When I was very young, I owned very many Barbie dolls. To me, they were just so beautiful, and flawless, and I loved them very much. But the Barbie that said the most to me was the President Barbie. This spoke to me. It said that anyone, anywhere, of any gender, socioeconomic status, background, sexuality, ethnicity, race, or belief system could be anything they ever wanted to be, as long as they worked hard enough to achieve it. And this is a very important message, and it is a message that Barbie sends to people every day, all over the world.
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”).
When Barbie first premiered, feminism in America was on the back burner (Hannam), and was little talked of. It’s said that with the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, in 1920, waves of feminism died down, as it was commonly thought that women had been given complete equal rights, and they sho...
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...sity of Florida. 2007. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.
Hannam, June. Women's History, Feminist History. Making History. Web.
1 Nov. 2013.
Walsh, Kenneth. The 1960's: A Decade of Change for Women. US News. 2010. Web
1 Nov. 2013
“A Barbie World.” Allure Magazine. 2009. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
“Toys Shape Your Kid’s Beliefs about Gender, Personality, and Life.”
Little Fluffy Toys. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
“Barbie’s Positive Influence.” The University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
McPherson, Kate. “Barbie Can Teach Girls about More than Body Image.”
The Oklahoma Daily. 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Ann, Corrine. (2012, Oct. 6). “Barbie and Her Positive Influence on Me.” I Graduated, No
What? Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Prager, Emily. (1997). “Our Barbie’s, Ourselves.” Connelly, Mark (Ed. 5). The Sundance Writer:
A Rhetoric, Reader, and Research Guide (145-6). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
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
In paragraph 6, Prager changes tones and suggests that perhaps Barbie was also an icon that could be embraced by feminists. Barbie i...
“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
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
In 1945, Ruth and Eliott Handler founded Mattel – one of Americas leading manufacturing companies of today. The idea for the Barbie doll was conceived when Ruth watched her daughter play with adult paper dolls. She noticed the importance of being able to change the doll's clothes, and decided to create a three-dimensional fashion doll, naming her Barbie after Barbara (her daughter). At the time, the toy market was dominated by baby dolls and toddler dolls. Barbie was a new conception that became a worldwide hit. Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has remained one of the most popular toys of all time. There are two Barbie's sold every second, and more than one billion dolls have been sold around the world (Maine, 2000, cited in Slayen, 2011).
Martin, Melanie. “Negative Effects of Barbie on Girls.” eHow. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
Her poem, “Barbie Doll,” tells the story of a young girl who was short-lived. She was beaten down by society's expectations of what she should be. The poem was a major eye-opener for many, especially considering the time period it was written in. It helped to put the inappropriate and materialistic standards that women continued to be held up to on full display. It broadcasts the effects of these insane standards with an uncensored, real and raw approach.
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
206 paragraph one, (line 1), Sandra Cisneros reveals a model of how girls see themselves in the future. The girls felt the dolls represent the same story and scenario each time they came together and play with each other. The attitude, style and quality of dolls. The interchanging of clothes, character's likes and dislikes as depicted the deception by a doll; from a child's point of view. The girls noticed that when the male Barbie doll drops by the other Barbie would steal him away. A typical boy meets girls; girl thinks boy is cute; boy leaves with the opposite girl. This is a reflected of Sandra Cisneros’s short story "Barbie-Q, "p. 206 , paragraph 1 , (line 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 ) . The girls are tired of the social scene the boy Barbie represents. They only want to play among themselves without any boys. The girls enjoyed looking forward to Christmas and receiving gifts of clothes for their Barbie dolls. This is also, reflected in the insults the girls shared among their future Barbie dolls. In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros, the girls enjoyed going to the flea market, purchasing used clothes for Barbie dolls. Barbie dolls meant so much to the two little girls because they didn't care if their Barbie dolls were wearing hand-me-downs; second hand doll clothing sold alongside the street. The joy came from undressing and dressing up the dolls. The girls even found career clothes to match up to their doll's future. In the short
Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll”, is about the problems a teenage girl faces as she undergoes puberty. In just four stanzas, Piercy illustrates the confusion and sorrow that one girl experiences during this stage in her life. Using vivid language, powerful mental images are created for the readers to easily follow. Those images symbolize that the girl experiences hope, struggle, and despair. Symbolism is the most effective element in the poem.
Barbie has transformed herself from a simple doll to a household name worldwide. From first being introduced in early nineteen fifty-nine by toy manufacturing giant, Mattel, Barbie has grown to become the world’s top selling doll on the market – “accounting for half of Mattel’s $1.4 billion in sales” (Rogers). Known for her long, shapely legs, small waist, full chest, and charismatic smile, Barbie has become the epitome of beauty. However, Barbie’s appeal does not just stop at her looks. With nearly every imaginable career, lifestyle, and look of the doll mass marketed by Mattel, Barbie has evolved herself into one of the most successful and commendable image presented. The dolls has seamlessly accomp...
Imagining gender roles in the 1950s, one idea probably comes to mind: A man comes home from work, greeted eagerly by his children, and sits down to eat the family dinner his wife has lovingly prepared. Little girls dreamt of one day finding husbands and carrying on this seemingly ancient tradition, until something curious came about. Amidst this period of extremely sexist family values came Barbie, one of the first dolls for girls that didn’t reinforce rigid gender roles. She encouraged girls to “be who they wanna be,” and not only did Barbie verbalize this idea, she practiced what she preached. Throughout her existence, Barbie has held more male-dominant jobs than any real woman ever has, including a doctor, CEO, and even President of the United States.
Stone, Tanya Lee. The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.
"Motherhood is bliss." "Your first priority is to care for your husband and children." "Homemaking can be exciting and fulfilling” (Modern Feminism internet). This was some of the advice women would hear among society. This was what society believed women were good for. Modern day feminist poets, like Marge Piercy focuses on women. “Her novels and poetry often focus on feminist or social concerns, although her settings vary” (Marge internet). Her poem “Barbie Doll” is an example of her showing her feminist writing. In the poem “Barbie Doll” , Margie Piercy writes about a girl who is shamed by society because of her looks; the poem tells the life of the girl from her youth to adulthood, in the midst of her transitioning to becoming a young lady she will become a victim of society’s word and not be beautiful until she is dead from all mutilation done to her skin.
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.