Many of you have surely seen and even played with a Barbie, the fashion doll created by Mattel Inc. and launched in March, 1959. This blonde, plastic doll if compared to the body structure of a real human would have a height of 5 feet and 9 inches, a 36-inch chest, an 18-inch waist, and 33-inch hips (Winterman, 2009). Certainly this is not realistic in today’s society. Barbie’s unrealistic body structure can poorly influence young girls on their own body image and as such, regulations for toy makers should be put in place to promote positive body composition.
The more scientists study, the more they begin to realize just how young children can become affected by the things around them. The issue of a young girl’s body image is becoming more and more of an area of concern. A study performed at the Pennsylvania State University showed that children as young as 5 years old can have body dissatisfaction (Davison, Markey, & Birch, 2003). As people perform further research on why this problem may be occurring, a link has been led to the popular children’s toy, Barbie, that has been around for generations. Advertisers have promoted the Barbie Doll as a role model for young girls. Barbie has been seen in many forms, everything from an astronaut to a nurse to a teacher.
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However, over the years, the “ideal” body image has greatly changed. As seen in an article by The World of Psychology, Americans have begun to strive for a thin, boyish physique body type compared to the previously ideal look of a more full-figured woman. “In 1975, most models weighed 8 percent less than the average woman; today they weigh 23 percent less” (Carolyn, 2015). In addition, many in today’s society now view larger women as indulgent and lacking in self-control. These women are also often looked down on making the issue of body image that much
It has recently been brought up that media influences girls in pre-adolescence, which is highly likely since most young girls idolize Barbie (Rintala & Mustajoki, 1992). “Were Barbie a flesh-and-blood woman, her waist would be 39% smaller than that of anorexic patients, and her body weight would be so low that she would not be able to menstruate” (Rintala & Mustajoki, 1992). Most young girls wish that they could look like Barbie when they grew up, but if they knew the reality of having her measurements, their perceptions would probably change. Children frequently fantasize about who they will be, what they will do, and how they will look when they grow into adulthood. Advertisers use women that are abnormally thin, and even airbrush them to make them appear thinner.
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
Seeing a barbie makes me think about all the fun times I had playing with those little toy dolls and the memories of creating my own dream life through Barbie. Playing with Barbies is great and imaginative because the sky's the limit when you play. You can make your own family, a life of your own, and choose a dream career. Unfortunately not all people feel that way. Some people see barbies and think those tiny waisted dolls with large breasts are what influenced my insecurities about my body. The creator of barbie once said “I wanted little girls who were not
Barbie’s human body size characteristic may be unrealistic, but the doll isn’t a human shrunk down to play size. For instance, in the movie “Life-Sized” a girl’s doll comes to life. While it may be that in this movie the doll had a hard time adapting to life as a human, she eventually got the gist of having a career and living life the way everyone wanted
Barbie's image through the shape of her body and all of her accessories is beginning to lead to many issues in our world. Barbie is portraying a negative impact on society through her influential being as a plastic doll. In 1965 the slumber party package was on the market showing buyers how straight forward she is with her products and accessories. The package had all of the normal slumber party things like a robe, comb, and hair rollers but it also had a weight scale set at a permanent weight of "110" and a disturbing book on weight loss that read in all caps, "DON'T EAT." This package is an example of how misleading Barbie and her products really are because it is implying to children that they should not eat and that if they grow up
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.
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.
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.
In “Barbie Doll,” the girl was bullied from a young age into high school. Rather than seeing that she was smart, healthy, and strong, people noticed that she had “a great big nose and fat legs” (Piercy 7). Rather than helping the girl become satisfied with herself, people tried to change her. They told her to play hard-to-get, exercise, and diet. No one seemed to notice anything about her besides her nose and legs.
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.
It is incredibly amazing that anyone could consider the body measurements of 5'6", 110 pounds, and 39-18-33 attainable or at all a realistic womanly figure (Napier). These are Barbie's measurements in proportion to the size of a real woman and also the spark that started the fire of controversy concerning gender stereotyping in the nation. The accusations by feminists and doctors alike are that Mattel, the manufacturer of the doll, has projected harmful body images onto our female youth by subtly placing these stereotypes into the media and into little girls hands. The psychologists insist that the young girls notice the body shapes of the doll and translate them into what a female should physically look like thus creating a problem down the road such as low self-esteem or an eating disorder (Langley).
Barbie Dolls, possibly the most popular toy for any little girl, actually can cause unfair expectations in young girls as to what they should look like, and how they should be. Barbies are thin, with shapely bodies, beautiful long hair, and makeup plastered all over their faces. Barbies come with all different types of clothing and accessories, “dream houses”, and cars. Barbie represents the doll that can do anything. All of this gives girls the impression that they should, and could, be just like Barbie when in reality, they cannot be, because Barbie is “perfect.” Barbie has her dream house, car, and a wardrobe that expands daily. She has been case in every profession, ranging from doctor to super model. After hours of playing with these dolls, girls come away with the lasting impression that they must become just like Barbie.
Children need to have good role models to look up to. A good role model includes being ambitious and doing good deeds. Most little girls look up to the doll named Barbie. The doll has played a very important roll in many childhoods. She was introduced in the 50’s and manufactured by Mattel. Barbie is an up beat character and is always up to date on the latest trends. She has long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes that go with her perfect makeup, and is tied all together by her medium tanned curvacious body. Barbie is portrayed as being the girl that everyone wants to be or at least be around. Barbie has a boyfriend named Ken and a little sister named Skipper. Over the years many dolls have been introduced as Barbie’s friends as well as several different ethnicities, cultures, religions, disabilities, and even mythical dolls such as mermaids. She first started out as a fashion designer and as time has gone by the doll is now marketed as having all types of careers from being a barista all the way to being a doctor. The doll typically comes with an extra outfit and accessories. Mattel even sells dream houses and many different cars for Barbie. She has a book club that sends books out monthly and here recently started coming out with straight to DVD movies. I get a Barbie magazine every month that sells designer Barbies that are based of celebrities and movie characters. The last magazine I got I was surprised to see a Barbie with tattoos and her own motorcycle. Her job is to promote happiness, success, and inspire little girls all over the world. All of these things sound like a perfectly reasonable children’s toy so why are some countries banning the doll?
Hoskins,Stephanie. “The Negative Effect of Barbies on Young Girls on the Long Term Results” www.divinecaroline.com No Pubished Date Web 8,January 2014
Barbie has gotten a lot of backlash in the past couple of years, and people are absolutely in love with the product or they hate it; there really is not an in between. Barbie receives many critiques about how their product makes a body image for girls that is nearly impossible to achieve or how they don’t have enough racial diversity. However, Barbie is trying to fix all of this, and become an empowering toy for young girls, and boys, everywhere. Barbie’s creator, Ruth Handler, said, “The whole philosophy of Barbie was that by playing with the doll, a young girl can be anything she wants to be. Barbie always represented that a woman has choices.”