News correspondent Pauline Frederick once commented When a man gets up to speak people listen then look. When a woman gets up people look; then if they like what they see they listen" (Women's Wit and Wisdom 10). Ironically, the harsh reality of this statement is given life by the ongoing controversy of America's most recognizable and sometimes notorious toy. Barbie. Barbie has become this nation's most beleaguered soldier of idolatry who has been to the front lines and back more times than the average "JOE." (Varney 161). This doll, a piece of plastic, a toy incurs both critique and praise spanning all ends of the ideological spectrum. Barbie's curveaous and basically unrealistic body piques the ire of both liberals and conservatives, each contending that Barbie stands for the distinct view of the other. One hundred and eighty degrees south, others praise Barbie's (curves and all) ability to unlock youthful imagination and potential. M. G. Lord explains Barbie best: To study Barbie, one sometimes has to hold seemingly contradictory ideas in one's head at the same time . . . The doll functions like a Rorschach test: people project wildly dissimilar and often opposing meanings on it. . And her meaning, like her face has not been static over time" (10). In spite of the extreme polarity, a sole unconscious consensus manifests itself about Barbie. Barbie is 'the icon" of womanhood and the twentieth century (Ducille 50). She is the American dream (Varney 161). Barbie is us" (Lord 17). The question is always the same: What message does Barbie send? Barbie is a toy. She is the image of what we see.
At her inception in 1959, Barbie created a wave of fear among the general male population as well as the conservative population because ...
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...ultural Barbie and the Merchandising of Difference." Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 6.1 (1994): 46-67.
Garfield, Bob. "Barbie Becomes More Than Just a Pretty Face." Advertising Age 15 Feb.1999: 45.6 April 1999
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Lord, M. G. Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of A Real Doll. New York: Avon Books, 1994.
Magro, Albert M. "Why Barbie is Perceived as Beautiful." Perceptual and Motor Skills 85 (1997): 363-374.
Varney, Wendy. "Barbie Austral is: The Commercial Reinvention of National Culture." Social Identities. June 1998: 161-177.
This website article provides the history of Barbie and her newly inspiring images for young women. Barbie was the new popular doll during World War 2 because she provided something inspiring for young girls and something that mothers felt strong about, independence. Barbie helped with what was being told to women, that they didn’t have to settle for being just a housewife or a stay at home mother. Women around the country could have a variety, a choice to work and have a career. “Barbie’s early professions were limited
In the beginning of “Barbie Doll”, pleasurable and unpleasurable imagery is given so that the reader can see the extremes girls go through to be considered perfect.
For starters the title, “Barbie Doll” holds a meaning. It symbolizes the ideal figure of a female body. Society creates this ideal that is embed into every century. It is never ending. It is intended that she must have the twig like arms and legs, the minuscule waist and nose,
In paragraph 6, Prager changes tones and suggests that perhaps Barbie was also an icon that could be embraced by feminists. Barbie i...
Every woman grows up knowing that they one day want to be beautiful. In Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” she gives an in depth look at what negative effects the concept of beauty can have on an individual. From infancy to a full grown adult woman, beauty has been a way of thinking and lifestyle. As a little girl you are given petite shaped, blonde, blue eyed dolls. While boys are given brawny soldiers and mechanical toys.
“If Barbie was designed by a man, suddenly a lot of things made sense to me,” says Emily Prager in her essay “Our Barbies, Ourselves” (Prager 354). Prager’s purpose for writing this essay is to explain the history of Barbie and how the doll itself has influenced and continue to influence our society today. Prager is appealing to the average girl, to those who can relate to the way she felt growing up with Barbie seen as the ideal woman. Emily Prager uses a constant shift between a formal and informal tone to effectively communicate her ideas that we view women today based upon the unrealistic expectations set forth by Barbie. By adopting this strategy she avoids making readers feel attacked and therefore
Martin, Melanie. “Negative Effects of Barbie on Girls.” eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
When the word “fairytale” is mentioned, nearly everyone thinks of light-hearted stories with friendly characters and happy endings. However, these are not the ideas that classic fairytales originally sparked. In fact, numerous modern Disney movies were based off stories that were not so sugar coated. In the 19th century, the Brothers Grimm were responsible for multiple of these popular children’s tales. The Disney remakes of classic fairytales such as Cinderella, Tangled, and Snow White exclude the dark, twisted themes that are significant in the Brothers Grimm fairytales, because society tendencies continue to evolve toward sheltering and overprotecting young children.
Imagine being a 5 year old girl playing with baby dolls and brushing your Barbie doll’s hair and feeling fat. A 5 year old feeling fat sounds crazy, right? Well with the influence Barbie has had for years is causing girls younger and younger to feel that their body is not “perfect”. Eating disorders, unrealistic expectations, and self-confidence are all at jeopardy once a young girl is rewarded with her first Barbie doll.
Ibata, David. “Lord of Racism.” Chicago Tribune. Jan. 12, 2003, arts and entertainment: 11. Print.
...d the relationship. While the third component of structural commitment would be of little issue since he and his partner have never cohabitated and have no common assets, the fourth component has considerable weight. One of Matt’s strongest reasons for never terminating the relationship despite an obvious dissatisfaction with it has been that he is unsure whether or not he can find anything better. He has also claimed that if he were able to find an alternative relationship that he would break his current commitment, but because he has found no such alternative (although, in reality, he does not seek them out), still remains in his current relationship. It is interesting that when broken down according to Johnson’s Theory of Commitment, Matt has a very strong overall commitment in his relationship across the board, though sadly, for few happy and healthy reasons.
In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros, the young girls didn't mind they did not receive other things such as new Barbie's or Ken Barbie's and the friends to go along with the dolls (206). These girls were just happy to play with their own dolls. The girls have bonded with each other and they enjoy playing with each other's dolls. A doll brings two or more children together for fun and social entertainment. Have you ever listened to a child frequently you will hear a child say " so what” that means the child really don't care, it don't matter; nothing else mattered to the two little girls. In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros to purchase a brand new Barbie doll meant that the dolls are expensive in the store so the girls are very happy and pleased to own a second hand Barbie. When the parent places the dolls in the child's hands the dolls take on the character of the owner's beauty; culture; how girls see themselves and the future when the kids are all grown up. Barbie is a fun toy to dress up. Each child has her or his own imagination of a Barbie doll. I, too, myself, like watching all the different cultural background Barbie dolls in the malls or Macy's Department Store around Christmas times. Most large department stores dress
Delbanco, Nicholas, and Alan Cheuse. "Barbie Doll." Literature: Craft and Voice. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 707-08. Print.
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
When I was very young, I owned very many Barbie dolls. To me, they were just so beautiful, and flawless, and I loved them very much. But the Barbie that said the most to me was the President Barbie. This spoke to me. It said that anyone, anywhere, of any gender, socioeconomic status, background, sexuality, ethnicity, race, or belief system could be anything they ever wanted to be, as long as they worked hard enough to achieve it. And this is a very important message, and it is a message that Barbie sends to people every day, all over the world.