i recognize that the concerns underlying the development of this product (and, let's be clear: this video is an advertisement. all the kids want the real doll! buy! buy!) are real. a lot of these comments are seeking to trivialize the issue. it's not a triviality. there's mountains of research into this.

however, you'll notice that several of these kids are deciding what the dolls' careers are based on their appearance. they may be being prodded a bit to sell the doll, sure. it's hard to know. but what they're saying is that the barbie doll must be a fashion model because of how she looks; the "realistic doll", on the other hand, can be an astronaut, if she wants, because of how she looks.

in other words, the kids are continuing to enforce the objectification of women. pretty much everything these kids are saying remains reflective of a heteropatriarchal order that categorizes women based on their ability to conform to male standards of sexuality.

again: there's a problem here. but it's not in the dolls, themselves, as physical objects. they're just molded plastic. it's in the way that the girls are taught to interpret the dolls.

and, if you want to get to the root of this, you need to change the messaging that girls get when they pick the toys up, not the toys themselves.

scandinavian women are going to continue to exist. and, in fact, the advanced social system in that area produces plenty of women that look like barbie dolls and work in law or medicine.