no barbies!!!!

Not a barbie fan either, though I certainly had my share of them in childhood. FWIW, I escaped my barbie years with minimal scars
My dd is only 2 and my 5 yo ds isn't such a doll guy, so we haven't crossed this bridge yet.
However, we have trespassed the "army toy" bridge. Army toys disturb me on many levels, maybe the way barbie bugs you.
In the end we decided to let ds have an army tank from the thrift store, but not before multiple conversations about it.
I voiced my protests gently and as age appropriately as I could (used NVC language, ie: I am bothered by army toys because the army does many things that hurt people and I need your support in keeping everyone in our house safe and secure.) and he responded that he was just curious and wanted a chance to try it out. Well, the toy was fabulous, for about 6 hours. He even slept with it , but then it lost its charm b/c it really didn't do as much as the blocks, etc. It languished in the back of the closet and eventually was given back to the thrifty store when we moved, ds's choice.
So, if and when dd wants a barbie, I plan to try the same tactic. May work, may not, but at least dd will know that Barbie is not the gold standard in what a woman should look like.

eta: we have a groovy girl that was a gift to ds when he was 2 and now dd plays with it and she is endlessly frustrated with the doll b/c it's shoes are sewn on.

I asked about doll alternatives awhile ago and Only Hearts Club dolls were mentioned - they still have long hair to style (like Barbies) but come in a variety of skin/hair/hair type combos (curly, darker skinned, lighter skinned, different eye colors) - they're supposed to be 11 year old girls and they don't have the body issues of Barbie (same height, just not the unrealistic bodies although I'm guessing the legs are still quite long ). Clothes, since they are girl dolls instead of grown-up, are also not super-sexy too.

I think the website for them is http://www.onlyheartsclub.com .... you can find them quickly via google. The "story" behind the dolls is IMO a bit hokey (each one has a profile) but I think it's the sort of thing that a lot of people get into. I think the cost is comparable.

When Ina is old enough for "Barbie" type dolls, we are getting these and we are getting the word OUT to family/friends that they are the dolls/clothes to get if people want to buy Barbie or Bratz type dolls for us, that the Barbies/Brats will go to charity immediately rather than be played with my our kids (yes, I'm a hardliner on this issue - Mom was with us too - so I think any resistance to this plan will be from the ILs side ).

thanks, mamas! as usual i get the best info at MDC. i'm gonna try those only hearts dolls and maybe check out some other of the suggestions. i have been avoiding "forbidding" them in our house too, since it can set up the old power struggle thing, but if there is an alternative i can easily steer him to that since it's mostly just the pretend and clothes on/off that he likes. but theres something almost pornographic (and i'm a pretty happnin' hip mama) about how these barbies look naked in there stilettos. weird.
by the way, the army thing is a problem here too. lately he's received a few army planes and even a squirt gun that looks oddly real. he calls it a squirter and i don't even think he knows what a gun is yet so i haven't taken on that issue. i know this can all be over thought and i had a barbie and i'm o.k., blah, blah, but it's their innocents, kwim? i know i can't keeep the breaks on this forever, but maybe until he's a little older and we can talk about the fact that wearing shoes like that makes most real life girls really cranky!