught the kids, cooked dinner, washed dishes, and every household chore available. Looking back on it, I realize the clear impact my bear had on me. He was traditional and represented MY family. He was the thing I never had. His whole polar bear family was bought in a pack after him and specifically made for him. He was set up to have a family where he was working and the Mom did all the work, the kids played outside and schooled at home. That was their original background, that was how they were made. This realization brought me to Pragers' essay when she talks about the making of Barbie and the creation of a man. Now that I can relate to this, it turns out that my ‘traditional bear family’ was also created by a man, the story of them and everything. This caused me to put 2 together and realize how men create these toys to align with their