Barbie History

Barbie is always in style. She keeps up with the era no matter the style. In the 1970's Barbie was all about girl power during the time of sex discrimination in education and athletics. Barbie showed "girl power" by participating in numerous sports(“History”). Barbie now, not only keeps up with the current fashion; moreover the technology. Barbie went to the moon, but now she is going to mars(Chang). Barbie teamed up with NASA to create a Mission Mars Barbie. This shows that Barbie really does know how to stay in style which is what many young girls want. American Girl dolls are based off of history. American girl dolls have the historical dress, that is not as modern and stylish as Barbie’s. American Girl dolls are also made to look like a young girl. In summary, Barbie is more stylish than American Girl dolls, which will appeal to younger girls. Barbie has changed with the era’s styles and technology, providing a more modern girl toy to play

In the New York Times article: “Barbie- Doll, Icon or Sexist Symbol” it shows how kids see Barbie. With her blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfect body, she is seen as a symbol because it symbolizes that her intentions of having a thin body. The author

Strolling through a local toy store, the Barbie section is noticeably the most prominent, attention grabbing section of the entire store. With bright pink packaging and bubbly cartoon depictions of the smiling doll with the aid of big, swoopy, cursive lettering, the Barbie boxes match the stereotypical idea of femininity. It is almost inevitable that any little girl in the store will be drawn to the doll. These characteristics of Barbie’s packaging already set a preset for the doll’s propaganda. The bright color choices and feminine font creates the assumption that the dolls are solely meant for girls and that women are expected to accept pink as the color of their gender. Already, with just the packaging, children are affected because they learn that pink is meant for girls. Because Barbie is such a huge brand and she is everywhere all over the world, a universal assumption has been made that Barbie dolls are meant for girls. This then leads into the next issue Barbie creates for little girls.

3. Barbie dolls came into existence in 1959. During that time all dolls were infant dolls and Ruth Handler creator of the barbie dolls saw that “children will enjoy giving the Barbie adult roles” because it is different than playing with infant dolls. It has evolved over time, due to the improving technology, the dolls these days look very realistic. The social impact it has made is that it gives children a chance to play with more advanced toys and gives them the ability to admire Barbie’s achievements through her various career

Dolls before Barbie were designed incorporating the ideals of a mans era and the conformity of a women's role in the world. Barbie may have set the stage for the 1960's generation by exposing the youth to verity and free choice. Yet there is another matter in which Barbie may flawed.

The Barbie doll has been a popular play toy for young girls since the late 1950s. Although the Barbie doll seem like an innocent toy, it has had an effect on little girls’ body images. Many studies have shown an association between young girls playing with Barbies and eating disorders. Even grown women want to resemble Barbie so badly that they start to do surgery on their bodies which can be very dangerous. This has led to the term, Barbie Syndrome, which refers to “the drive, often of adolescent girls, to attain impossible standards of beauty, projected by toys—e.g., Mattel’s Barbie Doll—and the media, resulting in failure and frustration, issues related to body

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

The evolution of Barbie has been an interesting one. The doll has sparked countless debates, yet has continued to be a defining icon for children for countless years, and will probably be so for many more. Her changing fashion, careers and views could be easily attributed to the changing views in our society and current fashions that have transfixed the world over time. Barbie is a tangible embodiment of pop culture throughout the years, she has managed to become popular and stay popular, because she has done what many toys could not, she has grown to fit the world around her, and by doing so has captivated generations.

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.

Since the emergence of the Barbie doll in 1959, Barbie has been a populous choice among young children, and more specifically young girls because of its monopolization of the toy market. Barbie is a doll that has been outwardly controversial and debated upon for years and most likely will be for many years to come. The idea of the Barbie doll is a toy for which young girls model themselves after and aspire to be like when they mature and grow up. DuCille states, “more than simple instruments of pleasure and amusement, toys and games play crucial roles in helping children determine what is valuable in and around

On March 1959 during the American International Toy Fair, Barbie with a demure sidelong glance entered the world stage for the first time. Unlike the earlier traditional toys, Barbie in her high heels and black and white striped swimsuit seemed ready for an upscale pool party, and in the end, she revolutionized both the toy industry and society’s culture by representing the changing society as more women joined the workforce after World War II. As a result, today when any typical American woman reflects back at her childhood besides perhaps crayons, the Barbie Dolls have to be in the top list since it became an integral childhood partner. For most innocent American female children, the Barbie doll is more

Victoria Pesic Ms Ragno Practical Writing 5 May 2016 Barbie’s Effect on America Most American girls can remember growing up with the blonde, plastic, fashionable doll called Barbie. The first item to pop into people's heads, as they think of the perfect Christmas or Hanukkah present is the Barbie doll. When it comes to racial-acceptance and body-image, the doll is misleading.

Young Girls look up to many people as role models, one role model that plays an immense part in their lives is Barbie. Barbie is defined as being pretty, beautiful, and even perfect. But is she really that wonderful as she seems? Her body shape is completely inaccurate representation of the female body and people get easily influenced by these unrealistic standards. If no one steps up to help young girls realize that Barbie is not perfect then they will have dissatisfaction with themselves forever. Body dissatisfaction is becoming more and more popular and one reason is that Barbie presents an unrealistic body image that affects young girls and their idea of a perfect life.

In fact, the Barbie doll was so popular that three years after her release in 1959 Mattel was still filling orders from her first year (Long 17).

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.