FTV 402
Popular Culture
Assessment 1: Presentation
Remii Luciani
209000
Presentation Title: Barbie It was very common to have a Barbie doll growing up, and it wasn’t just a toy, it was a representation of a “perfect life”. From dream houses, to boats, cars, a perfect boyfriend to exiting careers, Barbie had the perfect life. Barbie had the perfect lifestyle AND the perfect body, long legs, small waist and a curvy chest. This taught children from a very young age that having a boyfriend, a career, a house and a petite body is very important. (Worldpress 2011). Barbie’s “attention has been generated by the secondary role she plays in popular culture the artifact of female representation” (Wright 2003). Barbie isn’t just a toy, she mimics
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Whatever was trending in the world, Barbie had it. Gloria Steinem says “Pop culture shapes our ideas of what is normal and what our dreams can be and what our roles are.” (Brainy Quote n.d)
What was trending in the 1960s: afros, Bouffant Hairdos, mini skirts, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Examining Barbie in this era, she had the hairstyle, the sophisticated glamour look and was dressed in high fashion (Barbiemedia 2011).
Barbie’s fashion and occupations changed, adapting to what was popular at the time. Valentina Tereshkova was the first female astronaut, so Barbie was soon released as an astronaut, “showing girls that any career is within reach” (Barbiemedia 2011). In the 1970s Barbie reflected the alternative lifestyles of the 70s with maxi skirts in and hair styles that were long and straight. Also in the 70s Barbie was finally looking straight instead of sideways and had an open smile. His was due to the feminist movement and female empowerment. Barbie changed in the late 70s with fuller hair, blue eye shadow and pale pink lip gloss that were trending in this time. (Barbiemedia
By this time Barbie was a very popular doll that a lot of young girls wanted to have in their hands. Mothers and other parents were liking the doll because she provided a sense of what the “grown-up” world would be like. Plus, a lot of girl’s loved playing dress up and playing pretend house wife. But Barbie was more than just the house wife, Barbie has a career, many of them and she was a fashion icon. Than Barbie, the classic Caucasian, bond headed went even farther. “In the 80s, she joined the multicultural movement and was depicted as African-American, Latina, and Asian”, (Friedman, 2006). Now, not only could girl choose what profession and career they wanted their dolls to be, but now they could choose the race they were and maker Barbie more like their own. Yet still parents started to notice the Barbie’s measurements and how unrealistic they were. They started to worry about of this would have a negative impact on their children when they grew up to be adults. I can use this article because it explains that Barbie came in different race now but her measurements were so unrealistic. This causes concern and many people still today wonder if Barbie has a part in why women stress over their body
In the 1960?s, society was changing by the minute and fashion was ?anything goes?. In the early sixties, Jackie Kennedy influenced fashion with her elegant, stylish outfits and her trademark pillbox hat. In the late sixties, the ?mod look? was popularized by go-go boots and mini-skirts, while bellbottom jeans, tie-dye shirts, long skirts and peasant dresses were worn by the hippie culture. Glance through any fashion catalog or magazine in the nineties and you will see models wearing the same fashions popularized in the late sixties. This illustrates how the 60?s contributed to today?s fashions. In the sixties, people in television, film and movies became the new socially elite and their influence had a profound impact on fashion, attitudes, and social values. In the nineties, supermodels and sports figures have joined this group. The fascination the public has with c...
Think of an iconic figure with killer curves and a wardrobe most women would die for? Many names may pop through your mind. Kate Moss? Gisele? Naomi Campbell? Now let's narrow it down a bit more. How about a woman who was also a former news anchor, UNICEF Summit Diplomat, Presidential candidate, and astronaut? The only girl who fits all of these descriptions is Barbie Millicent Roberts, a fair skinned blonde standing at 11 1/2 inches. Since Barbie's debut, she's been reproduced by the billions to meet the never ending demand. Even after 50 years she’s still flying off of toy-store shelves. Two Barbie dolls sell every second, and Mattel’s worldwide sales of Barbie top $1.5 billion every year. The company estimates that 90 percent of U.S. girls between the ages of 3 and 10 own at least one dolls. These numbers indicate that Barbie is still a big part of our culture and lives, and although controversy surrounds her at every step, she still manages to be a well known, sought after woman. Let's delve into the history of how this woman came to be.
“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
Throughout the years we see different trends, styles, and taste's that apply to what society accepts as attractive at their moment. Some people choose more conservative looks whereas other generations were far more liberal in their way of dressing and styling their hair. In order to understand why people would choose certain hairstyles in the 1980's it is important to know more about that year for example,who were the top celebrities or other famous people that had a major influence on society during that time. We know that most fashion and hair trends come from artists in the music industry because they play a major role in everyone's life. People will listen to their music and watch their music videos which will serve as
I more so focused on the article Barbie because it reminded me a the movie “Life-Size” that I used to watch all the time as a child. The film came out in the year 2000 and it is about a girl who brings her Barbie to life. The Barbie character is played by African-American model, Tyra Banks. In the film the Barbie comes to life and has to deal with the changes of her Barbie world in comparison to the real world. Barbie explains how she has multiple jobs and a closet full of clothes, nice jewelry and shoes. This is how Barbie is view by young girls and it formulates the idea that this is what females are expected to do and look like. Tyra Banks is known world wide and is considered to be and idol for many. I believe that she was chose to play this role due to the fact that she is seen to the world as a beauty icon. Little girls that have watched Life Size, thought that Tyra was beautiful and even though she faced many challenges in the real world she ended up not being able to survive without all of her belongings in her picture perfect world. The Barbie character attempted to bake and do clerical work but it wasn't as easy as her unrealistic world made it see. Another thing that caught my interest was that the Barbie in the film was African American versus an Americanized caucasian
Urla, J., & Swedlund, A. C. (1995). The Anthropometry of Barbie: unsettling ideals of the feminine body in popular culture. In J. Terry & J. Urla (Eds.). Deviant Bodies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Looking at the surface of the classic Barbie doll, you see a plastic, pretty depiction of a young woman with tanned skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. Typically, looking at a Barbie you wouldn’t see any type of threat or negativity surrounding the harmless 10-inch doll. However, digging deeper beneath her plastic exterior, we can see the true effects this world-wide phenomenon has had on all different types of people and society as a whole. Before we begin to discuss the effects Barbie herself has had on society and our culture, we need to look into what propaganda and art are, and what makes them different from one another. Propaganda, as defined by T. Smith in his book, Propaganda: A Pluralistic Perspective, is “a form of communication involving the sending of a message to a receiver” (Smith, pg 53). However I personally don’t think that this definition accurately captures what propaganda is to its full extent. To me, propaganda has a very negative connotation with the idea that it is meant to manipulate, or evoke some sort of emotion or change within its audience. Art on the other hand, is something that is meant to make an audience think. Its purpose is to express the thoughts, feelings, and so on of the artist who created it; art is meant to be analyzed, not accepted. Art lacks the responsive connection propaganda strives to create. This isn’t to say that Barbie is not art, because the doll is indeed a work of art that someone put the time into to designed and create. Just because it’s an extremely main-stream toy and is made of cheap plastic doesn’t mean it’s void of any artistic background. Although one could consider a Barbie a work of art, the typically silent propaganda the doll exudes overshadows the “art” aspect of the d...
To begin, if society is encouraging the sexualization of young girls by their clothing, many believe that it begins at an early age with toys. The toy market already splits the store into two aisles with dresses and dolls for girls and cars and action figures for boys. Dolls have been around a long time and every girl dreams of having one because they can be whoever you want them to be. Barbie is a popular brand because of all the different things she can be with her wide variety of clothing options. Lately, parents have been seeing how barbies come packaged with more makeup and tight clothing. To a young girl, this may seem like the appearance is the only way to be more attractive. In Emily Chapman’s article, she mentions a study conducted
These images are known as controlling images, which are images or symbols that dominate groups exploit to show their power over different social groups which are incorporated in the media (Jackson 2018). The creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler, was inspired by a German fashion doll Bild Lili. The doll Lili was created after a Bild newspaper comic strip character, who portrayed a gold digging over sexualized woman (Wikipedia contributors). The fashion doll Barbie was created to target young girls and the creators accomplish this by utilizing a doll that appeals to children's interest of playing with dolls that can portray adult roles. Playing with Barbie, you can dress her however you want and let her be whoever you want. Overall, she gave a feeling of autonomy to children. However, Barbie was already created with a certain body image and as a child role model she was criticized for her sexualized body image which can potentially influence children to want to be her physically. Realizing that I could not fit into Barbie's image made me self-conscious in my appearance, as well as the way I present myself in front of others. Specifically, I stopped speaking Spanish at school and at home. I thought
Those perfect days as a child when your countless days were filled with playtime. The time to set up those houses and dress the dolls up, and act out the future. “Through their play Barbara imagined their lives as adults. They used the dolls to reflect the adult world around them. They would sit and carry on conversations, making the dolls real people” (Ruth Handler). As a young child, it is all you look forward to in your future: being successful and confident, loved and cherished. Many dolls were used to project this. Specifically, the Barbie. Barbie is a positive role model girl should look up to for confidence and inspiration. She is a talented and educated career woman, self-sufficient in every aspect of her life, and a stunning example to young girls the body that is healthy and fit.
Ann, Corrine. (2012, Oct. 6). “Barbie and Her Positive Influence on Me.” I Graduated, No
Barbie, a doll manufactured by Mattel, Inc., encourages an unrealistic body image, racial insensitivity, and contradictive goals, and it is having a negative influence on young girls everywhere. Launched in March 1959 by Ruth Handler, an American business woman and president of Mattel, Inc., Barbie quickly became popular and has gone on to sell three dolls every second, in over one hundred and fifty countries. However, Barbie’s rise to success has not been wholly positive – there have been numerous controversies, parodies, and lawsuits, all addressing a number of issues. One such issue is how Barbie promotes an unrealistic and unobtainable body image. For example, to scale, Barbie is five feet, nine inches tall, has a thirty six inch chest, eighteen inch waist, and thirty three inch hips. Had Barbie been a real person, she would not be able to walk, much less hold her head up. Secondly, Barbie is racially insensitive and perpetuates stereotypes. “Mexico Barbie,” from Barbie’s “ethnic” line, comes with a passport and a Chihuahua, as well as stereotypical red lace ribbons in her hair. Lastly, Barbie portrays goals that are both unobtainable and contradictive. Barbie has had a variety of careers, such as being a doctor, astronaut, and President of the United States, but also engages in stereotypical domestic activities, such as cleaning and baking. These characteristics are affecting young girls in a time when they are most developmentally susceptible, and teaching them a number of negative lessons.
The clothes and other objects that are found in the universe of Barbie would lead a girl to worry more about physical appearance and less on the professional jobs she has. The physique established by Barbie, the clothes she wears and the handsome man she dates would lead these adolescent girls to believe that sexual attractiveness is the key to popularity and therefore happiness.
It may seem trivial and go unnoticed to most, but by assigning Barbie a real career, people are able to identify with and recognize her. The marketers also provide Barbie with a life other than modeling, such as friends and a home. The Ken doll, which is commonly known as Barbie’s boyfriend, makes her appear more real to the audience. Girls are able to identify with the idea of a boyfriend, which makes the notion of Barbie seem more realistic and desirable. The same idea is applied to the many friends Barbie has been accompanied by over the years. Lastly, and perhaps most famously, Barbie, like almost all of the girls who play with her, have a home. The Barbie Dream House is just another clever way her marketing team has presented her to society as a real person. Humanizing Barbie, and portraying her in such a manner makes her more attractive to potential buyers. The girls who engage in play with dolls do not want merely a doll; they desire something they can relate to and envision in the real world. Imaginative play is a large portion of childhood, and the ability for children to posses a doll like Barbie , who represents a real person in society, is extremely valuable. The use of social constructionism in the marketing of products such as Barbie is both brilliant and effective.