By Sharon Duke EstroffAs I’ve devoted my last two posts to illuminating the darker sides of Stardoll, I’m going to dedicate today’s entry to spotlighting what I consider to be the site’s crowning glory: its design center. A few weeks back, while investigating Club Penguin, I described my experience in the pizza parlor, where dozens of kids/penguins pretending to be waiters and waitresses took my … [Read more...] about Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 3: A+ for creativity
Stardoll
Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 2: The skinny on virtual paperdolls
By Sharon Duke EstroffIn case there’s any doubt over which is more fun - trying on real clothes at Bloomingdales or trying on virtual clothes at a Stardoll department store - there shouldn’t be. The latter is the hands-down winner.Having survived recent bathing suit shopping trauma, I found dressing up MattieLu, my Stardoll avatar, to be a little slice of shopping heaven. Every frock I slipped … [Read more...] about Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 2: The skinny on virtual paperdolls
Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 1: Barbie grows up
By Sharon Duke EstroffDespite my kids’ insistence that I never tell a soul, I’m spilling the truth anyway - I played with Barbies until at least my 13th birthday. And most of my friends did too. We’d spend entire Saturday nights primping our dolls for hot dates with Ken, and showcasing our collections of tiny plastic shoes as if they were precious gems. Now, nearly three decades later, I’m still … [Read more...] about Undercover Mom in Stardoll, Part 1: Barbie grows up