Claire Oshetsky > Status Update
Claire Oshetsky
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Lately I’ve begun to realize that writers have no idea what their books are about. I need to own that, and to stop trying to answer questions as if I’m actually smart about my own stories, rather than saying “I have no idea why Celia is so mean to her Barbies,” or worse, “Isn’t every kid mean to their Barbies?” which I’m beginning to realize is kind of a self-incriminating thing to say, maybe.
— Jun 08, 2026 10:12AM
Lately I’ve begun to realize that writers have no idea what their books are about. I need to own that, and to stop trying to answer questions as if I’m actually smart about my own stories, rather than saying “I have no idea why Celia is so mean to her Barbies,” or worse, “Isn’t every kid mean to their Barbies?” which I’m beginning to realize is kind of a self-incriminating thing to say, maybe.
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Alison
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Jun 08, 2026 10:33AM
I had a whole storyline with my Barbies, in which one of them was relentlessly bullied by the other three, despite all looking exactly alike,
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Aw, but once Barbie's hair is cut, it is done, and you can't go back. Once you release a story, it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to everyone. A Barbie metaphor for life. Or writing. Both.
I was also “mean” to my Barbies, cutting off their hair and making them prance around naked. Now I buy demented, used, cheap Barbies from estate sales because I always liked them that way. It builds character, but isn’t the entirety of my character 🥴 my love for barbies is just love for the nostalgia at this point
I’s so happy to know I’m not the only one!
I was only mean to the Ken dolls my evangelical abusive parents forced me to have. I’d strip them naked & leave them outside the dream house etc. Barbie I treated nicely 😝
