Gender as a virtual Barbie consist of one option. Everything is for Barbie GIRLS, as the web address states and as you are greeted by Barbie when entering the site as she says "Hey Girl!". The log in for the virtual world is everything pink, and feminine. When creating a virtual Barbie account it asks for a parental email address to confirm with the child's parents that they are allowed to make an account. I put in my email, because you have to go in and confirm before you can set up your account. The email sent to the parents states how their "daughter" just made an account. I remember when signing up I did a double take and felt some what sad that a boy could not make an account with out being forced to 'gender bend'. I don't really think it is that unusual that young boys will pick up their sisters Barbie dolls at some point in their childhood and maybe feel a little curious, which should not automatically classify them as females.
The boy to girl ratio is about 1:99 in Barbie world. I have only come across one male who was the genie in the "purple palace" and would do a daily horoscope type of reading. I realize that the website is supposed to be geared as a "safe" fun zone for young girls to go and just be a girl. There are four different areas to go on the map such as: Total Girlhood, Extreme Dreampark, Shop-a-mallics, and Paw Pawlooza. There are different activities and games there for girls to do, with the focus being on getting points so you can go to the mall and shop. Can Virtual Barbie really be seen as an innocent fun place for girls to play, or are there poor underlying messages being taught? What is the message this type of virtual world is really sending to girls?
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