Baby Dolls

    The traditional baby doll is purposefully designed to resemble an infant and is typically accessorized with an array of different caregiving items such as a bottle and diaper. As stated by Karen Whittier, in “Benefits of Play”, baby dolls are vehicles for imaginary play in which children gain a fundamental understanding of “themselves, others, and the world around them.” The baby doll has been recommended to children for its significant role in the development of self-image, social awareness, and creativity as the familiar physical characteristics allow for the youth to self-reflect and connect to the world around them. 

   The emotional appeal within this article stems from parents gaining a deeper understanding of their child’s development process. For example, when the article examines how children “develop their sense of empathy as well as gain another’s perspective”, it is for parents to reflect on what kind of endearing qualities they envision for their child. A child who plays with baby dolls learns to nurture and care for something other than themselves. It directly connects to the aspect of pathos in which all parent’s desire to see their child grow and develop as they should. 

   Within “Benefits of Play” Karen Whittier cites the article titled, “Why Pretend Play is Important” with the intention of establishing the credibility of her claim that baby dolls hold the key to the foundational development in children. The author is coming from the perspective of a teacher which establishes a sense of trust within the reader and the given information. The delivery of her claims allows the new parents reading this article to confidently process the benefits of playing with baby dolls in the long term.      

   Throughout the discussion of its benefits, the main aspect of logos is emphasized which is the longevity of the baby doll’s popularity. The baby doll has “stood the test of time” because its positive impact is prevalent throughout each generation. Even before it was documented as fact, the idea that baby dolls “harnessed the imagination of children” in a productive manner remained true. The baby doll acts as a tool for children to convey their thoughts by providing an external outlet in which they can control. 

   Thus, the baby doll is the pinnacle of childhood development in more ways than one. The more obvious approach is that imaginary play allows children to process their observations and make social connections. While on a deeper level, one of the key markers that someone is ready to mature past childhood is when they lose their desire to play with baby dolls. To transition into adulthood is to forfeit our ability to see the “magic” in the world and embrace the authentic beauty of our harsher and less glorified reality.

     In the article “Dolls” Elizabeth V. Sweet analyzes the societal value of the baby doll as a pinnacle of childhood innocence and its importance in the development of complex ideas concerning culture and social norms in the minds of children. During adolescence, children gain most of their personal identity from their cultural surroundings which influences their prospective roles in society.  Specifically, “children do not just absorb culture like sponges, but rather are purposeful social agents who actively interpret and contribute to it” (Sweet 20). Children are in turn allowed to process their cultural identity by using the baby doll to directly reflect on their personal observations and experiences.  Baby dolls define childhood as a time for transitional objects that act as an outlet for child expression, specifically as a means of digesting the more complicated concepts involved with maturing past childhood like empathy and responsibility. 

      The use of the baby doll emphasizes a distinctive facet of childhood innocence which is the ways that children interpret and experience the world around them. As described within the article, an element of doll play that is unique to childhood is the “dreamlike consciousness in which children can shape their own reality based on their imagination.” (Sweet, 25) As children see the world through a dream-like lens, they surpass the established bounds of society and the limitations of life. Most children have yet to experience the dimming traumas of adulthood, so the baby doll retains its innocence because as a vessel, it becomes a direct reflection of the child that holds it. 

        Baby dolls have given children the means to “interpret cultural messages, create social meaning, and actively carve out resistance from adult culture (Sweet 10).” Generally, most children are introduced to cultural and social norms fairly early in life. This may be reflected in the interactions seen during doll play such as what role they take and how they respond to certain “imaginary” situations. For example, within the Latin community it is very common for women to take on the responsibilities such as caretaking and housekeeping while men are expected to provide by entering the workforce. This cultural norm is usually reflected by young girls playing with baby dolls while young boys typically have an imaginary occupation. Thus, dolls allow children to connect to the world around them by “interpreting, and sometimes contesting, these messages through play.” (Whittier 30) The baby doll creates learning opportunities that grant a child the power to decide their role and create their own story. 

            In the early stages of life, most children lack two things… empathy and responsibility. Not to say that it’s entirely absent but children lack a sense of personal awareness that is necessary to be fully empathetic. At its core, childhood has such a positive connotation because it is the only time in which the deficit of these things is acceptable. Baby dolls give children the unique opportunity to unintentionally practice both empathy and responsibility by inviting them to care for something other than themselves. They use their personal observations of the world around them, specifically their parents, in order to reenact caring for a child. From feeding them to giving an imaginary bath, children are able to understand the weight of their actions, and especially how they can affect those around them.  It is particularly special because as mentioned before, children possess a “dreamlike consciousness” so to them that baby doll is as real as you and I. This accentuates a rare quality of childhood that is present within the baby doll in which one teeters on the line of fact and fiction.

    Hence, the baby doll remains a staple of childhood as they represent purity, the understanding of the world, and of oneself. As children have limited forms of credible communications, it is imperative for them to have a creative outlet to express the trials and tribulations of childhood. As a mechanism of child play, the baby doll has more value than your average toy as a useful means of personal exploration and self-discovery in children. It honors that childhood is a time for testing the bounds and figuring out where you place in the world.

     In the article, “Dolls in African American Art and Culture”, Dr. Linds delves into the cultural significance of the aesthetic appearance of dolls within our society and the effects that this representation has concerning the self-worth and self-image of children. American culture has since evolved to a more inclusive time but long before that, the foundations of our society were built on the basis of racial inequity. From Slavery to Jim crow, the concept of black people being inferior became the established and accepted rationale. Baby dolls have always been “attuned to the constraining hegemonic messages conveyed” within society and this is directly reflected within their aesthetic appearance. (Sweet 27). As said by Dr. Linds, “The human form is among the first play toys that a child has to identify with; thus, its aesthetic appearance has implications for how a child perceives his or her self-image and what standards of beauty are adhered to within society.” (Linds 7). For generations, the baby doll was purposefully limited to white people as a means of denying African Americans the positive and pure representation. It feeds the feelings of inadequacy and gives power to damaging comparisons when children are forced to identify with a doll that contradicts their own physical appearances. Just like with reading, the experience becomes much more profound when you can connect and see yourself within the character or story. Baby dolls use the power of self-reflection to aid children in recognizing their own beauty from within and to grow into fully functioning confident adults.

    Comprehensively, the baby doll remains a symbol of purity and self-discovery by providing a mirror for children to access the fruits of childhood. The baby doll breaches the line between childhood and adulthood as both children and adults can use it to acknowledge their own personal development. It emphasizes a pivotal stage in life where one transitions from being cared for to taking care of something else. The audience should now view baby dolls as culturally significant and socially invaluable for they are with us at the beginning of our childhood and provide essential skills to help smoothen our journey to adulthood.     

 

                                                                    Work Cited

 

Sweet, Elizabeth V.. “Dolls.” Oxford Bibliographies. 28 April 2017.

 

Whittier, Karen. “Why Playing with Baby Dolls is (Very) Important.” Play and Grow, 

Accessed 1 October 2016.

 

Londo, Nashormeh. “Dolls in African American Art & Culture.” The Bold Doll,

Accessed 23 Oct. 2022.