Barbie: Independent Woman or Damaging American Icon?

2457 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Portrayal of young women in the media

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. With 250 million Barbies in existence in the United States alone, there are more Barbies than there are people in the United States (Green 339). Barbie is adored by 8-year-old girls, collected by baby-boomer moms, and despised by feminists. No one can deny Barbie's unmistakable popularity.

I myself am still the owner of 10-12 well-worn Barbie dolls. They are the outcome of much begging and pleading with my parents and their many unsuccessful attempts at getting me to stop sucking my thumb. Barbie was fascinating to me because she was a woman, not a baby like my other dolls. My sister and I spent hours creating complex "grown-up" scenarios with Barbie and her counterparts. Although I have fond memories of those afternoons of make-believe, I am now a more consciences adult aware of Barbie's shortcomings as such a powerful cultural icon. Although some people would call Barbie a feminist due to her multiple careers and her independent, fun-loving personality, I now see that Barbie’s unrealistic body size, her association with consumerism, and her potent sexuality make her a negative and harmful American icon.

Barbie was conceived in 1959 by Ruth Handler (Green, A. 1/2). While on vacation in Germany, Ruth found a novelty d...

... middle of paper ...

...rth Island Journal 11:4 (1996). Academic Search Elite. Palni SiteSearch. Goshen College Good Library. 3 Mar. 2001.

Matheny, Krista. "Many Women Believe Barbie Damages Society." Murray State News U-Wire 18 Feb. 2000. <www.sam.com/article>

McConnell, Tandy, ed. American Decades: 1990-1999. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2001.

Prager, Emily. "Our Barbies, Ourselves." Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture For Writers. 3rd Ed. Maasik, Sonia and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 706-709.

Robertson, Virginia. "Special Report on Reaching Girls: What Barbie Says About Girls." Aug. 1997. Kidscreen: About Reaching Children Through Entertainment <www.kidscreen.com/articles/ks15997.asp>

"The Culture of Beauty." Diabetes Forcast Jul 1995. Academic Search Elite. Palni SiteSearch. Goshen College Good Library. 3 Mar. 2001.

Show More
Related

  • Barbie Annotated Bibliography

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    This website article provides the history of Barbie and her newly inspiring images for young women. Barbie was the new popular doll during World War 2 because she provided something inspiring for young girls and something that mothers felt strong about, independence. Barbie helped with what was being told to women, that they didn’t have to settle for being just a housewife or a stay at home mother. Women around the country could have a variety, a choice to work and have a career. “Barbie’s early professions were limited

    Read More

  • Emily Prager's Our Barbies, Ourselves

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the essay 'Our Barbies, Ourselves,' Emily Prager explores the history of the Barbie doll and talks about the Barbie doll itself. Prager seems convinced that the Barbie doll was an object created by a man and that Barbie reeks of sexuality, sexual innuendo and serves as the anti-feminist embodiment of every man's fantasy. In her own expressive and persuasive modes to fashion an essay designed to persuade the reader that the Barbie doll is a twisted and corrupt tool designed by men to combat the feminist revolution. Though her attempts at persuasion are commendable, I was not swayed in my opinions on Barbie. If anything, I just found fault with this writer's point of view, and I found her accusations to be outrageous and her 'facts' to be completely wrong.

    Read More

  • Gender Codes in SELF Magazine

    1639 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wolf, Naomi. "The Beauty Myth." Signs Of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 4th edition. Ed. Sonia Maasik, and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2003.515-524.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Our Barbies Ourselves By Prager

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    “If Barbie was designed by a man, suddenly a lot of things made sense to me,” says Emily Prager in her essay “Our Barbies, Ourselves” (Prager 354). Prager’s purpose for writing this essay is to explain the history of Barbie and how the doll itself has influenced and continue to influence our society today. Prager is appealing to the average girl, to those who can relate to the way she felt growing up with Barbie seen as the ideal woman. Emily Prager uses a constant shift between a formal and informal tone to effectively communicate her ideas that we view women today based upon the unrealistic expectations set forth by Barbie. By adopting this strategy she avoids making readers feel attacked and therefore

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In William Faulkner's Barbie Doll

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Barbie is a plastic, man-made female toy, which has perfect facial symmetry, unnatural body dimensions, and perfectly unblemished white skin. In Chris Semansky’s Overview of “Barbie Doll,” he explains that the Barbie “is invented to show women have been socialized into thinking of their bodies and behavior in relation to a male-controlled idea” (Semansky). The title directly alludes to the Barbie toy, which represents a design of a man-made construction of the female image that shows an unnatural human form that could only exist inside the imagination of men. Throughout both “Barbie Doll” and “The Birthmark” you will find the female protagonists seeking an ultimately perfect form, free of the characteristics that those around them see as unworthy. It is as if they are chasing the blueprint of perfection that is present in the Barbie. The original Barbie came with three outfits a bathing suit, a tennis outfit, and a wedding dress (Semansky). Her outfits clearly symbolize restrictions forced on female privilege, identity, and autonomy, where “she embodies the ideals and values of her middle-class American community” who expect her to “spend her days at the country club and her afternoons cooking dinner for her husband” (Semansky). This is directly similar to the “outfits” those around the women in “Barbie Doll” where the girlchild is born

    Read More

  • Ruth Handler, Inventor of the Barbie Doll

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin, Melanie. “Negative Effects of Barbie on Girls.” eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Busting Barbie

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hoskins, S. (n.d.). The negative effects of barbie on young girls and the long term results. Retrieved from http://www.divinecaroline.com/life-etc/momhood/negative-effects-barbie-young-girls-long-term-results

    Read More

  • Gendered Ideals of Body Form

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    Urla, J., & Swedlund, A. C. (1995). The Anthropometry of Barbie: unsettling ideals of the feminine body in popular culture. In J. Terry & J. Urla (Eds.). Deviant Bodies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Read More

  • Morality in Huckleberry Finn

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the very beginning of the novel, Huck is forced into learning the religious ideals of what is right from wrong according to Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas. Religion in all standards is clearly one of the major influences when it comes to teaching morality. It provides the general opposition of good versus evil and even the distinction of heaven and hell. For example, Huck takes no pleasure in these teachings by saying “Then she [Miss Watson] told me all about the bad place and I said I wish I was there... S...

    Read More

  • Perception Of Beauty In Sandra Cisneros 'Barbie-Q'

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    The short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros has many reflections on cultural diversity and how each culture views its own individual beauty of women and girls which is cultural beauty. Women value culture and the beauty it represents. In the short story "Barbie-Q, "p. 205 (line 1 ) , Sandra Cisneros reveals

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Barbie

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    Those perfect days as a child when your countless days were filled with playtime. The time to set up those houses and dress the dolls up, and act out the future. “Through their play Barbara imagined their lives as adults. They used the dolls to reflect the adult world around them. They would sit and carry on conversations, making the dolls real people” (Ruth Handler). As a young child, it is all you look forward to in your future: being successful and confident, loved and cherished. Many dolls were used to project this. Specifically, the Barbie. Barbie is a positive role model girl should look up to for confidence and inspiration. She is a talented and educated career woman, self-sufficient in every aspect of her life, and a stunning example to young girls the body that is healthy and fit.

    Read More

  • Banning Barbie

    1738 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although there are many Americans that believe that Barbie should be banned because of her negative influence, research clearly shows that the Barbie doll brings children no harm. Barbie dolls are good for society because little girls have understood the diversity through the use of Barbie’s ethnic different. Little girls enjoy playing with this doll. Barbie, therefore, should not be banned. It’s time to drop the controversy about Barbie and accept the fact that she is just a Barbie.

    Read More

  • Barbie: The Queen of Feminism

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    One day, as Ruth Handler watched her daughter play with paper dolls, she noticed that often the dolls were put into adult scenarios, such as grocery shopping, working, et cetera (“The Creation of Barbie”). As most dolls in this era, the 1950’s, were either babies or small children, Handler got an idea: what if she created an adult doll (“The Creation of Barbie”)? So, she drew up a design for one, and she named her Barbie, after her daughter, Barbara (“The Creation of Barbie”). Then, in 1959, Mattel, a huge and very popular toy company, picked up the idea (“The Creation of Barbie”). Barbie made her first appearance in New York, at the annual toy fair (“The Creation of Barbie”). That year, 351,000 Barbie dolls were sold, which was a sales record in America (“The Creation of Barbie”). Today, Barbie continues to be the most popular doll in the world, with two sold every minute (“The Creation of Barbie”).

    Read More

  • Berger And Luckmann's The Social Construction Of Reality?

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    It may seem trivial and go unnoticed to most, but by assigning Barbie a real career, people are able to identify with and recognize her. The marketers also provide Barbie with a life other than modeling, such as friends and a home. The Ken doll, which is commonly known as Barbie’s boyfriend, makes her appear more real to the audience. Girls are able to identify with the idea of a boyfriend, which makes the notion of Barbie seem more realistic and desirable. The same idea is applied to the many friends Barbie has been accompanied by over the years. Lastly, and perhaps most famously, Barbie, like almost all of the girls who play with her, have a home. The Barbie Dream House is just another clever way her marketing team has presented her to society as a real person. Humanizing Barbie, and portraying her in such a manner makes her more attractive to potential buyers. The girls who engage in play with dolls do not want merely a doll; they desire something they can relate to and envision in the real world. Imaginative play is a large portion of childhood, and the ability for children to posses a doll like Barbie , who represents a real person in society, is extremely valuable. The use of social constructionism in the marketing of products such as Barbie is both brilliant and effective.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Neologisms In The English Language

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the light of linguistic observation, the main purposes of neologisms are to upgrade the existing lexicons and dictionaries with the newly coined words, and the analysis together with the description of the neologisms themselves in terms of distribution over word-classes, statistics on derivational methods, statistics on loan words origination etc.

    Read More

More about Barbie: Independent Woman or Damaging American Icon?

Open Document