Barbie Has Class

Good news, everyone. I discovered that I do indeed have access to the Barbie Girls B-Chat after all. I learned that I could not engage in B-Chat when I previously tried because there was no one around with whom I could chat. Yesterday I pressed the button for the heck of it and I was able to choose from a select group of prewritten messages. There were two other Barbie girls hanging out and I said hello. All I got back was the proverbial sound of crickets chirping, but at least I can put messages out there. The only place I can chat is the sidewalk area where things are advertised (e.g. games, upcoming games, benefits for VIPs). After I enter another part of the Barbie Girls world, chatting is not available to me. I'm not sure if VIPs can chat anywhere and everywhere. I decided to forgo the VIP membership so I could keep my $6.


I visited the Barbie Girls world for a couple hours today (07/11/10). First, I went in and said hello to the two other girls there. I got no response. Oh well. I like to think they were distracted because they were on their way to do something else so I did not take it too personally.

Next I played some games. The first one, Tiara Trivia, was kind of a snoozer. It was a trivia game based on other games and VIP privileges. I was grateful that I was able to make $8 in Barbie Bucks. I played Jammin' Hamsters again and I think I've finally gotten the hang of it. I started to play another game, but was told I needed to log on again. This is kind of a hassle because the site is slow at peak times.

I landed in my bedroom when I re-entered Barbie Girls. I figured out how to make some minimal changes to my room and now my comforter is more like my taste than the default issued one. There is a tag at the top of the page to remind me that my room is LOCKED because I am not a VIP member. Still holding tightly to my $6.

I pressed a button that said map and saw that there were a bunch of fantasy land places to be visited--Extreme Dream Park (an amusement park), Total Girlhood, Shop-a-Mallics (isn't that cute?!?) and Paw Pawlooza (I hope Mattel does not get sued for using -looza). I wanted to see what the Extreme Dream Park was like and waited a couple minutes only to learn that I was not allowed because I was not a VIP.

What exactly does a VIP member get? I clicked on a button to learn that I could get a virtual pet, choose from exciting hairstyles, share my profile and faves (Orange is totally my favorite color!), throw parties in my room with my BFFs, play VIP games and a whole lot more. I was (and still am) tempted to fork out the money so I could get this really cool purse for my avatar--it looked just like something I would carry in real life.

Finally, I decided to play a game called Fashion Frenzy. I worked at my own department store where I had to help customers find what they wanted (shoes, skirts, purses, jewelry, snacks) and eventually help them get to the cashier. I had the opportunity to buy upgrades to my merchandise as well as to invest in ways to lure in customers such as coupons or print ads. On the surface, this looks like an enjoyable game where players have to learn money and time management as well as prompt customer service. It is similar to the

Dazzling Designs game in that it teaches girls how to be entrepreneurs. However, playing this game made me angry. As I tried to help customers as quickly as I could, there were many voices coming at me that said things like, " Hello, I'm waiting" and "Let me talk to the manager" and "Finally!" in extremely condescending tones. I don't want the little girls in my life to learn that it is appropriate to talk to people like that when they are being helped by a service professional.

Here is some of the things I've reflected upon related to money and socio-economic status from visiting Barbie.com and Barbie Girls:

• Barbie.com and Barbie Girls are both complex advertising campaigns to entice girls to consume a whole range of Barbie and Mattel products. Parents play an important role in managing what their daughters can experience while visiting Barbie Girls. Of course, it is no accident that they will be exposed to a whole range of Barbie dolls; clothing, accessories and shoes (for Barbie and girls); electronics; and even an ad for Toy Story 3 in case they have been living under a rock for the last couple months and need a reminder.
• Being a VIP is important for a number of reasons. Non-VIPs don't have much access to other people so their Barbie Girls lives can be a bit lonely because they can't bring other girls into their rooms. Non-VIPs can't even spend the money they earned through creating an avatar and playing games. Non-VIPs have fewer choices when it comes to fashion, skin tone and room decoration. Non-VIPs don't have access to fun places that VIPs get to visit. Non-VIPs have scripted things they can say. Only VIPs can speak "freely" to others. Being a non-VIP creates a culture of desire to entice girls into the VIP realm.
• Barbie Girls participants learn to equate being a girl with being an avid consumer. Many of the games and experiences on Barbie Girls are rooted in shopping for the latest . Girls are entitled to get what they want when they want it as demonstrated by the messages spewed in the Fashion Frenzy game.
• Barbie Girls is geared towards girls that are able to access a computer and the internet in their homes. It is not impossible to visit Barbie Girls at the library or at school. Since parents must be involved in creating the Barbie Girls settings for their daughters, it would involve visiting the public computer together or making multiple visits for a girl to get up and running. It seems like it would be a big hassle to do this unless you had one really dedicated Barbie Girls girl.

Here is my question for the class:

Did you find yourself pining for something you could not have when you accessed your online virtual world for this class? What was it? What did you do about it? What kinds of things do you think Barbie Girls leaves its participants wanting?