Cultural Objects Example: Barbie

Cultural differences in my definition refer to differences among people because of their racial or ethnic background, gender, language, nationality, sexual orientation, dress and traditions. These differences can bring strength to the group if valued and integrated into the group dynamics, at the same time it can also weaken a group as differences in interpretation of events can lead to miscommunication, awkwardness and hostilities if not addressed. Prejudices about people of different backgrounds can also lead people to jump to conclusions and misinterpret actions and behaviors. In the article, “Dyes and Dolls: Multicultural Barbie and the Merchandising of Difference,” by Ann Ducille helps us to understand how the making

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

Culture itself can be broken into further components. One of them would be material culture. According to the course content powerpoint, this kind of culture is basically the physical objects of a society, and what kind of meaning they are given based on the context it is in. There are a few examples of this. One would be clothing. In hip hop culture, its material culture would consist of clothing that if it was in the early 2000’s, people apart of it would be wearing baggy clothing. The meaning of baggy clothing was a revolt against of what was considered more normal and safe attire, which does relate to the music since hip-hop can get very explicit. Another example of material culture could be an art piece. If a bunch of artwork is

This artifact was a written final exam analyzing issues relating to leadership and diversity in the course Leadership in Multicultural Organizations. This artifact demonstrates knowledge, comprehension, and analysis of the concepts and theories of leadership, issues of diversity in organizations, and strategies for managing differences among today’s multicultural workforce. I selected this artifact because it discusses and describes the link between leadership approaches and diversity and it compares and contrasts current leadership practices in the United States (US).

Culture is a very vital part of the world as we know it today. There are very many different cultures all around the world. In the USA, we have a mix of all the different cultures and and family values. From the original Native Americans that inhabited America to the Middle Eastern people in Afghanistan. These people groups have brought their language, food, values, and customs with them.

According to the dictionary site, culture is define as” the total of inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action”. Some examples of culture ideas are norms, values and religion is largely depending on their cultural context. Non-material culture is an intangible, e.g., beliefs, customs, philosophy, language, and government. Material cultural consists of physical objects, such as houses, food, factories, raw material, and machines. No matter what culture is belong to, it is an interaction between the material and non-material culture. However, I believe that every cultural object gives a concise meaning to an object. For example, a ring is just an artifact for women and men to wear, but in a society where wedding rings are exchanged between couple, it will be values differently.

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.

Many toy companies have now made their dolls diverse because of all of the races in America. They have not just changed people with different skin tones or facial hair but also have changed the amount of genders. This is very important because many religions or people don’t look or want the original blonde barbie. Now people want stuff that will make other people and children feel special about themselves.

The most profound image I took away from the Barbie collection was the development and various uses of plastics from those early years to today. Toy museums are popular for two reasons, they show an aspect of a culture that an art or history museum may not address, but more importantly, they take the visitor back to their own childhood when they see the toys that they played with when they were young, and awaken the imagination again in ways not known for years. Another popular topic for museums in Europe is the torture museum. The Dungeon, in Prague is the only one I have visited, but there are several others as well in Germany and France.

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

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.

Yes, there are several pieces of equisite cultural artifacts that belongs to my particularly culture meaningful to me. The objects that were under consideration were, A mural painting, The African-American museum, The friendship Gates. The artifacts that have been selected is, is the murral as it have been an inspirational piece to myself since a child. This mural immediately capture the visual,and leaving an lasting impression on the

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.

Culture has many different definitions. Culture could mean someone likes literature, music, food, or art. Culture is a human tool, but the tool can be very fragile. Culture can change and it can be lost like it is found. Examinations of cultural objects do not tell us much about the culture of the large society, but it does show us cultural patterns within a certain culture. These objects can show us a certain piece of someone 's culture and what it means about that particular culture. A cultural object is something that is made by human beings; it just does not come out of nowhere. I

For weakness, Barbie is part of and promotes a certain culture. So in cultures, either within or outside the United States, that hold different values (especially for women), she may not be as popular. For example, Barbie has been in the Saudi Arabian market for many years, but she is still not as popular as a doll that matches the local culture more, named Foulah, created by another company.