America has always been a country that strives for equality. With a recent question of equality rising in the wage system, feminism has taken on a life of its own. With women becoming the primary source of income in homes and with a woman now running for President, attention is drawn to the things in society that might be considered unequal. One of those things, targeted since their creation, is Barbie Dolls. In “The Controversy behind Barbie” author Prisna Virasin attempts to qualify the existence of Barbie Dolls to her readers. While she succeeds with a personal story to tie her readers into her argument, she fails to provide an initial thesis statement to guide the reader, she fails to thoroughly address the positive perspectives of Barbie, and doesn’t provide sufficient evidence to back her claims on the positive and neutral perspectives. Virasin uses a pathos style and …show more content…
incidentally creates a hidden argument therefore making her essay ineffective in defending her claim. The essay begins with the negative aspects of the Barbie Dolls. Virasin first focuses on Barbie’s image and how it gives young girls an “impossible image of beauty” (Virasin 106). She argues that Barbie gives a negative body image because young girls strive to look like Barbie and that image is impossible. As Virasin talks about this impossible body image, she gives body measurements of how Barbie would look in a human body, “She would be seven feet tall with a thirty-nine-inch chest measurement, twenty-two-inch waist measurement, and thirty-three-inch hip measurement” (“Barbie Dolls”). Although Barbie’s image is a big issue, Barbie has positive aspects to her as well. Virasin talks about how Barbie builds young girls’ imaginations and shows girls they can be whatever they want when they grow up. “Barbie was an astronaut before the first woman went into space” (Virasin 107). Showing young girls that Barbie has accomplished her dreams can help prove to them that their dreams can be accomplished as well. Although arguments usually have two clear sides, agree or disagree, Virasin has given a third side, neutral, to this essay. Virasin doesn’t agree that Barbie is the sole reason that young girls have body image issues but she does agree that Barbie gives these girls imagination. What she does believe is that it is a more complicated issue than to just say Barbie is a good/ bad role model for young girls. As stated previously, Virasin used a pathos style and consequently created a hidden argument. Virasin stated that she was neutral on the subject but ended up giving more reasons, better sources, and more details to her reasons, to the negative side of Barbie. If she truly were neutral on this topic she would have given the same amount of reasons why Barbie Dolls are good, why they are bad, and which ones specifically she agrees with from both sides. In her last paragraph she tells the readers a personal story, which ties the readers back to their own lives. Her personal story gets readers thinking back on their childhood and when they played with Barbie Dolls. Getting the readers to think back on their childhood made them a little more emotional towards the subject. Her personal story gave her the pathos style in her writing. Another way she used pathos style was in the way she talked about how the company portrayed Barbie’s body and intellectual image. A lot of people, although Virasin never stated who, think Barbie’s body image has a negative effect on young girls because the girls feel like they have to look like Barbie and if they don’t, they don’t feel good about themselves. In paragraph two and three Virasin listed multiple reasons why Barbie is a bad role model: impossible body image, not a lot of intelligence, and centered around clothes. She also compared the extra games that came with Barbie Dolls to the games boys would get with their toys. The extra games aimed toward girls were centered around fashion, motherhood, or things like learning to type. The extra games that would come with boy’s toys were centered around racing, action, and problem solving. Virasin talked about how these extra games influenced girls to feel like they have to like certain things because they are girls. It was in paragraph four that she listed why Barbie Dolls were good: builds imagination, and makes girls’ dreams seem reachable. Even though she listed almost as many reasons why Barbie Dolls were good and why they were bad she didn’t give enough detail or sources to back up her reasons. Even though Virasin claims to be moderate on the issue, her essay leans heavily on the negative aspects of Barbie and why Barbie is a bad role model. After analyzing this essay, one has to recognize the effective uses of persuasion first. The most effective method of persuasion that Virasin used was the use of a narrative. At the end of her essay, Virasin recalls her own experience with Barbie Dolls. “I looked on in horror as my little sister cut Barbie’s hair and colored it hot pink with a marker” (Virasin 107). This is a comedic situation that the reader can easily visualize and relate to. Everyone has played with a Barbie; they either have one, or they have a friend that has one. It was an effective method of persuasion because it makes a personal connection with the reader’s life causing them to look at what a Barbie means to them and is more open to what the author has to say because the author is like them. However, despite the effectiveness of the personal narrative, this essay has several shortcomings as well. The first of which, being the lack of a thesis to guide a reader throughout the paper. A thesis statement is an important key in organizing an essay and it allows the reader to easily follow the author’s thoughts. A lack of a thesis statement leaves the reader confused on where the author is going and therefore, the essential details of the paper will no longer stand out. In Virasin’s introduction, it doesn’t state what she will be talking about exactly. She needed to tell us something about the negative side to Barbie Dolls, something about the positive side of the dolls, and where she stood on the subject. If she had given a little more insight on where she was going in her essay, it would have made it more clear where she stood on the subject. Another downfall to Virasin’s essay was her lack of sources when she was defending Barbie Dolls and explaining the positive aspects of them.
“Supporters of the Barbie Doll state…” (Virasin 107). She never gave the readers a credible source when she talked about the positive aspects of Barbie Dolls but she did have a source talking about the negative aspects which gives the readers more trust in what she has to say on the negative side. Her main source for the negative side was an article called “Barbie Dolls” but there was no main source for her positive side.
Whether Barbie negatively affects young women or not, the doll has been gaining a lot of attention for giving young girls poor body image to look up to. Virasin's pathos argument in her essay "The Controversy behind Barbie" was ineffective, not only because of her hidden argument, but because of her lack of a focused thesis and insufficient evidence to support her positive claims. Her narration at the end does bring light to how children might view Barbie today, but the fact still remains that she claimed to be unbiased, and
wasn't.
“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
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
206 paragraph one, (line 1), Sandra Cisneros reveals a model of how girls see themselves in the future. The girls felt the dolls represent the same story and scenario each time they came together and play with each other. The attitude, style and quality of dolls. The interchanging of clothes, character's likes and dislikes as depicted the deception by a doll; from a child's point of view. The girls noticed that when the male Barbie doll drops by the other Barbie would steal him away. A typical boy meets girls; girl thinks boy is cute; boy leaves with the opposite girl. This is a reflected of Sandra Cisneros’s short story "Barbie-Q, "p. 206 , paragraph 1 , (line 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 ) . The girls are tired of the social scene the boy Barbie represents. They only want to play among themselves without any boys. The girls enjoyed looking forward to Christmas and receiving gifts of clothes for their Barbie dolls. This is also, reflected in the insults the girls shared among their future Barbie dolls. In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros, the girls enjoyed going to the flea market, purchasing used clothes for Barbie dolls. Barbie dolls meant so much to the two little girls because they didn't care if their Barbie dolls were wearing hand-me-downs; second hand doll clothing sold alongside the street. The joy came from undressing and dressing up the dolls. The girls even found career clothes to match up to their doll's future. In the short
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.
In Marge Piercy’s, “Barbie Doll,” we see the effect that society has on the expectations of women. A woman, like the girl described in ‘Barbie Doll’, should be perfect. She should know how to cook and clean, but most importantly be attractive according to the impossible stereotypes of womanly beauty. Many women in today’s society are compared to the unrealistic life and form of the doll. The doll, throughout many years, has transformed itself from a popular toy to a role model for actual women. The extremes to which women take this role model are implicated in this short, yet truthful poem.
In the Article “Barbie Doesn’t Add Up,” the author Ken Schroeder states that Barbie dolls were just dolls that gave young girls false ideas of what they should be and look like as they get older. This article was written in the Education Digest in 1992, which helps understand why the author talks mostly about Barbie’s intelligence. The main audience of this article is directed towards parents of young girls in particular. The author is not very persuasive in the article about Barbie because he does not give enough legitimate examples and proof that his theory is correct. Also he is not in any type of field work that studies how children grow up to be after playing with Barbie. It is hard to find many credible examples to back up Mr. Schroeder’s views and thoughts on Barbie and how she makes girls think they should not be good at math.
Martin, Melanie. “Negative Effects of Barbie on Girls.” eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
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
Pollitt says, “This lady was at girl birthday party and she gave the girl a Barbie as a gift, but the birthday girl’s mother didn’t like that” (Pollitt 545). This quote explains that the mother of the birthday girl doesn’t want to enforce the gender issues with her daughter that is the reason why she dislikes the Barbie because it described a
In the beginning of “Barbie Doll”, pleasurable and unpleasurable imagery is given so that the reader can see the extremes girls go through to be considered perfect.
The article American Girl Dolls Are More American Than Ever: and Not in a Good Way was written by: Krystin Arneson. This article is about Arneson’s opinion on the new American Girl Dolls. She writes about how her own American Girl Doll helped her through life. How the book showed her that race doesn’t define you, and telling the truth always is the best option. She expresses her dislike of the new dolls, throughout the essay, and how the author of the american girl dolls, Mattel, “traded in substance for style, history’s great moments for mani-pedi outings.” This article is influential because it shows the commercialism of American Girls, the impact of the dolls have on other people’s lives and the way this change will affect the generations of the future.
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
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
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.
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 ...