All Comments on 'Second-Hand Barbie'

Everybody loves a Barbie story, and this is no different. Loved it. Well done.

Cagivagurl

I had one big issue with this. You state Jessica has an art degree. She may not be as intelligent as Traci, but she is certainly at least average intelligence, if not above average - otherwise she would not have gotten her degree. She knows art. She may not know or care for science, math, and numerous other subjects. Based on that I would definitely not classify her as a Bimbo. As far as Traci goes - the only way those degrees are keeping her warm at night is that her job pays the heating bills.

What a sweet story, Jess was smart enough. 5 stars!

Oddball story in many ways. Great read. Thanks

He attacks every issue with violence…like a bully but nobody does anything because in your world, violence is the answer.

Then you just had to give younger, hotter, smarter Traci a shitty conclusion. Old, ugly men thst have no courage or strength.

Go fuck yourself.

Sweet story. I really enjoyed it.

I believe that may be my favorites story of all your submissions to Literotica. Wonderful. Thanks very much.

This festival is really disappointing. people are shoe honing in so many other themes, when its supposed to be a love story

13 years older? Hell no.

That was cool….point well made.

Just loved it!!

Good application of the adage that you don't judge a book by its cover. Jessica dressed more risqué than Traci, but had stronger morals. She wasn't as book-smart as Traci, but had the better plan for a good life. Nice read, except for events being out of sequence, which just broke the flow.

Wow well written, the ending sums it up for me. “ "I'm smart enough to hold on tight to a man I love and who loves me back. Smart enough."

Yeah, that's how it's done.

5*

Me thinks this invitational challenge has been a waste of time, for the writers and readers. Had people stayed on topic it may have been better.

I like the concept of the story, but I don’t think you really sold the idea that she was a bimbo. There wasn’t a single scene in which she acted dumb.

Ah ok. That was ok.

A bimbo who isn't a gold digger?

I thought women like that jumped from rich old men to rich old men until their beauty gives out.

But I guess somewhere, there are women who are like Jessica.

Lucky for who-ever-is-the-name of MC is, found gold.

There is a huge difference between intelligence and wisdom.

I love the point of the bimbo one of my favorite recent stories of yours. Thank you.

Reminds me of a friend. She too is entirely without guile. M isn't unintelligent or naive though assholes sometimes get that impression due to her looks and personality. I have only really ever seen her truly pissed off a few times and it always involved what she viewed was disrespect towards her husband and family. She will pound you into sand lol.

That was really sweet!

If she dresses close enough to stripper to embarrass him in front of his neighbors, that seems like a pretty extreme lack of a dress code to me. The sort of thing a girl might get upset about happening, then cool off and reconsider how she presents herself, especially in public. Meanwhile, the whole "she's too stupid to be like normal girls" thing is really contrived, too. Dunno, this one is a miss.

"I'm smart enough, you know," she whispered unprovoked.

"I know. That's why I love you," I whispered in return.

===

I would have ended it there. Good story

Sweet story.

What a fantastic story, it leaves me speechless for superlatives...

65 year old woman in a high other thigh mini skirt with big saggy wrinkled tits. Almost 50, start to dial it back some now. That's just embarrassing for someone of that age to dress so age inappropriately.

Intelligence is such a subjective thing. Someone like Traci (and, presumably, Jake) may have been intelligent in the conventional, school-smarts sense, but those types generally don't become the CEO's, Presidents, etc. And they are usually not great writers, either. Emotional intelligence, such as Jessica's, is not only more useful, but may actually be more intelligent. What a sweet story. Sure, it's another Hooked1957 five stars. But a lot more romantic than his usual fare. Very well done, and thought-provoking. Emotionally intelligent thought provoking.

5 stars and great appreciation for this story. Who needs Traci when you have Barbie? This was a true romance with a very happy ending!

Wow! Great job. And who doesn’t love a good bimbo story? 5*. We’ll earned, my friend.

Excellent feel good story - yes, she is smart enough. Thank you.

What a great story! 5 big stars!

Well executed, original, and very sweet. Fabulous story! Thank you.

Cheaters rarely come out on top! Good story.

Having read all the stories in this latest invite this is the best one imo.

Nothing pretentious, no racial or ethnic complications, just honest decent story telling at its best.

What an incredibly good job by the author of telling the backstory and main plot simultaneously and being able to keep the story flowing naturally. Maybe the best example I’ve seen of this on LE. Keep up the great work Hooked.

What a great story. Hell we need some positives in this stuffed up world. Well written and a good plot. Many thanks.

Please keep on writing .

Bravo.. nice story. really enjoyed it. In the past month or so, it seems the published stores have gotten "off track" lets say. This one is a keeper.

Sweet sweet story. Too bad he couldn't have met Jess first.

What a lovely story! 5***** all the way! I will confess that Barbies don't normally make me very comfortable, but then they can normally do better than me. It's wonderful to find one with her head in the right place and love in her heart. Great story.

. . . and the Pulitzer prize for best single sentence in an online story goes to: 'Hooked1957 for his sentence: "She doesn't give a shit about Jean-Paul Sartre, but she has a Ph.D. in Dad." Nuff said - another 5 star classic from Hooked1957! Also, it's an art-form to get this much emotion into a two page story!

Very, very nice -- with many grains of truth.

This may have been someone’s real life experience but it does lack eroticism, very “G” rated.

What a beautiful story! I loved the Jessica character! Many thanks.

Really one of Booker's best in a long string of great stories. A satisfying, actually very sweet love story that overshadows the always evil, cheating Traci. The cheating ex is a perfect contrast to the intrinsic natural beauty and goodness of Jessica. Traci is a poor second and she is intelligent enough to know it and too self absorbed to understand why. In this great story beauty isn't just skin deep.

Fun excellent story 5*

Another cracker today! Thank you Hooked, a very believable'ish tale about some people's views and standards.

Five stars, but I expected that given it was from Hooked.

I absolutely Love Jessica! Great story, H!

Can I give it 6 stars? Thanks for the great story.

Very sweet story. Thanks for writing. Tanglosax

"I did have a problem when her dance partners took liberties with their hands and she didn't stop them." - Even if you're not exclusive, at a certain point in a dating relationship you have to start drawing some lines.

\

"Maybe I could tone it down a bit?" - There's nothing wrong with toning it down a LITTLE, she can still be herself.

\

@Anonymous Re: Violence - He doesn't attack EVERY problem with violence, just where appropriate.

Your best story and best in this event. Most of the other authors used their tired formulas but this was fresh.

Fantastic. D

Loved it, 5 stars. I really enjoy a story when I read it and see it play in my head like a movie.

Didn’t love it…but I loved the moral of the story. Best line: “She has a PhD in Dad.”.

.

Game. Set. Match.?

.

4 ****

@ Annie: "Me thinks this invitational challenge has been a waste of time, for the writers and readers. Had people stayed on topic it may have been better."

I'm laughing. We have 192,427 views in less than 24 hours, Only two of the stories are scored below 4.00, those are by women, in LW, and everyone knows how that goes with the misogynistic bastard types like you there. Three red Hs in one day in LW? Unheard of.

Twenty-one of 29 of the stories have a red H, and only two of the non-LW stories don't have a red H. We expect LW stories not to get high scores, due to the asshats like you who hang out here.

Yeah, not a waste of time for anyone but you. If that's not a dope-ass group of stories, I don't know what would be.

@swedishreader1: You a hella fast reader! Read 29 stories, several over 50,000 words, all in 12 hours! Did you eat, sleep or visit a restroom? LOL. Randi.

Great story!

Jeez, someone must be cooking. Where these onions come from to cause things to happen to my eyes? Many thanks Hooked, for a wonderful story with a great message. Cheers.

Turning this one over in my head a bit, yeah the angry anonymous did have a point where he is physically intimidating all the "smart" people in the room as the story MAY lead some readers to think a person with higher education would have a lower set of morals. The truth is our Barbie was cheated by her late husband who used her like a toy and left her with nothing to support herself with when he died. Now she's on her own and looking for solace in bars being felt up by drunk assholes which is really not the best way to get a life partner. She did hit the lottery with the man Tracy threw away but the point of all this was Barbie wasn't the dumb blonde with the heart of gold, Barbie LEARNED from her life and worked to make it better and succeeded. She may not have been the smartest person in the room but she was the person that learned the most and put it to use. She has nothing to be ashamed about. This whole story reminds me of the times in the sitcom All in the Family when Edith stood up to Archie because she was right. She became the head of the house in those episodes. Same idea here, our Barbie is Einstein in the college of love and decency. She learned from her past made became all the better for it. Hooked how about a Barbie prequel eh?

Apparently Traci could never come to terms with herself that while she had all the degrees and so-called brains, she was nothing more than a mistress. A nice feel good story. I want my bimbo.

Very nice and pleasant read. Some stories like this let me kick back and just go with the flow. Thanks for this wonderful piece of writer's skill.

Definition for a story submitted to the Loving Wives category: Second-Hand Barbie by Hooked1957.

Take note wannabes. - TANSTAAFL 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

So tough to read. Sorry.

This is quite good, but, not... erotic enough? Honestly, this is a nice shot at Romance, sweet and with some depth.

More sex lovingly told!

Still good!

WONDERFUL STORY! Just because Traci had a doctorate degree, she thought her shit didn't stink. Too bad Jessica couldn't have caught her somewhere and beat her worse than terribly. I don't like when Jessica was dressed like a whore with men feeling her up, and she'd probably been banished from my life, but she was a real mother to his little children, really the only mother they had, because their mother, a "doctor", was nothing but a slut. It would be interesting when grandchildren come into the picture, especially when she says, "my grandchildren", then you know she did it right. Traci was a smug, educated slut, that's all!

Very good and original. Nice role reversal, and Traci gets hers. Great read.

Chris Rock had a good point when Justin Timberlake revealed Janet Jackson's breast during THAT Super Bowl halftime show. "When a woman is in her 20s, her titties are everyone's titties, they're public domain! When she is in her 40s, her titties are her man's titties!"

I understand what the author is going for, but an LBD that is slightly less-revealing might be worthwhile to investigate as a woman gets a bit older, especially if she is no longer trying to attract a mate. Not all LBDs are slutty, many show off an attractive woman without baring lots and lots of skin.

It worked for the couple in the story though, so...

5 Stars for another wel told story. Excellent depiction of two different women and their respective values.

Whether intentionally done or not, I think the characters have been juxtaposed. Traci, the supposed smart one (and I somewhat question the value of an online philosophy doctorate as ultimate proof of intelligence) is actually the bimbo in this story. She spends the entirety making poor, contrived decisions based solely on her belief that she is smart. Her daughter even calls her out on it at the end of the story by telling her the MC always looked at her lovingly, she just chose not to see it.

Jess, on the other hand, is nothing but confidence personified. She knows exactly who she is, what she likes, and what she wants. Other than dressing proactively, there is no evidence that she is intelligent. She may not have the PhD that Traci has, but she does have a bachelor's, which would suggest average intelligence. Throughout the story she stays true to herself and applies herself fully to that which she seems important.

Reminds me of a girl my son went to school with. Gullible, naive, and a total sweetheart. Her classmates once convinced her that penguins were a hoax. After all, birds that can't fly, but swim under water? Come on, those aren't real. And she believed them. At their high school graduation, each student got to say what they wanted from life. She stood up and proudly declared, "I want to marry a cowboy and have five kids." Penguins? Penguins aren't important. A girl who wants to marry a cowboy and have five kids? That's a girl to hold onto. I see a lot of that girl in the character of Jessica. Like the author said, "She has a PhD in Dad." In the end, that's what's important in life.

since all of this stuff is fiction -

In my professional career, having a PhD was kind of the union card - you need one to do the work. As such, nobody made any fuss over it. Sort of as if a guy went into a bar and exclaimed; "I have a certificate in HVAC!" - not a bad thing if you are freezing your ass off, but not a reason for social hubris.

In the UK, some people would call me "Dr." as a mark of respect, but honestly in the US Doctor used that way generally refers to medical professionals.

So, the story suffered to me from a bit of anti-education bias.

On the other hand, the female lead was charming in a uncomplicated way, and I did like the twist on societal bias about her dress sense. As someone else said, her first husband didn't really do her many favors.

The male protagonist had one of the weakest lines in my recent, failing, memory: "Stand up and get ready to take an ass-whipping, grandpa!" Really? He was that threatened by it all? As you might guess, I didn't identify too closely with the lead.

Oddly, I was left kinda sad in the re-read - all the young guys trying to cop cheap feels off an older woman looking for approval, a guy picking a fight with the older boyfriend of his ex-wife while his current lover looks on. an ex-wife not trading up so much as going short term... the only people with a future to my eye were all of the kids.

Which may be how it should be, I guess.

Good luck with the writing -

Green-something

Excellent story very well written. The best line and most significant is "She has her degree in Dad" It would be nice if all couples, men and women got their degrees in one another.

Nicely done!

That was good, works for me. 5 stars.

Alright! All new storyline and well written. Pride vs. Honesty. How selfishness leads to loneliness.

Well done and in only 2 pages. You don't have to write a novel to have an impact. Would that all of us had a heart as big as Jess'.

An excellently told story that shows a juxtaposition of values that many consider to be unimportant today. But the real values do not consist of money and titles, but of feelings, reliability and authenticity. 5 *!

Solid story and narrative, as always. Classic love story based on not judging a book by its cover. 5*

Yeah, so in my opinion, and it is only my opinion, the highest form of intelligence is basic self awareness, knowing your strengths and weaknesses and then, if you're lucky, recognising the strengths and weaknesses of others. For all the lack of book learning and speed of complex thinking displayed by Jess she displays this. Notably in her recognition here "But she's got so much going for her. She's smart and beautiful and I'm... just a bimbo.", she understands (if is painfully self-deprecating) her strengths and limits, and then Wanda identifies that she understands the man she loves and finds happiness with, for all her "intellect" Traci does not understand herself, nor relate to those around her. That is why she fails. I just wish Jess realised in the story what a gift she was, but what is almost as important is that Jake does.

Good story.

I was married or engaged to a couple of truly brilliant women. One is a scientist and the other is an award-winning lawyer. Neither had the first clue what love really is. Not the first. Don't know if their smarts contributed to their narcissism or not. Married another woman of average intelligence. She turned out to be a narcissist, too. Maybe it's just modern women in the USA. The culture seems to teach them to put themselves first, to remember that men suck, and they need to be ever vigilant to avoid doing anything for a man lest she be regarded as failing her feminist duty.

Observing lots of women and having had lots of conversations with husbands, I would say that nearly all American wives today have some serious issues with narcissism. The culture just breeds it.

Hey Hooked! Wonderful little story! Loved the older bimbo character. Usually find that character as the focus of the MC's ire in LW. Nice twist. Thanks for the read! Truly enjoyed!

Killian

Interesting and good.

/

I was about to submit my dissertation when I read two Engineering article about consulting issues in remaining marketable. Both confirmed unless you are willing to work Academia or pure Research no one will pay a PhD salary. Plus your employer will fear you jumping companies for a higher PhD salary, so there is such a thing as being over educated and too expensive. Plus I know I'd get myself in trouble very quickly working in Academia; as one of the faculty/student libturds would piss me off and I'd light them up, verbally. I was a boot-pusher that did 10yrs-USN-CPO and Vietnam. I'm a do'er not a procrastinator; they say those who can't do - teach, well I can do so I'll stay in MFG/Engineering consulting

/

The EX has some problems and needs serious shrink time. Even the kids see it.

/

But in all the LW stories why is it ONLY the husband has to pay child support and not a successful PhD professor who gave up the kids? Why isn't the EX-wife held to the same FAIR standards; at least force her to pay into educational trust fund(s)?

/

5*, hooyah, Salutes....

Excellent writing and a wonderful story.

Jessica had dual doctorates in Dad and joie de vivre. And tenure.

Wonderfully Great!!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!

-

A truly Great Loving Wife Story, with a bit of a tear jerker to it.

-

Well Done!!!!

-

Pasqual

That was nice, kind of an homage to the simple but virtuous woman trope. "Simple but virtuous" is an oxymoron. The two attributes have no inherent connection. Jessica was described as being simple minded, but none of her actions reflected a simple minded person. Traci was described as being intelligent, but her actions reflected a pretty stupid woman. That contradiction, emphasized in this story, is a puzzle only to people with minds like Traci's, and perhaps the author.

The second most intelligent thing a person can do is be right. The most intelligent thing a person can do is know and accept when they are wrong, then act to fix it. That's why they appear so intelligent. And that's where the story failed, promoting Jessica as being less intelligent than Traci, while ALL the behaviors showed Jessica being much smarter than Traci, to an intelligent observer.

Traci: arrogant, a thief, selfish, cruel, without honor or self respect. Jessica: open and honest, loving and respectful, well mannered but not obsequious or self denigrating, virtuous almost by instinct and character without having to coach herself. Who do you think is the better human being, and has the better chance for a good life? And what is the end game of being smart if it is not to obtain and keep a good life? Traci had it and threw it away. Jessica was smart enough to seize the opportunity, but also smart enough that she had to be open and honest about who and what she was in order to form a lasting honest partnership with a man who was smart enough to see and reciprocate for the same opportunity. That's not just smart, that's brilliant. And thank God there are millions of couples who reflect that genius every day. You just have to be smart enough to see and understand it.

OK women, who would you rather be in this story, Traci or Jessica? Exactly, smart choice.

Thanks for the effort.

A degree does not mean your smart, it means you went to school.

Great story even even better than Hooked`s usual excellent standard. Needless to say 5 stars.

Interesting, different and fresh.

I was hovering at 4 stars, maybe I would have only given it 4 until this ending.

"I'm smart enough, you know," she whispered unprovoked.

"I know. That's why I love you," I whispered in return.

"I'm smart enough to hold on tight to a man I love and who loves me back. Smart enough."

killer....absolutely killer 2 pages, pithy, pointed, and perfect... 5 well deserved stars....!!!!

This story brought back sweet memories for me. When I was thirty I had a forty five year old girlfriend. She was pretty and bright and loads of fun. I'm a connoisseur of all sizes and shapes of women but when I think of what makes a perfect body my mind always goes to my memory of her. She was fit, trim and small breasted. The effect was spectacular. She was unpredictable to the point of being called crazy by the people lucky enough to call her a friend. Sadly, I let her get away. She met a wealthy guy who was shopping for a trophy wife and I didn't want to get married again. My own experience lent a poignance to your wonderfully told story about Jessica.

Thanks for sharing it!

Delightful story!

5

One of those story's where you wish you could give more stars!

For a while I felt as if I was reading about Oz's strawman. Jess was treated as if she didn't have a brain and was probably treated the way from the day she became a beautiful young woman. But she did have an Art degree, perhaps just a BFA. and she didn't need a phycologist to tell her how to keep her husband happy and at home. Perhaps she felt she needed to flaunt her beauty to compete with "smarter" women and the BFA didn't make her feel worthy of the attention.

Her choice of fashion undermined her intelligence so that men assumed she didn't have the smarts to go along with her looks. If asked to dress less provocatively by her husbands she would have been pleasantly surprised to learn that they didn't want a Barbie Doll they wanted a loving wife.

Very nice and well written.

A degree doesn't make someone smarter than everyone else. It usually means they had the money and the free time to pursue that degree. I don't mean to disparage their hard work but there are extremely brilliant people that just didn't have the privileges and resources to go for those advanced degrees. There are many very successful folks, even $Billionaires who never finished or even went to college. Met enough Pseudo-intellectuals in my time to see the difference. Jess sounds like a much smarter person in the long run.

Amazing two pages beautiful and romantic story. Definitely a 5 star ✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟. From Ali Singapore

What a fantastic story!

Yes, she was smart enough and that is what really counts

Life is all about knowing what you want and need, and then setting priorities. And then acting on them. Jake eventually figured out what he needed and how to get it. Many of us never achieve that and learning the process is what this story is all about and earns it a 5* rating. The author set him/herself the task of educating us and he/she was successful. If we indeed learn the lesson.