Looking at the Dutch doll, its features, and clothing unveil another contradiction. The traditional Volendam clothing which the doll is wearing is customarily worn by women. Some of the pieces, like the lace cap, are specially designated for married woman and a sign of their obedience towards their husband (Hamelink, I., 2022). Although the doll is dressed as an adult and assumed to be a married woman, the facial features and proportions are childlike.
The doll is not true to size, but still, its features are childlike or rather those of a baby doll. If you look at the proportions of the doll, the head and arms are larger in relation to the body, like a toddler (Qi, B., 2023). The arms and further the fingers of the doll are not as lean as they would be for a grown woman. Especially the soft and rounded features of the face support the assumption that this is a baby doll in women’s clothing. That dolls could look like women and not only like children was something that arose with Barbie in the late 1950s (Holland, B., 2023). Therefore, the baby doll had to wear women’s clothing and represent her role in society. However, it is questionable for whom these dolls were intended and with which purpose.