The 21st century is an era in which social media, television, film and advertisement ads play a crucial role on the development of teenagers. Through movies young teenagers develop their ‘perfect’ idea of love and of how they aspire to live their life. Aside from our closely admired friends and family, our role models become our favorite childhood movie protagonists. As we grow older, we aspire our life to develop just as their fictional life did. I, unlike today’s young teenagers did not grow up with Disney, music videos, or Barbie, since, my family did not own a television until I was 10 years old. My first encounter with Barbie happened when I was in middle school after I moved to the US. Beyond my friends idealizing Barbie, her popularity made me believe that she was the perfect example of an American young adult. Although, I could not ignore her unrealistic life, deep inside me I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be popular, independent and secure, just like she is portrayed on the television series Life in the Dreamhouse. Soon I realized that it would not be possible because as a Latina teenager our lifestyle and physical appearance are far from comparison. Ultimately, the show Life in the Dreamhouse, causes Latina female youth to feel insecure and rejected by the American popular culture. In this episode Barbie is falsely portray as independent, intelligent and gives false idea of the perfect American role model to Latinas. By evaluating the significance of the Hollywood sign the disparity of the American and Latino culture is obvious. The episode begins with a beautiful camera shot of the Barbie “Hollywood” sign while a happy summer song plays on the background. The Hollywood sign is replaced by the word “Barbie,” whi... ... middle of paper ... ...ecause in reality an independent woman wants to fall in love and share her time with another intelligent and independent man. Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse ambiguous independence are only a hook for young Latinas. Barbie relying on her boyfriend to fix her house and basically solve all of her problems, encourages teenagers that have difficulties at home to solve those problems by giving priority to their boyfriend. Ultimately, to run away with them. Unlike Barbie’s fantasy life this Latinas do not usually find a sweet life with their boyfriend rather they find that escaping a small problem they fall into greater problems that have serious consequences. Even though the Latino culture is different than the popular American culture, they do not escape the misleading cartoons that cause damage to the perception of what is adulthood like Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse.
Hippie Barbie, written by Denise Duhamel uses the symbols of the contemporary life of the fairy-tale lifestyle into reality. The words and ideas used in this narrative poem give fantasy a different perspective. It is inferred that the speaker is a female Barbie specialist, who reflects her knowledge by using the popular Barbie doll as the main character. Throughout the poem, she gives key points that have female perspective; for instance, kissing Ken, thinking about having mixed-race children, and walking a poodle. She establishes a story-telling tone, which introduces Hippie Barbie as a real woman. The speaker is trying to address to all Americans that know deeper into Barbie doll life. By using the word “hippie” she gives a sense of rejection, opposition and liberalism towards things. Hippie Barbie reveals the ugly truth about the society based on appearances that we live in.
The American Dream was derived from the United States Declaration of Independence which states that, “All mean are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (US 1776). This means that every person has equal opportunity
There are various individuals throughout the world who believe that the American Dream cannot be achieved by all people. Those who agree with this view believe that our culture contains too many roadblocks and obstacles. Some of these obstacles include prejudice, poverty, and social inequality. Another view on this matter is that others believe that America is the “Land of Opportunity”. They also believe that if you can believe it, you can achieve it. Back in the early 20th century, The American Dream meant something to people; nowadays it is a term that various people loosely throw around. The American Dream is not realistic because it is not attainable to everyone like Cal Thomas presumes and although education, budget cuts and lack of employment may seem of some concern to only a small group of people, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about the status of the economy.
Mostly anything you want to achieve requires time and perseverance it doesn 't just come to you easily. In America we all have dreams we want to achieve, a set of goals for the future. The American dream is in your perception, what you want it to mean for you. It’s what you want to consummate in America where you can 't anywhere else. How you can succeed in life enough to survive and be happy. The reality of the American dream is the essence of any person living in America, immigrant or not. Trying to achieve in life more than their parents did and to be successful with a prosperous life, but many people believe it can’t be achieved, but with assiduous work and determination you can make your
The American dream never died, but did it ever exist in the first place? In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the American dream is important to a man named Jay Gatsby. As a young boy Gatsby grew up having large dreams and goals. He left his home and his family to do whatever he needed to achieve his dreams. As a young adult, he still strived for the success even if it meant ending something in a tragedy. Gatsby is a great man that is ambitious, wealthy and, generous.
The image of Latinas has changed numerously since television began. In the year of 1961, America was introduced to spicy, fierce, sexy Latina known as Anita in West Side Story. Since then, a majority of people had assumed that all Latinas were just like Anita. Angry, and disappointed, Latinas nationwide would say that they “racialized and sexualized the brown female body” after the release of West Side Story (Angharad). It was not until the late 1970’s to 1980’s that, ¿Qué Pasa, USA? became the first sitcom podcasted on national television in the United States. When ¿Qué Pasa, USA? was aired we were able to see the first all brown cast (¡Que Pasa!1). By all means, this particular show did a great job in portraying not only Latinas but Latinos
The average girl in America is raised up surrounded with images of Barbie’s body image. An overwhelming 99% of girls between the ages of three to twelve own at least one Barbie doll. Constantly surrounded by Barbie’s perfect body image can take a toll on one’s self-esteem and body perception. According to psychiatrists worldwide, “Barbie is the number one most destructive force on the self-image of women all over the globe.” (Lieberman) Girls started thinking that if they did not have the Barbie body physique they were unattractive and needed to change themselves in order to become beautiful. Attempting to become perfect is a long and unattainable goal that can be stressful and lead to depression and body dissatisfaction. Girls and women don’t realize that Barbie is unrealistic so they sometimes resort to drastic measures to achieve her look. In fact, if Barbie were real, she would be 5’9’’ and only weigh 110 pounds. She would have an 18” waist ...
"The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.
What is the American Dream, and who are the people most likely to pursue its often elusive fulfillment? Indeed, the American Dream has come to represent the attainment of myriad of goals that are specific to each individual. While one person might consider a purchased home with a white picket fence her version of the American Dream, another might regard it as the financial ability to operate his own business. Clearly, there is no cut and dried definition of the American Dream as long as any two people hold a different meaning. What it does universally represent, however, it the opportunity for people to seek out their individual and collective desires under a political umbrella of democracy.
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.
According to Lisa Belkin, Barbie is good for society because she’s fun to play with and she encourages little girls to use their imagination and dream big. Many young girls who play with Barbie dolls have realized that she is just a doll. Some of these little girls don’t have the desire to look like Barbie; they just think Barbie is just a doll that they play with and leave them everywhere. At a young age girls are given their first Barbie doll and thought what “perfect” should be. Barbie portrays the perfect image and life. Not only is Barbie tall, skinny, and beautiful, she has all the luxurious accessories to match her perfect life. To go along with her perfect life she is accompanied with the perfect boyfriend, family and dream house.At a young age girls are also being influenced by this doll, what they should look like, and what kind of life they sgould lead. Young girls strive to achieve this look which is life threatening to obtain. Regardless to the changes they made to Barbie, she is still far from real. Little girls that are mature enough don’t strive to look like Barbie because she’s just a plastic doll.(Debate.org, 9). According to “The Intentions behind the creation of Barbie”, Barbie dolls ...
Barbie has been a child’s toy since 1959. Over millions of girls have played with them, looking up to Barbie as their “perfect role model.” Who would want their role model to be someone, if she were to be compared to a real person, couldn’t even live on her own? Barbie has many good “jobs” and can influence kids to do very good acts, but in appearance, Barbie is unattainable.
Barbie, a doll manufactured by Mattel, Inc., encourages an unrealistic body image, racial insensitivity, and contradictive goals, and it is having a negative influence on young girls everywhere. Launched in March 1959 by Ruth Handler, an American business woman and president of Mattel, Inc., Barbie quickly became popular and has gone on to sell three dolls every second, in over one hundred and fifty countries. However, Barbie’s rise to success has not been wholly positive – there have been numerous controversies, parodies, and lawsuits, all addressing a number of issues. One such issue is how Barbie promotes an unrealistic and unobtainable body image. For example, to scale, Barbie is five feet, nine inches tall, has a thirty six inch chest, eighteen inch waist, and thirty three inch hips. Had Barbie been a real person, she would not be able to walk, much less hold her head up. Secondly, Barbie is racially insensitive and perpetuates stereotypes. “Mexico Barbie,” from Barbie’s “ethnic” line, comes with a passport and a Chihuahua, as well as stereotypical red lace ribbons in her hair. Lastly, Barbie portrays goals that are both unobtainable and contradictive. Barbie has had a variety of careers, such as being a doctor, astronaut, and President of the United States, but also engages in stereotypical domestic activities, such as cleaning and baking. These characteristics are affecting young girls in a time when they are most developmentally susceptible, and teaching them a number of negative lessons.
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.
In connection with this discussion about Barbie creating unrealistic standards for girls and fostering controversial feministic stereotypes, a woman named Blondie Bennett is currently making headlines across the world for famously stating that she would like to be treated like a “plastic sex doll” and will undergo hypnotherapy to become “brainless” like Barbie (Kirkova, 2014). Bennett is an obsessive Barbie fan who has invested thousands of dollars on plastic surgeries to create a more plastic-like image for her body so that she can look more like the doll. In her interviews, she actually prides herself on being forgetful and ditsy. She recalls Barbie as her first play toy as a young girl. Dressed in pink from head-to-toe, Bennett says: “when I was a teenager… I wanted to mirror my life like Barbie… she just lived an exciting life” (Kirkova, 2014). She also went on to say: “Barbie has the best life – all she does is shop and make her self look pretty – she doesn’t worry about anything” (Kirkova, 2014). Bennett has male friends who pay for her rent and surgeries in exchange for sexual favors. Clearly, Bennett uses her sexuality to gain advantages and is completely reliant on men financially. She even changes her tone of voice to sound like that of a young girl. Of course this is one of the more rarer cases, but it truly shows how impactful a simple toy can be on a child’s development. Further, it exemplifies why the design of toys and the underlying themes they possess, should be carefully studied and understood.