Barbie Stereotypes

One study took a group of 6th grade girls and had them play with Barbie’s, then later asked them what their views of Barbie were:

The object under consideration is the barbie doll. A barbie doll is a toy for children who have moved on from developmental toys to more sophisticated toys. Barbie doll fit an unrealistic size and shape figured doll that kids can play with in various ways. They can play dress up and do different things due to barbie having multiple careers paths she is able to take. It does promote a positive image to young girls because it promotes the idea that you can be anything you want to be, however, it still plants the idea of an unrealistic body image. Barbie is slender and tall and barbie dolls do not deviate from thing and this is problematic because it creates a certain kind of standard young girls begin to believe in.

Young girls playing with Bratz dolls is not an ideal situation because the doll teaches them how to make themselves look more sexualized. This plastic doll is only six inches in length, much shorter then it’s competitor Barbie, but it still holds much more impact on a child. With very voluminous hair and outrageous makeup such as eyeshadow, lipstick, and mascara, little girls are being exposed to something that they should not have to experience until they are in their teens. The dolls lead young girls to think

Young girls have been playing with Barbie dolls since the dolls inception at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Recently, researchers have been skeptical on whether the dolls have an effect on the self-image of girls who play with them. In order to determine if Barbies have an impact on young-girls self-concept, clinicians have carried out several studies where they monitor the interaction between the young girls and the famous figurine. From these experiments, scientists concluded that Barbies can have a bearing on a girls self-image, making the consumers who buy the doll more aware of the issue Barbie

As I was on the hunt for the perfect gift for an 8 year old’s birthday, I discovered the doll market is quite different than my coming of age. Undoubtedly, Barbie is still problematic, but now she has competitors, including Bratz, and Monster High dolls, who are noticeably thinner than barbie and dressed up to look like grown women getting ready for a night of clubbing than a game of tennis. As I pick up the first doll box, I find a doll chained up in a slither of clothing with a blank expression on her face, a prominent thigh gap, with the tagline “GREAT for girls ages 5 and up!” By all means, I never imagined in my life that I would miss Barbie. For that reason, I begin to sit myself down in the toy aisle to start googling everything I could about these dolls on my

Children’s child play has become a form of an unrealistic world. Although, it is considered for children to begin creating a creative imagination, the mind fascinates children into toys. Some child’s play toys are not ideal for young children, like the one and only “Barbie”. Barbie has become a worldwide toy product for children all over the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole. These dolls have emerged from one ethnicity to another. In Ann DuCille, “Dyes and Dolls: Multicultural Barbie and the Merchandising of Differences” the author talks about the race and gender differences; found in Barbie. She argues; “Is Barbie bad?” her response, was “Barbie is just a piece of plastic” (459). In contrast, this piece of plastic is not just a piece of plastic to young girls; it is much more than that. A piece of plastic that little girls all over the world wish they could be. Even though, it is only a piece of plastic to adults that Barbie significantly means nothing to them. Growing up, I owned a couple of Barbie dolls. The tall, long blond hair, blue-eyed doll was my best friend and my “role model”. I wanted to become exactly like Barbie. As a child, I thought only beautiful people who looked liked Barbie signified beauty. To my little to no knowledge, I soon came to find out no one really looks like Barbie, except people who want to become like Barbie. In my adolescent years, no one taught me Barbie was “unreal”; no one taught me it was just a figure in my imagination.

“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,” Ruth says. (Inc, n.d) Ruth and Elliot Handler are the founders of Mattel creation and in 1959 the world was given the “Barbie” doll. (Inc, n.d.) The Barbie doll was introduced to a small toy fair costing $3. The Barbie doll was the first doll to be sold that doesn’t look, “like a baby” but more like a woman. The Barbie doll is an iconic doll available for anyone, anywhere. After further research, the Barbie doll has influenced body image and society that there is a “right way to look” to fit in consists of blonde hair, blue eyes, 5’8 or taller, long legs, small waist, big boobs and butt. This encourages women to think what they have is not good enough and they need to change it to look the best or the “norm.” The influences the Barbie doll has had on body image are the “unrealistic Barbie,” and increasing eating disorder percentages.

has conformed to their societal standards. Although she has gained society's approval, she has lost herself. Growing up, this is something that most everyone can relate too.

In conclusion, Barbie’s changing fashions, interests and views have altered in response to suit pop culture throughout the years. Barbie is a physical personification of popular culture throughout the years, and she has grown to fit the world around her, to change with the ‘fads’ and ‘fashions’ of the time. However in some cases it seems as though she has transgressed us on some levels. Barbie is a palpable representation of the amount of change that has taken place over the decades, a change in social thinking, social constructs, fashion and beauty. The Barbie doll is the perfect representation of popular

Everyday we see young girls look to idols such as people and even play toys. Such thoughts make young girls feel they are not good enough and to strive to look like a doll a very important topic is slightly broken down in an article written by Cynthia Tucker called Barbie Madness. While she touches on the topic of how kids love their toys such as Barbie dolls, she discusses how obsessed they become in looking like them. However, even though she points out that children look up to Barbies, she turns it back around on the parents, stating that they play a much bigger role in their lives than any toy would. Breaking down the article the writer really shows how children are influenced by their environment, their parents, and how its important to encourage them to be themselves.

What was that one doll every little girl just had to have growing up? What doll made little girls obsess with perfection? What doll set the unrealistic standards for girls starting at ages three or four? Barbie is a children’s toy that was first introduced to the market in 1959. Barbie was the perfect role model for all girls. She was perfectly skinny, had a perfect boyfriend and family, perfect hair, perfect house, perfect everything, but her existence is completely ironic. Although Mattel, creator of Barbie, attempts to make Barbie absolute perfection, all her imperfect buyers are wondering why they cannot look like the beautiful doll. She is responsible for the diminishing young girls’ self-confidence. Lisa Belkin believes girls in today’s society cannot comprehend what true beauty is because they were so entranced with the idea of Barbie in her online article “Banning Barbie.” Barbie should be pulled off the shelves immediately. Barbie’s looks, actions, and lust for materialistic objects are the blame for the degeneration of assurance in young girls and women.

The ideal that society thrives on creating expected images for women is constantly argued against. Many disagree with the idea that society can place expectations for what is beautiful, now saying things such as ‘chunky is hunky’ or that ‘men love curves’. In reality, the standards are still set. For example, with American magazines audiences are infatuated by the image of perfect beauty and female sexuality (Hanjani 310). In Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll”, Piercy exemplifies the effects of society’s standards on a growing adolescent girl.

“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world” was a hit song in the early 90’s. Many girls singing the lyrical tune were demonstrating their love for the doll and the qualities that stood behind the logo: Free spirited fun, a perfect plastic body, and an array of different activities you could do with a Barbie. In the article “Plastic, Fantastic Barbie” author Amy Goldman sheds some light on the controversy society has placed around the doll. Goldman explains the changing view on how parents see a link between Barbies and children’s negative self-esteem due to their “perfectly proportioned” bodies and unreasonable expectations regarding the doll’s “wide-eyed” princess look. Guardians are fearing their children will aspire to become a superficial person only caring about their

Barbie has become a pillar of the children’s toy market since her inception. Forbes reports, “Ninety percent of American girls ages three to ten own at least one Barbie, according to the doll’s maker, Mattel톖.” The doll has an impactful reach on kids today through both the dolls and other products that have been inspired by or created to accompany Barbie. This exposure, which has been proven to damage the self-esteem of women (American Psychological Association 1), impacts the development of kid’s views of themselves and other people. Comparing real women to these images causes these girls to have negative views of themselves as they grow older and judge other women harshly. It also causes boys to hold girls to an unreasonable standard of their appearances, which further damages the girl’s self worth when they don’t meet these standards (ScienceDaily 1). Consequently, the

Everyone wants to have an ideal “fit” and “sexy” body type. A lot of girls wanted to be this “barbie” kind of doll that most girls have. An article by Christine Williams stated that “Today sociologists and media scholars argue that to understand the doll and its impact, it is necessary to examine Barbie play in context. Evidently children use the doll the same way that adults use popular culture: to fantasize, to imagine alternative worlds and alternative lives, to project their needs and desires, and to define and refine their sexual identities” (Williams). Speaker 2: Barbie dolls were certainly a big hit a long time ago because their skinny appearance and glamour.