Children have always looked up to someone also as we know called “Role Models”. A good role model is a person who serves as an example of the values, attitudes, and behaviors associated with a role. For year's little girls have been looking up to a figure/plastic doll called Barbie. Barbie Dolls have been in our world since 1959 which was when the first Barbie doll-named after Ruth's daughter Barbara -made its debut at New York Toy Fair. Barbie is what children have been looking up to as their “role model” for years. Barbie is a character who is always up to date on the latest trends. She has long blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect makeup, and perfect medium tanned and curvy body. Barbie is the girl that everyone wants to be or be around. I …show more content…
In 1961 Barbie dolls ‘Boyfriend Ken” was introduced at the American International Toy Fair, where ken was 12 inches tall, had “molded” plastic hair (blond and brunette) and came dressed in red bathing suit trunks with a yellow towel and sandals (Barbie media). When a child is playing with a Barbie doll, it helps them improve their creativity with clothes, colors combinations skills because there are so many outfits, shoes, accessories, and play sets that they can mix and match. This can improve their skills as well as they can share their ideas behind their decisions for dressing up their dolls, and can even start dressing themselves up and getting the idea. Playing with Barbie dolls has the force to influence your child’s creativity for example She or He can create many different looks for Barbie based on how she feels and comes up with different events and activate that part of your child’s brain.
As a young girl, playing with Barbie dolls was the best time of life. Getting Barbie’s for birthdays or any occasion was the highlight of every year, especially when me and my friends would get together and we would compare dolls to see what each other got and see the difference in dolls. Barbie was just a doll that we could make and say what ever we wanted her to say or do, we let our imaginations take a lead. As said in the article “Life in Plastic”, “Barbie draws her flock with a heady mix of
Growing up, I played with Barbie. Barbie had her own house, car and airplane. She had clothes and shoes for every occasion. She was independent and successful. She was tall, blonde and beautiful. She was everything I hoped to be as an adult. Barbie continues to be a role model for many little girls today. Little boys have their own role model, G.I. Joe. He is strong, a warrior, the good guy. Unfortunately, these iconic role models represent the unobtainable physique. Their body shapes are unrealistic. Perceiving these toys as physical role models has become detrimental to the health of children because when they fail to size up, or down, to these figures, serious illnesses, disease and even death can occur.
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.
Barbie is the controversial toy every big news outlet loves to poke and prod about. Barbie was created in 1959 after Ruth Handler observed her daughter, Barbara, playing with paper dolls. “Ruth immediately recognized that experimenting with the future from a safe distance through pretend play was an important part of growing up.” Even though some may be "intimidated" by Barbie's seemingly perfect, tanned, thin body, Barbie is only a doll; In the end, she is just a hunk of plastic.
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
appearance is similar to a Barbie. For example, her blonde hair, blue eyes, and youth. Even as
Barbie is an important role model of girls at a young age. “Handler got the idea for Barbie after noticing her daughter, Barbara, dressing adult paper dolls in cutout clothing.” [Englert] “Ruth immediately recognized that experimenting with the future from a safe distance though pretend play was an important part of growing up.” [History -Barbie] Recently, Barbie has announced that Barbie will be curvier, different hair length and/or color, different skin tones, etc. to have girls experiment the doll as themselves with decision making, problem solving, and more. “...Barbie continues to find new ways to inspire and encourage the next generation of girls.” [History -Barbie]
While Barbie is known for giving off a bad message for children's body image, however she also has a very empowering massage. Many grownups believe that barbie has unrealistic body standards for young girls to look up to. Yet, many 6 to 10 year olds are not worrying about their body at this time of their life. Barbie was created in 1959, based off of Ruth Handler’s daughter’s fascination with an older doll. Her daughter wanted a teenage or grown up doll(“History”). Barbie was created by Ruth to show that a woman can do any job or any profession. "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 a woman has choices."(“History”). In the 60’s and 90’s this was big because of all the women equality movements going on in America. Barbie also helps girls imagination. In a video recently released on Barbie’s website, it shows how Barbie can help a girl's imagination. In the video multiple young girls are seen doing grownup jobs. In the end it shows a little girl acting out the same jobs with her barbie dolls(“Imagine”). This shows that Barbie can help a girl imagine she can do anything just like the Barbie catch phrase, “Be who you want to be”. Barbie also has diversity. Christe, Barbie’s African American Best friend, was created to help make Barbie more diverse(Sherrow). There are even Latino Barbies
Girls liked playing with toy dolls that they could make say and do what ever they wanted, and they could live in a fantasy world with their friends. Boys liked playing with their toy trucks and tools because it was fun to run things over and play with toys in the dirt, or with the tools, they act like they could actually be like older boys or their fathers and build stuff. Neither one of the toys that the boys played with seemed that it would scar them for life. With Barbie they more and more have made her a more positive role model by having her say encouraging things. So when it comes down to it, how a young boy plays with his toys is the same as how a young girl plays with her Barbie’s because they both just want to have fun with a toy, and they can make it do whatever they wanted. Young children could have control over something which both genders liked to do.
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.
Barbies have changed a lot over the years. Not just Barbies, but kids toys and dolls have made drastic improvements and advancements. The first toy can be traced back to ancient Greece in 10th century B.C. Dolls can be traced back even further. Since then, these plastic toys, specifically Barbies, have affected the body images of little girls. If Barbie was life size, she would be 5’9” and weigh only 110 pounds. Her body’s fat percentage would be so low that she wouldn’t be able to walk or even live a healthy life. Barbies are a positive and negative influence on young girls. She shows them that they can do whatever job they want, but on the other hand, she represents what our society thinks is the “perfect” body.
Ever since the creation of Barbie in 1959, the doll has been a frontrunner in children’s entertainment. The doll’s humble beginning has progressed until Mattel can now claim, with very good reasoning, that one Barbie Doll is sold every two and a half seconds. Considering the doll’s popularity, one has to wonder how a toy that popular is effecting the children who play with the doll. Some people claim that Barbie encourages young girls to be the best they can be. Others believe that Barbie is merely a toy, and that the doll has no impacts on the child’s life at all. The truth of the matter is that Barbie can have very serious negative effects on how young girls will grow up to view their physical appearance as well as their value as human beings.
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:
Starting young, adolescent girls around the world are becoming self-conscious due to society’s influence upon what they should and shouldn’t look like. Many argue that The Barbie Doll plays a key influence in what young girls assume their bodies should look like. However, some will argue that the Barbie Doll toy is a good role model for young children, especially girls, because of her career choices, how she’s depicted in her movies, and her overall personality.
Barbie was created March 9th, 1959 and has been around for more than fifty years. However, there have been several arguments over one simple question: Is Barbie a good role model for children? Even though most girls throughout the past generations have played with a Barbie, the answer is no, she is not a good role model for children.
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