Taking a Look at Barbie Millicent Roberts

(Teresa) Her black lined sultry eyes, pointy brows, and red lips were very adult like characteristics. Although her appearance worried parents, Barbie was a hit in the industry. Within the first year, over 300,000 Barbies were sold for $1-$3 a doll. With over 150 careers, Barbie has been an idol to many girls all over the world. Julianne M., mom to one daughter, explained, "A doll with ... ... middle of paper ... ...ith accessories such as hats and a few different wigs.

Is Barbie the model woman? For generations girls have played with this doll and many have aspired to be just like her: the party girl, career women and the beauty queen all wrapped into one. In Marge Piercy’s poem entitled “Barbie Doll” the title foreshadows the theme of the poem which is that girls are ultimately and fatally entrapped by society’s narrow definitions of feminine behavior and beauty. When Piercy compares the young lady in the poem to a Barbie doll she is revealing the irony of the title. In “Barbie Doll” the speaker is aware of the events taking place in the young girls’ life; however, the speaker does not know how the young girl feels about the events that are taking place.

As Lisa returned to Malibu Stacy 's creator, I must revisit Barbie. In the words of her creator, Ruth Handler states “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” Handler developed Barbie as she was watching her daughter Barbara play with her friends their imagining future roles as adults and teenagers. Envisioning that experimenting with the idea of future through this performative play was vital to a girl 's development, Handler fought for years to get the 3-dimensional fashion doll into production, finally launching in 1959. Was Barbie a feminist success for the time?

There has always been controversy as to whether Barbie should be banned. Barbie dolls were created decades ago so little girls can play with them and relate to them somehow; therefore, Barbie should not be banned. Barbie dolls are good for society, little girls have understood diversity, and they enjoy playing with them; however drawbacks would be that some little girls do not have the maturity to appreciate the symbolic value of a Barbie doll, it has become an obsession to look like her and, she is not an appropriate role model. 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.

Barbie is typically a tall, skinny, blonde who is in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend Ken, and has had at least 100 jobs. Barbie has become an American icon; she is present in almost every girl’s childhood for some period of time. Barbie is a well known, long lasting company and overall a good role model to young girls. Barbie’s trademark blonde hair and blue eyes has become an American staple. She is in toy stores around the world, and has been on the market for 54 years and is still going strong.

The popular toy Barbie has suffered an extreme amount of criticism due to the way in which it portrays the female physique. Barbie is known as a cultural icon in western societies and it has been estimated that 99% of young girls from ages 3- 10 have owned at least one Barbie doll. Fashion model Cindy Jackson, perfectly describes the relationship Barbie dolls have with many other females and has been quoted saying “This is what I want to look like, I think a lot of little 6-year-old girls or younger even now are looking at that doll and thinking I want to be her.” (CITE). The major problem with young girls trying to resemble Barbie’s looks is that because due to her thin stature her body proportions and weight would be physically impossible to exist. Fantasy play with dolls and action figures is a major socialization tool that many young children use.

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... ... middle of paper ... ...ing or sounding like some type of feminist movement leader. I tried very hard for my essay to relate to women and really show what kind of influence such a doll has body image. In addition, I made sure focus on the minor errors, such as comma usage and word error, I made in the previous essays since I do not want a repeat of their appearance in my third essay. For some reason I found writing my conclusion to be difficult yet again.

Ruth stumbled upon the idea while watching her daughter, Barbara, act out real life situations with her dolls. Ruth suggested the idea of an adult sized doll to her husband the co-founder of Mattel Toy Company. Her husband wasn’t thrilled with the idea and didn’t approve. In the late fifties and sixties it was very unusual for dolls to have breasts, most dolls then were infants or children, in fact research was done and came with the results that Barbie wouldn’t sell because she had breasts. However, that didn’t stop Ruth, while on a trip in Germany, she found a doll named “Bild Lilli”.

“Unable to find a satisfactory arti... ... middle of paper ... ...s to give girls inspiration to live aspire for their dreams. Ruth Handler’s invention came to life just as she thought it would. Even after Handlers time Barbie’s are still such an important part of girl’s childhoods. This simple idea evolved into the number one toy making industry and the most popular doll in the world. Even though her body proportions are not ideal, she is still a beloved part of the common childhood.

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). PROS According to Ruth Handler, Barbie stands for women freedom. Mattel has an "I can be.." line that sells Barbie dolls in 125 different occupations.