The psychology of dolls

I was told that in my absence on Monday the subject of the psychology of dolls came up. Well, I'm not quiet sure what the question was, but I can give some psychological insight on dolls.

Girls are to dolls what boys are to guns. A lot of young boys go through a "gun phase" when they are younger (sadly some never grow out of it). It is a pretty big psychological debate whether or not to let young boys have fake toys guns or to take them away. On the female side, young girls are attracted to dolls because they offer them the ability to show nurturance. The idea that females have an innate need to care for others makes sense from an evolutionary point of view. Being nurturing is a trait that women have needed to possess. It was the wife who stayed home and raised her children and the husband who "brought home the bacon," so to say. This is still widely prevalent today. This is something that has been a part of human culture since the cave. It also explains the gun phase in boys, while it is no longer necessary for men to hunt and cavemen didn't have the technology, hunting still went on for quite a while in human history.

Dolls can also have a negative light to them. Barbie, is supposed to be this perfect women that girls want to be just like when they are older. Yet, studies have shown that barbie is linked to eating disorders in some women. A doll symbolizes not only nurturance, but beauty as well. I'd say that infant/baby dolls symbolize nurturance. Yet, barbie and other "teen" or "women" dolls act as a form of manifestation. Some girls pretend that they are these dolls and that they look just as beautiful as the unperceivably disproportional Barbie. Yet, dolls are not the only thing that shape our thoughts on what beauty is. Disney movies also have a huge impact. Belle, Cinderella, Snow white, Sleeping beauty, etc. they all look the same essentially. High cheek bones, clear completions, slim athletic bodies, small pert noses, big eyes, and full lips! (I'll stop there.) Society plays a huge role on this idea, the media and Barbie are just some factors, yet, every day life is the biggest factor of them all.

The fact that taking care of dolls and nurturing others is an innate trait in women and letting them have stuffed animals or dolls is not going to have a huge impact on how they treat animals. I think of it in terms of: If they are a nurturing person they will be nurturing to dolls, stuffed animals and pets.

Question: How does society shape the way we treat animals? How could society better improve this? How does society shape the way we treat eachother?