Gender Norms Matter more than I expect
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john2007
For the ones who are going to talk about how I’m using a TTS voice instead of my own voice, That's! not! your! problem! My voice, my choice.
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Artemis
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john2007
She’s 46 and illiterate. So, we can say she’s old school. My dad wouldn't care about stuff like that, but something good happened. I have two sisters; both are older than me and have accounts on Trend yol. Yesterday, my oldest sister saw its product photo on my phone screen as the wallpaper. Note: I specifically set it as my wallpaper so they would see it. 😄 She told me to send her the link... About half an hour later, she came into the room I share with my middle sister to give her coffee and whispered to me that she had ordered it without telling Mom. I’ll give her the exact amount from my 1,900 Turkish Liras when the delivery arrives. I guess it'll be here in two days. By the way, you're right. I was sad, mad, angry, and about to laugh all at the same time... because, you know, this is kind of funny. There’s a bias against boys and teenagers playing with dolls, and we’re used to that. But this was the first time I saw someone show bias specifically because of the doll’s gender.
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Artemis
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john2007
I think the reason she bought it was my expression. There’s a clear difference between when I’m just interested in something after seeing someone else with it and when I REALLY want something without any hesitation. The second one is rare, so my family members know when I truly want something, I guess. As for the Blind Barbie and collecting... I think I’ll start collecting once I have my own card and a stable income, which means once they can no longer control my spending. After covering my needs, there will be a little money left over that I can use to buy whatever I want. Anyway, I got the Blind Barbie! The package arrived here on June 3rd. When it first arrived, my family thought I would lose interest in a few minutes, or maybe even sooner. But I played with it for about 45 minutes, until Mom had to tell me to stop, put it back in its package, and store it somewhere safe. To their surprise, I still take it out of the box sometimes and play with it for 20 to 40 minutes in the living room. We have a table with wheels, which is great because I can put my things on it and move it around whenever I need to. I think the reason I like dolls more than toys like cars or guns is related to my blindness and how much I enjoy being around people. Since I’m blind, my primary ways of interacting are through touch and hearing. One of the main inputs my brain processes is tactile feedback, and the things I touch most are naturally the people around me. Since dolls are miniature models of people, they interest me much more than cars do. I also like creating stories, even with TTS voices. Not meaningless stuff like random battles, but real story series that explore family and friendship dynamics between characters. So, dolls are a great tool for me to interact with and tell stories. For example, I came up with an idea involving the Barbie in a Wheelchair—which I can't buy because it isn't available in Turkey. I could use that doll as Melody Brooks, the main character from the book and movie Out of My Mind. She has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, so that Barbie would be perfect for her. Or, I can use the Autistic Barbie as Julia from Sesame Street, a 4-year-old Muppet with autism who sometimes uses an AAC device just like the Barbie doll comes with. It has a replica of an AAC device. A pink tablet shaped plastic accessory.
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