Barbie can do just about anything, according to her series of “I Can Be” books, from a pet veterinarian to a horse-show champ. She can even be a computer engineer, or can she?
The storyline that accompanies the Barbie “I Can Be a Computer Engineer” book shows a general computer ineptitude and critics have blasted the book because in the end, Barbie needs the help of men to do the things a computer engineer should be able to do.
To sum up, she infects her computer with a virus, infects little sister Skipper’s computer with a virus, has two male friends save the day, then takes credit in class and earns extra credit.
The reviews on Amazon, which sells the title with a second one, “I Can Be an Actress,” are scathing
The top-rated comment comes from Rachel Appel, who details the missteps in the storyline and writes, “I work as a software engineer, which is a male dominated field. It is exactly these stereotypes and portrayals of girls like the one in this book that are the driving force behind the lack of girls wanting to enter these lucrative technology fields. This book is part of the problem. I hope Random House replaces this book with something more appropriate for children.”
Amazon contributor Jaylin writes a review under the header “Great for lighting fires during power outages” saying, “I found the sexist drivel that this book portrays to be especially inflammatory, so much so that I’ve placed it near my fireplace for emergency use during a power outage. The demeaning words add extra fuel as they certainly come from the fire of hell itself. Also wonderful for starting your backyard grill.”
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