Barbie: Feminism's Best Friend or Worst Enemy

Barbie was created in 1959 and since then has been a popular toy among young girls. Her popularity among young girls has started a debate whether she is a role model. Some see her as the toy she is, however others see her as the reason so many girls develop body image issues due to her unrealistic body.

Barbie: Independent Woman or Damaging American Icon? She's the classic American beauty, the woman we all dreamed of being at one point in our lives. She has long, tanned legs, cascades of blonde curls and has such perky breasts that she doesn't even need a bra. Although this character does not need air to breathe and is made of plastic, she has been one of America's most potent icons for more than 40 years and has affected girls in ways even human models aren't capable of.

Barbie, an American icon that was a product of the Mattel Company, revolutionized the lives of young girls and women for many decades. The creation of Barbie, meant for many young girls the opportunity to have choices during a time when women were limited. Although, Barbie has long been criticized for being associated with domesticity and her appearance among many other things, she is nonetheless an iconic figure in American History. As a female who grew up playing with Barbie dolls, for many people like myself, she was more than a toy, she was an influence that many woman have tried to emulate because she was an innovate figure in the 1960s and has continued to be well into today. The intention of this paper is to examine what were the intentions of Barbie doll creator Ruth Handler when the doll debuted in 1959 as well as the magnitude of Barbie’s impact on women and women’s history.

Merriam-Webster defines “idol” as “a greatly loved or admired person.” So what exactly does it take to be considered an idol? If the answer includes being a strong role model for young girls and staying relevant for over 50 years, Barbie fits the bill perfectly.

At the request of many who say that Barbie gives an overly sexualized image of women to children, Barbie has undergone several breast reductions and waist-widening modifications to make her more acceptable not in the eyes of children, but in the eyes of the children’s parents. Even though her height has remained rather irrelevant through her 55 years of being alive, Barbie has been produced with several different feminine physiques and many different skin colors in an attempt to satisfy outraged people. She started out as a fashion doll that needed unrealistic proportions to help her numerous outfits fit better, but somewhere along the way her harmless journey became stained with the accusations of feminists. Even after takin...

The design of the toy is meant to resemble a woman’s body in the prime of her teenage years. Barbie is tall and slender with a small waist and a full chest with blonde hair and blue eyes. When Barbie first launched, it was priced at about $3.00 (presently goes for about $15 - $40) it became an instant hit. The toy is manufactured in such a way the body is made of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic and the head is made out of PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), The toy, like many other dolls, is fairly self-explan...

Barbie Since the beginning of time, toys have often been an indicator of the way a society behaves, and how they interact with their children. For example, in ancient Greece, artifacts recovered there testify that children were simply not given toys to play with as in the modern world. The cruel ritual of leaving a sick child on a hillside for dead, seems to indicate a lack of attention to the young (Lord 16). The same is true of today’s society. As you can see with the number of toy stores in our society, we find toys of great value to our lives and enjoy giving them to children as gifts.

“Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is the epitome of what views from society can affect you. The title itself has a deeper meaning. A Barbie doll is known for its ideal physique, perfect hair and teeth, and an incredible wardrobe. It is a fake impression of a women’s appearance that is generally played with by little girls. It is an icon around the world and role model to many young girls. Young girls are impressionable and their self-esteem is not fully mature. “This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (Piercy). This little girl is like any other girl. She is presented with dolls to play with, and other toys to pra...

Because girls are impressionable at all ages, Barbie targets young girls to fantasize about being perfect. Girls look at Barbie and believe they can obtain all of her attributes, while in reality that would be impossible. Having a goal to be an astronaut or pediatrician seems probable at young ages, but the image of Barbie and all of her successes are never a result of schooling, hardships, or any stresses that would face them today. A fantasy world is built up and is deemed probable because of the one-sided point of view of Barbie. Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled: ‘How to Lose Weight” with directions inside simply stating ‘Don’t eat.’

Barbie was considered a breakthrough within the toy industry, designed to inspire and motivate young girls. The doll broke away from the stereotypical children’s doll, being the first young-adult doll to be produced within the United States. Initially, when Barbie was released she had blue eyes and blonde hair. Her