How Does Barbie Affect Body Image

614 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Good the Bad and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us

In today’s society, girls and boys are constantly being shown different messages about the ways that they should look and act. One example of these messages, which I feel is most important to look at and understand, is Barbie and the impact that has been made on our society since this doll was developed many years ago. Since Barbie’s creation, there has been controversy over the whether or not this doll impacts women’s body image. Some will argue that Barbie is just a doll and that she does not have a negative influence on the way females view their bodies. Others will argue this topic and say that Barbie plays a huge role for the negative views that females have about their body image.
Studies show that the toys they play with do have impact children. Therefore, it is important to understand that Barbie is not just a toy for children to play with. Barbie dolls mimic the female figure and have been impacting the female body image for years. Barbie’s teach girls and boys that it is desirable to be tall, thin, white and blonde. These dolls convince young girls that this is the way their bodies should look and has them striving for an unrealistic body image.
During this time I have worked with girls of all different ages. I have heard many of the little girls that I have worked with make comments about how they wished they looked like their Barbie doll, or that they wanted to grow up to be like Barbie, etc. I have also heard women say that they are fat for not being a size zero. Personally, I am also guilty to falling into the pressure that society places on females to want to look a certain way in order to feel beautiful. As human beings, I know we all have our insecurities, but I truly believe that societies idea of beauty toward women and their lack of acceptance for being “different” or “other” is making the world that we live in much harder to live in while loving who you are and feeling

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Our Barbies Ourselves By Prager

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • The Effects of Media on the Body-Image of Preadolescent Girls

    1991 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Barbie Annotated Bibliography

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Kate Chopin's Barbie Doll

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...lier age. Where can we draw the line, and say your beautiful any way you are. People deal with eating disorders and depression as a result of being out casted, not one of the beautiful people. There have been multiple cases of death due to starvation and malnourishment, these people paid the price of beauty with their lives. There is harm being done daily by the ad’s that you see on television and the people that are said to be “role models” in the entertainment industry. Do we want our children growing up in a world based on insecurities and twisted self perception? I for one believe that beauty is an action, it is a way of attitude and kind nature. There are many ways to be beautiful in this world without the need of a cream, or surgery. There is no need to have the statuesque build of a Barbie to be beautiful, in a world where you can be anything, be yourself.

    Read More

  • The Good And The Bad Barbie

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Negative Body Image In Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    To achieve this body, women will starve themselves or eat way below the accepted calorie count. Women will do anything to achieve the body they see so many models have. This is exhibited in the poem, Barbie Doll. In this poem, Marge Piercy uses a Barbie doll to convey the hardships women go through to achieve a body that they like. For example, “So she cut off her nose and legs and offered them up” (Piercy). Figuratively speaking, it can be inferred that since Barbie was not satisfied with her appearance, she sought out methods to change them. Barbie wanted to fit in and since everyone was making fun of her appearance, she decided that the only solution is to change what other people make fun of her about, to something that they would like. This shows that Barbie wanted to look like what everyone liked so bad that she would to go as far as to cut off her own nose and

    Read More

  • Ruth Handler, Inventor of the Barbie Doll

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin, Melanie. “Negative Effects of Barbie on Girls.” eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

    1681 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a world where many are led to believe that they fall short of what society depicts as “perfect”, it is still true that everyone is beautiful in their own way. There are even more demands on girls now a days than there has ever been before. Some may think they need to fit in, so they become someone they are not or they begin to act like a totally different person. “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, illustrates society’s high and unrealistic expectations on the physical appearance of women, while failing to see that a woman’s self-esteem is at risk of being diminished.

    Read More

  • Busting Barbie

    715 Words  | 2 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.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Barbie

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Cultural Criticism: Barbie

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Barbie Stereotypes

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the decades, the shaming of a woman’s body has become much more influential on how young girls and adult women see themselves. Society creates the image of the ‘perfect women’ based on body curvature and other extremities. The use of social media is usually blamed for warping the minds of females based upon body image, but that is just one small factor of it. Companies are even making mirrors that adjust the appearance of a person’s body, such as creating slimmer waists and longer legs. Dolls, such as the Barbie, made by Mattel, have also have created an unrealistic image of how a real woman should look like. Young girls first get introduced to Barbie dolls as a way to be entertained, but as most girls grow out of the doll playing stage, they start to worry more about the way they look.

    Read More

  • Banning Barbie

    1738 Words  | 4 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Barbie Affect Young Girls

    212 Words  | 1 Pages

    This source is about a study involving Barbie dolls and how it affects young girls. 162 girls where involved in the experiment, where they choose to play with a Barbie, a Emme doll, or no doll at all. The Emme doll had a more realistic body image then a Barbie. The researches hypothesis that these dolls can functions as aspirational role models for young girls, and they wanted to see how the Barbie doll affected the girls. This source helps my argument that the very popular Barbie dolls help internalize the thin ideal into young girls. The researchers concluded that Barbie is a powerful socialization agent of an unhealthy, ultrathin, and unachievable body ideal. The Barbie dolls represent a distorted, and unhealthy thin ideal. This study is

    Read More

More about How Does Barbie Affect Body Image

Open Document