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.
Many toys come packaged and advertised with a variety of different cultural and gender-based stereotypes attached to them. This is worrisome because stereotypes hinder growth. Teaching children that they have to be a cert...
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...eport 2012. World Economic Forum. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf
Irvine, M. (2009, May 26). Is Princess Syndrome Bad?. Daily Herald. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.questia.com/library/1G1-200630360/is-princess-syndrome-bad
Kirkova, D. (14 February, 2010). Blondie Bennett has Hypnotherapy to Make Her Like “Brainless Sex Doll”. DailyMail. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2562870/I-want-people-treat-like-plastic-sex-doll-Woman-hypnotherapy-make-brainless-like-Barbie-spending-25-000-breast-enhancements.html
Marcos, I. (1998, November 14). Let's go Barbie: A doll's history. The Guardian, p. 16. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from the Lexis Nexis Academic database.
Shlomo, A. (2002). Children's imaginative play a visit to wonderland. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
In the beginning of “Barbie Doll”, pleasurable and unpleasurable imagery is given so that the reader can see the extremes girls go through to be considered perfect.
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.
In Marge Piercy’s, “Barbie Doll,” we see the effect that society has on the expectations of women. A woman, like the girl described in ‘Barbie Doll’, should be perfect. She should know how to cook and clean, but most importantly be attractive according to the impossible stereotypes of womanly beauty. Many women in today’s society are compared to the unrealistic life and form of the doll. The doll, throughout many years, has transformed itself from a popular toy to a role model for actual women. The extremes to which women take this role model are implicated in this short, yet truthful poem.
In order to fully comprehend the how gender stereotypes perpetuate children’s toys, one must understand gender socialization. According to Santrock, the term gender refers to the, “characteristics of people as males and females” (p.163). An individual is certainly not brought into the world with pre-existing knowledge of the world. However, what is certain is the belief that the individual has regarding him- or herself and life stems from socialization—the development of gender through social mechanisms. For instance, when a baby is brought into this world, his or her first encounter to gender socialization arises when the nurse places a blue or pink cap on the baby’s head. This act symbolizes the gender of the baby, whether it is a boy (blue cap) or a girl (pink cap). At the age of four, the child becomes acquai...
“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
Society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy with the assistance of consumerism, rarely allow for openness of definition. A study conducted by Witt (1997) observed that parents often expect certain behaviors based on gender as soon as twenty-four hours after the birth of a child. The gender socialization of infants appears most noticeably by the age of eighteen months, when children display sex-stereotyped toy preferences (Caldera, Huston, & O’Brian 1989). This socialization proves extremely influential on later notions and conceptions of gender. Children understand gender in very simple ways, one way being the notion of gender permanence—if one is born a girl or a boy, they will stay that way for life (Kohlberg 1966). “According to theories of gender constancy, until they’re about 6 or 7, children don’t realize that the sex they were born with is immutable” (Orenstein 2006). The Walt Disney Corporation creates childhood for children worldwide. “Because Disney are such a large media corporation and their products are so ubiquitous and wide spread globally, Disney’s stories, the stories that Disney tell, will be the stories that will form and help form a child’s imaginary world, all over the world, and that’s an incredible amount of power, enormous amount of power” (Sun). Because of the portrayal of women in Disney films, specifically the Disney Princess films, associations of homemaker, innocence, and dependence are emphasized as feminine qualities for young children. Thus, children begin to consider such qualities normal and proceed to form conceptions of gender identity based off of the movies that portray the very specific and limiting views of women (...
Throughout the course of history, toys have played a fundamental role in entertaining and stimulating the minds of children. From inflated pig’s bladders and knucklebones in the ancient times to ‘Nerf guns’ and ‘Barbie’ dolls in the present day, their purpose is to encourage imagination and impart values through play. However, since the 1970’s, the seeds of gender discrimination were planted when toy companies started segregating their products based on social stereotypes. Upon walking into a local Toys ‘R’ Us store, one can distinguish the division of toys meant for boys and toys meant for girls based on the colours blue and pink and their contents. But on September 4 2013, Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the U.K. had announced that they would be neutralizing their gender based marketing. If a major toy retailer such as Toys ‘R’ Us, had publicly announced their effort to gender neutralize their stores, it further supports that this is a real issue as even a multi-billion dollar company supports the notion. However, this issue is still rampant in the world as most toy manufacturing companies are unwilling to produce gender neutral products due to the fear of losing revenue. Chris Bryne, content director for timetoplaymag.com said that the toy industry will perpetually mirror the culture (of society), and reflect it back in their products. (INSERT MLA http://bigstory.ap.org/article/some-parents-struggle-find-gender-neutral-toys) Therefore, the cycle of manufacturing toys that impart stereotypical gender roles will not end, until the general public demands for them. By encouraging the cycle to continue, it’s far reaching effects are allowed to persist – reinforcing stereotypical gender roles through toys fuels the problem of gender opressio...
In her “The truth about girls and boys, toys and TV” (2016), Naomi Riley claims that kids shouldn't be given the idea that dolls/pink toys are only for girls and trucks/blue toys are only for boys, each kid should get to choose what they want to play with. Riley supports her place by using scientific experiments by researchers and many pieces of evidence which illustrate the truth, young children are brought into the spotlight of popular culture showing that at a young age kids are given the toys that agree with their gender instead of choosing what they want. Using strong evidence Riley hopes to point out the ways people often choose what they want based on their gender in order to spark awareness in the readers about kids wanting the gender
In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros, the young girls didn't mind they did not receive other things such as new Barbie's or Ken Barbie's and the friends to go along with the dolls (206). These girls were just happy to play with their own dolls. The girls have bonded with each other and they enjoy playing with each other's dolls. A doll brings two or more children together for fun and social entertainment. Have you ever listened to a child frequently you will hear a child say " so what” that means the child really don't care, it don't matter; nothing else mattered to the two little girls. In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros to purchase a brand new Barbie doll meant that the dolls are expensive in the store so the girls are very happy and pleased to own a second hand Barbie. When the parent places the dolls in the child's hands the dolls take on the character of the owner's beauty; culture; how girls see themselves and the future when the kids are all grown up. Barbie is a fun toy to dress up. Each child has her or his own imagination of a Barbie doll. I, too, myself, like watching all the different cultural background Barbie dolls in the malls or Macy's Department Store around Christmas times. Most large department stores dress
As a child, our toys were not exactly as gender neutral as earlier times, but also were not as gender stereotypic as the toys in today’s time. The fact that everyone eventually comes into contact with buying toys whether you have kids or you have a friend or family member who have kids which makes this an important topic. Eventually, everyone has to buy a child a present. Would it bother you that all toys are either pink or blue and there is no in between? Or does sticking to what your child is already familiar with and knows the more ideal option when it comes to gender stereotyping with children’s toys? Authors James Delingpole and Eleanor Muffitt both do a good job at arguing both sides to this issue. Although both authors provide valid points throughout each article, about gender stereotyping with toys, James Delingpole clearly was more effective in persuading the audience because he used all three elements; ethos, logos, and pathos to support his idea.
These types of toys encourage androgyny, which may be the best way to fight gender stereotypes. In this state, “gender roles encompass characteristics thought typical of both sexes” (Feldman, 2015). For example, a child may be encouraged to see men as strong-willed and assertive, but also compassionate. Girls may be encouraged to see females as tender and caring, but also independent and competitive. In other words, all children should be taught to see people as individuals rather than products of gender norms forced upon them by society. This can also positively affect self-esteem when they reach adolescence. Because of gender norms, adolescents face low self-esteem due to feeling as though an action that they partake in does not “fit in.” For example, a boy who is taught through gender stereotypes that men are strong, self-assured, and courageous may feel more defeated than necessary when he doesn’t make a sports team that he tried out for. While the measures being taken are a step in the right direction, our society has a long way to go before we can truly be free of gender bias that limits the development of our future
The articles I have selected explore the themes of gender norms in children’s toys. Both articles target the global toy company LEGO. Article one is titled ‘Lego Friends’ Can Go Straight to Hell, or Why Gendered Toys are Bad for Kids, by Brett Ortler and article
The socialization of children is greatly affected by the toys they are exposed to while growing up. Looking through magazines and walking down the aisles of toy stores it is clear that toy companies are supportive of cultural gender roles biases. Toys designed for girls are commonly found in pink boxes; typically these toys involve housework or taking care of children, for example, dolls and easy bake ovens. On the other hand, “boy” toys are found in blue and black boxes, and a lot of them involve construction and cars.
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.
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.