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The Barbie doll, a toy significant of many childhoods, made her first debut in 1959. Often representing the latest fashion trends, Barbie could be seen as a symbol for the evolution of pop culture and its many different phases. Her clothing represented that of the times that she lived in, constantly changing as the years went on. Barbie was also used as a symbol that depicted certain beliefs and interests. As society developed and women’s careers changed from that of housewives to women in the work force, Barbie would also would pick up work related interests and outfits. Barbie is a toy that has never gone out of fashion, she evolves with it, therefore is less like a fad and more like a fashion.
Throughout the years, Barbie was typically known for her blonde hair, but the first ever Barbie doll had a dark haired retro look, one which represented the hairstyles of women during the 1950s. During the 60s, Barbie changed to her commonly known blonde do, but it
If Barbie’s dress was too short, people believed she wasn’t a suitable role model. If Barbie wore too much makeup, people believed she was a bad influence on children. However in the past couple of years, a new range of Barbie’s have been released. These Barbies have different skin tones to the usual white Barbie, they have different body shapes, and are the first truly diverse Barbie. In the past, the first black Barbie used the same moulds as the white Barbie and many people believes that this did injustice to the African American women and the way they looked. With these new Barbies, many people are finding hope in the way society is evolving and creating realistic role model images. When the first president Barbie was released it stunned many as not a lot of people thought it possible that a female could be president. This shows that whilst Barbie would reflect the fashions of the time, she’d make a statement which would often create debates between
“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
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
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 the essay 'Our Barbies, Ourselves,' Emily Prager explores the history of the Barbie doll and talks about the Barbie doll itself. Prager seems convinced that the Barbie doll was an object created by a man and that Barbie reeks of sexuality, sexual innuendo and serves as the anti-feminist embodiment of every man's fantasy. In her own expressive and persuasive modes to fashion an essay designed to persuade the reader that the Barbie doll is a twisted and corrupt tool designed by men to combat the feminist revolution. Though her attempts at persuasion are commendable, I was not swayed in my opinions on Barbie. If anything, I just found fault with this writer's point of view, and I found her accusations to be outrageous and her 'facts' to be completely wrong.
The role of Barbie in her many careers led me to think that they could do anything they put their mind to. Barbie has over 120 jobs some of them being a nurse, a veterinarian, a rockstar, plus she ran for president in 2008. “Barbie has always represented the fact that women have choices”- Ruth Handler. (45) Barbie showed me that even I could be dominant in male jobs including astronaut, surgeons, and baseball players. Barbie has taught me that I have a choice to make when it comes to my career and that we can’t be limited or held back to jobs that have been portrayed by men only. Ruth Handler believes that “Barbie was all about choices and being able to remain feminine while succeeding in a man's world.” (43) Role-playing with my dolls in different careers helped me to see what job my personality best fit
In a way, Barbie is a role model for girls to look to for confidence, because she is extremely talented and educated, and is considered the example of a career woman. Juggling over 130 careers on her resume, Barbie has accomplished the above and beyond. From rock start to pilot,Barbie has had every job a child could possibly ever dream about. This includes her being an astronaut and going to the moon; four years before Neil Armstrong. Even in the 90s, she ran for president before woman even made the presidential ballot. “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” From the start Ruth Handler, the co-owner of the Mattel creations and creator of the Barbie doll, created Barbie for the purpose of inspiration to young girls. Handler saw that her young daughter, Barbara, enjoyed playing with adult female doll...
Barbie was not the first doll to be invented for young girls. For years young girls play with dolls, mimicking their mothers and preparing for the time in their lives when they are mothers. Young girls would play with flimsy two dimensional paper dolls or baby dolls. Changing the outfits on a paper doll was near impossible to do without ripping the paper and baby dolls seemed a little childish when girls got to a certain age. Other types of dolls that were around prior to Barbie are glamour dolls. Glamour dolls were dolls that replicated the face and body of a young girls with the twist of the doll wearing ornate
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.
Growing up in the 90’s and being around during Mattel’s process of upgrading Barbie has had its positives and negatives. As a young girl Barbie made many girls very happy, there were times girls use to have play dates just to see who had the new Barbie wardrobe, shoes, car, and pets. Being a little girl and going over to a friends or relatives house just to play Barbie was the highlight of most of the girls day. The reason why is because back then, they had just came out with the new Barbie doll mansion house and even though some couldn't afford it there was always someone that they played with that did. Sometimes on play dates, girls questioned things like parents not wanting to buy dolls out of their race and how some dolls outfits
Over decades there has been one doll that was sold more than any other doll worldwide. She has blonde hair, a tiny waist and long legs always wearing pink, a “blonde bimbo” as Miriam Forman-Brunell calls the feminine icon, Barbie, in her article “Barbie in ‘Life’: The Life of Barbie” which was published in the Journal of History of Childhood and Youth, in Fall 2009 by John Hopkins University Press. This “blonde Bimbo”, Barbie, named after her creator, Ruth Handler children Bar-bara, has formed and shaped a feminine idea that is controversial. However, I state that the representation of Barbie, as a cultural icon in Americans society, imposes undesireable as well as impossible models of feminity on adolescents.
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.
According to Lisa Belkin, Barbie is good for society because she’s fun to play with and she encourages little girls to use their imagination and dream big. Many young girls who play with Barbie dolls have realized that she is just a doll. Some of these little girls don’t have the desire to look like Barbie; they just think Barbie is just a doll that they play with and leave them everywhere. At a young age girls are given their first Barbie doll and thought what “perfect” should be. Barbie portrays the perfect image and life. Not only is Barbie tall, skinny, and beautiful, she has all the luxurious accessories to match her perfect life. To go along with her perfect life she is accompanied with the perfect boyfriend, family and dream house.At a young age girls are also being influenced by this doll, what they should look like, and what kind of life they sgould lead. Young girls strive to achieve this look which is life threatening to obtain. Regardless to the changes they made to Barbie, she is still far from real. Little girls that are mature enough don’t strive to look like Barbie because she’s just a plastic doll.(Debate.org, 9). According to “The Intentions behind the creation of Barbie”, Barbie dolls ...
In the case of Barbie, her occupations are less of a priority than her domestic chores. “Initially, the doll provided a relatively empowering image of women's social and labor possibilities as well as evidence of the power of feminine sexuality. The second phase witnessed a sudden explosion of domesticity” (Pearson et. al 229). Barbie has shifted from an active woman of many careers, to a doll in waiting for her socialite boyfriend, Ken.
Nor did I totally grasp the grim realities of how race and culture at times co-exist. Barbie, herself, established a sort of cultural barrier, where race, beauty, and culture intertwined. Her impact on culture is profound and has been influential in many areas of existence. Why was it important for me to choose the black Barbie? Was it culturally correct to do so? The premise of this paper is to address whether Barbie, the inanimate object everyone adores, contributes to the social segregation of our
Throughout the years Barbie has changed, there is skinny, small boobed, brown, red-haired and even multi-colored hairs. They also have made Barbie’s plus sized and short, with tan, pale and black skin. These Barbie’s are not to make fun of girls, they are to help encourage girls to be themselves and make something of themselves so not every girl is the exact same on the outside nor the