Dollhouse- Caroline, Rebecca, Ari

Observations we noticed on the outside of the house were the pink and purple color scheme, the roses, the lacy curtains, the circular and curvy pattern of the molding above the porch, and the Christmas wreath. Inside, we noted the soft colors and flower patterns of the wall paper, the baby room (it had baby wallpaper), the briefcase, and the cat.

From these details, we saw a number of underlying messages. Mostly, we noticed the message that a home should be set up in a specific way, with a kitchen, living room, master bedroom, porch, baby room. From this we took the message that young girls should aspire to live in a traditional home with a husband (the briefcase), children (the baby room), and even a specific religion, Christianity. Because this house was being marketed to girls (the pink and purple and lacy curtains), we took this to mean that little girls should play house, which prepares them to take care of a home when they get older.

Additionally, we saw some premises behind these messages. One was that girls like pink and purple. Another was that a woman’s role is in the house, and that women want to/should marry and have a traditional home, with husband, pet, and baby. Another premise was that Christianity is the norm in a “traditional” household.

These messages have many implications. Because they play house when they are little, when they grow up, girls will be more used to dealing with housework than guys, so they may end up doing more than their fair share. Moreover, playing house will give girls an idea of what the “proper” home life is: to marry, have kids and a pet, live in a pretty house, and have a husband who works in business. They may be more inclined to seek this life out for themselves, passing over other exciting life options or being disappointed when their dream life is not realized.

Observing the dollhouse brought up a few questions for us. How does playing dollhouse actually prepare girls for the future- how does their idea of the future differ from what actually happens? To what extend does playing dolls for girls actually effect what they’re used to doing (cleaning, caring for babies) in comparison to guys?