Busting Barbie

715 Words2 Pages

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.
It would be logical to ban Barbie. A psychology experiment in 2006 in the United Kingdoms tested 162 girls between the ages of 5-8 to assess how girls view their body image. They discovered those exposed to Barbie had produced “lower self-esteem and a greater desire for a thinner body shape.” (Hoskins) By being exposed to Barbie at a young age, later effects can trigger diseases in girls. Heidi Montag is an example of how Barbie has impacted her life. She has undergone 21 surgeries her own quest for “perfection.”
Because girls are impressionable at all ages, Barbie targets young girls to fantasize about being perfect. Girls look at Barbie and believe they can obtain all of her attributes, while in reality that would be impossible. Having a goal to be an astronaut or pediatrician seems probable at young ages, but the image of Barbie and all of her successes are never a result of schooling, hardships, or any stresses that would face them today. A fantasy world is built up and is deemed probable because of the one-sided point of view of Barbie. Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled: ‘How to Lose Weight” with directions inside simply stating ‘Don’t eat.’
Body dysmorphic disorder is defined as “a psychological disorder i...

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...oung age and continued to be pressed into their minds forever.
Not many arguments or tests are done on the positive effects of Barbie. Sure, she is a role model but what about when girls set goals for themselves and later in life do not meet these expectations? Unlike Barbie, most of these goals are unrealistic and cannot be met. Barbie provies alternatives to the female stereotype of a mother and wife, but marriage isn’t perfect like the way it is portrayed. She goes through absolutely no struggles.

Works Cited

Hoskins, S. (n.d.). The negative effects of barbie on young girls and the long term results. Retrieved from http://www.divinecaroline.com/life-etc/momhood/negative-effects-barbie-young-girls-long-term-results
Perez, A. (n.d.). How racism affects children: The doll test. Retrieved from http://feminspire.com/how-racism-affects-children-the-doll-test/

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