Ken Schroeder's Barbie Doesn’t Add Up

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Barbie Doesn’t Add Up

In the Article “Barbie Doesn’t Add Up,” the author Ken Schroeder states that Barbie dolls were just dolls that gave young girls false ideas of what they should be and look like as they get older. This article was written in the Education Digest in 1992, which helps understand why the author talks mostly about Barbie’s intelligence. The main audience of this article is directed towards parents of young girls in particular. The author is not very persuasive in the article about Barbie because he does not give enough legitimate examples and proof that his theory is correct. Also he is not in any type of field work that studies how children grow up to be after playing with Barbie. It is hard to find many credible examples to back up Mr. Schroeder’s views and thoughts on Barbie and how she makes girls think they should not be good at math.

Ken Schroeder’s logic behind his idea that Barbie is dumb was that they were all blonde and gave off the ideas that this is what girls should be like. He uses the teen talk Barbie as one example by saying that this doll did not say anything that could be considered encouraging and positive to young girls. For example he believes that Teen Barbie saying, “Math class is tough,” makes Teen Barbie come off as a dumb blonde (Schroeder). His evidence with Teen Barbie saying that is not convincing enough to prove that Barbie makes girls think they will not be good at Math. The only thing that gives him the reasons to say Barbie is dumb and makes girls get the wrong impression about being a girl is because she is blonde and only one Barbie says “Math is tough.” That is not enough logic to base his thoughts on Barbie. His one example of Barbie talking about Math is the only example and logic he has to go on throughout the entire article.

In the article, Schroeder tries to make it seem that Mattel is trying to give young girls the idea that girls are just not supposed to be good in math. The problem with him saying this is the fact that he has no expertise in any type of field having to do with Barbie and the affect she has on girls.

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