How dads who play Barbie can help empower their daughters

‘Have you brushed your teeth every night?’
‘I forgot for a few nights.’
‘You shouldn’t do that.’

In recent weeks we’ve had a pretty strict dentist in our house. The dentist has been sitting by the kitchen table with all her other career-focused friends who’ve been coming for check-ups.

It’s been where four-year-old Big Girl and Daddy T have had fun playing with Barbie after Mattel very kindly sent a box of Barbie dolls to help us celebrate how dads can empower their daughters by investing time in their imaginary worlds.

After receiving the box of new Barbie dolls, Daddy T and Big Girl have taken half the kitchen table, creating space for Barbie. Big Girl, who now wants to be a dentist when she grows up, loved the vet Barbie, who she pretends is a dentist Barbie since she wears a long white coat.

The football player Barbie, the Fashionista Barbie and the Popstar Barbie from the box, have all had an opportunity to get their teeth nice and shiny, and they’ve all been getting advice on how to keep their teeth clean to prevent cavities from their Barbie dentist.

Daddy T, who never gets to play the dentist, has come up with some brilliant stories for why the dolls have had to make a trip to the dentist and how happy they’ve been with the dentist’s excellent work.

I’m very happy when I see Daddy T joining in and playing with Big Girl on weekends, and I can see in her eyes how much she appreciates getting his full attention and that he spends time with her doing something she loves.

In the new Mattel YouTube video, six dads do exactly what Daddy T has been doing, and watching the little clip makes me smile, as it celebrates the magic of father-daughter relationships.

I think many dads are amazing at making pretend play extra fun, and according to research carried out by Mattel, two thirds of UK Dads believe that joining in their daughter’s playtime helps build their self-confidence.

The Mattel campaign also highlights how time spent in their girls’ imaginary world is an investment in their real world, and I think the new range of Barbie’s with different careers can be useful for teaching girls about different professions.

By playing with dolls that have chosen different careers, I can see how Daddy T can not only bring the fun-factor but also help Big Girl’s understanding of the world.

The new Barbie dolls have diverse body shapes, different careers and different talents in sports, and some were so different from what I remember from growing up that I had to Snapchat a Barbie picture to an old friend. I’ve also had several conversations with friends about the change in Barbie since seeing these new dolls, and as parents we like the focus on diversity.

Barbie celebrates the slogan ‘You Can Be Anything’–and that’s exactly the message we want to pass on to Big Girl too.

Barbie Career Dolls include a vet, popstar, firefighter, chef, ice skater and more. Barbie Fashionista Dolls wear outfits that reflect current trends and highlight individuality and diverse fashion styles.

Tags: Barbie, Dad, Dolls, Fashion doll, Four years, Mattel, Play, Review, Toys