Barbie Dolls : A Of A Societal Female Identity Has Been Established And Reinforced Time And Time

Launched on March 1959, the Barbie doll is a toy that was first put on display in New York. It quickly garnered a lot of attention with the target audience of the creators, young girls. This doll was different than its previous dolls because it was a doll that was an ideal representation of a woman. Thus allowing young girls to use their imagination to create and act-out what this doll’s life is like and what their future would potentially be. To successfully understand this toy, we must think like C Wright Mills, a sociologist who asks to use our sociological imagination, the intersection of one’s biography and history. This artifact reflects and perpetuates the dominant ideology of how to perform your gender the “right” way in the early 1960s. I will argue this demonstrates West and Zimmerman’s concept of “doing gender” which is clarified with Judith Butler’s concept of socialization of gender.

The toy section at Target had many clear differences in the toys for boys and the toys for girls. The types of toys that were out on the shelves were different, but also the way the toys were presented were different. Girls toys mainly consisted of stuffed animals, dress up clothes, babies and dolls including Bratz, Barbies and fairies. The primary colors of all these toys consisted of different shades of purple, pink, and white. There were bits of blue and yellow but it seemed that all the colors stood out and had a type of feminine aspect to them. Besides color, the girl’s toys were often soft and fuzzy or

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.

Children learn as early as age two what it means to be a “boy” or a “girl” (Aina & Cameron). This is described as gender identity, a person’s sense of self as male or female. Gender stereotyping emerges hand in hand with the development of gender identity in Early Childhood (Halim). Gender roles are society’s expectations of the proper behavior, attitudes and activities of males and females. When babies are born they are either put in pink or blue, as they grow up they still maintain the same “gender” colors. As young children start to socialize, they are playing with either “girl” toys or “boy” toys. When they get older they

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.

To summarize Pollitt’s essay, “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls,” she talks about the cause and effect of why boys take the role of being strong and macho, and the girls play the role of beauty and gentleness. Pollitt claims that males and females’ personalities and behaviors are copied from social conditioning and that there is no need to do the study on brain chemistry or activity. Looking at the way we raise kids, we can determine how incomplete the feminist revolution really is. A toy such as Barbie are for girls. Starting from childhood for a girl, Barbie, with long hair and thin figure, she

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.

In our society, there are norms of what is considered to be feminine and what is to be considered masculine, but how are these norms constructed? Through the use of toys, books, and clothing, children are socialized into their “appropriate” gender. These objects provide influence over behavior and appearance, showing boys and girls what is appropriate for each gender. After some investigation it was found that the toys, books, and clothing that children use not only foster the norms of gender behavior and appearance, but also construct gender roles in their young minds.

Starting from an early age, girls and boys are advised on how to act and behave to societal standards of gender roles and behaviors. Gender socialization occurs in numerous consumer items and even behavior. One method of doing this is through children toys, and the gender socialization that occurs between girls and boys in the toys that are showcased to them. There is a remarkable difference between the two kinds of gender-biased toys, and certainly it shapes how girls and boys are in this social world.

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

How does a Barbie influence young girls in today’s world? Young girls are more into Barbie dolls than any other toy. Barbie has become the ideal role models for all young girls. Barbie perfect appearance, perfect clothes, perfect hairs, perfect makeup, perfectly…perfect. Young Girls need someone, who will validate their dreams, inspire, their hearts, and represent all the positive, healthy ideals life and the young girl start thinks Barbie is the one who they want to become. Girls start comparing their own life with Barbie’s. But they don’t think, Barbie is not the one who going to teach you how to live in the society, how to talk to the elders, how to be a girl, how to dress, no, Barbie

Young people of today look to society for influences in how they should look and act. Children are influenced daily by television, Internet and video games, friends, and even the toys they play with. Boys grow up wanting to be like the superheroes and G.I. Joe figures they play with; girls look to their Barbies and dolls to see how society mandates teens and young adults to be. Bratz dolls are also among those Barbie-type toys that girls are looking up to these days. Bratz dolls are similar to Barbie in form; however, Bratz are more fashionable and “hip” than the traditional blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie. In fact, the more fashionable and “hip” the dolls become, the more negative the image becomes that they exude. The outrageous clothing

Barbie, at the age of 41, is one of the longest living toys in America. Analyzing her early history can give a person a look into the societal trends and culture of the late 1950's and early 1960's. There is evidence of fashion innovations in Barbie's wardrobe. Also, one can see the perception of females by society, such as what they should look like, how they should act and dress, as well as what their future goals could be. The following essay follows Barbie's history from 1959 to 1963, covering her development, her appeal to children, and her existence as a cultural artifact of the time period.

Primary data will be used to answer the research questions guiding this research. The population, sample and procedure will be covered in the following sections.

Many children learn life skills from the toys they play with. Legos teach children how to build objects while following direction. Coloring books help kids with motor skills and creativity. Even basketballs, and footballs teach kids teamwork and physical endurance. Barbie dolls show girls that they have to be put together, wear heels, and have the perfect life with the perfect car and the perfect boyfriend. The old Barbie doll was very unhealthy in the way she looked, and this showed girls a bad example on what their bodies needed to look like. New Barbies are made to show what a healthy person should look like. They have new body types like curvy, short, and tall to show that not everyone looks the same. Old Barbies brought young girls’ confidence down because of their unhealthy body type, while new Barbies, with more body types, skin tones, and eye colors, boost girls’ confidence.