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
The idea of Barbie came about when a woman named Ruth Handler was watching her daughter play with dolls. In the 1950’s, girls of all ages only had paper or cardboard dolls to play with and preferred to play with cut outs of teenagers and adult dolls. So, Ruth Handler thought to make The Teenage Fashion Doll for older girls, as a three dimensional doll, called Barbie, named after her daughter Barbara (Heppermann 2010). However, Mrs. Handler met resistance when she went to her husband with the idea
debut, she's been reproduced by the billions to meet the never ending demand. Even after 50 years she’s still flying off of toy-store shelves. Two Barbie dolls sell every second, and Mattel’s worldwide sales of Barbie top $1.5 billion every year. The company estimates that 90 percent of U.S. girls between the ages of 3 and 10 own at least one dolls. These numbers indicate that Barbie is still a big part of our culture and lives, and although controversy surrounds her at every step, she still manages
board, as some might think. She actually came straight from the hands of her loving “parents”, Ruth and Elliot Handler. The Mattel Corporation, founded by Ruth and Elliot Handler, has successfully marketed the Barbie doll for over four decades and still continues to sell the doll throughout the world. It is amazing the impact this “child’s toy” has had in both the corporate boardroom and the toy room, and not only on children but also adults. Barbie has brought billons in sales to the bottom line
World” a popular tune from the song Barbie World by Aqua. Barbie is the most known dolls in the world so it’s no surprise that she has a song about her, nine out of ten people know who Barbie is by just seeing a picture of her (Docterman). Most girls grew up playing Barbie and are clueless about her origin. Ruth Handler is the inventor of Barbie. Ruth is a hard working women who, with the help of her family, created a doll that change the world. Barbie changed the lives of any young girl who played with
to cuddle with, you can’t change her diapers and put her to sleep in her crib. Barbie is an indendent woman, standing tall over baby dolls and stuffed animals and other juevinile toys young girls display in their bedrooms. The majority of toys that little girls played with a hundred years ago were toys that dealt with the home. Miniature tea sets and rag dolls protrayed a girl’s future life and mimicked her mother’s behavior. Barbie was not created quite yet, the sexy image and revealing clothing
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”. She
Nick LeBlanc WMST 390T Research Paper Ruth Handler and the Barbie Doll Ruth Handler is not exactly a household name around the world, however, her invention, the Barbie doll is. Perhaps one of the most well known toys in history, the Barbie doll has a special place in the heart of every little girl. The Barbie doll has been an incredibly influential toy in societies all around the world for decades. The argument on whether or not these influences were good or bad is a controversial one when
Barbie was the highlight of most of the girls day. The reason why is because back then, they had just came out with the new Barbie doll mansion house and even though some couldn't afford it there was always someone that they played with that did. Sometimes on play dates, girls questioned things like parents not wanting to buy dolls out of their race and how some dolls outfits
being taken upon this issue, children toys have always seemed to be gender specific. For example, little boys are expected to only play with “masculine” toys such as action figures, toy cars, etc. and little girls with “feminine” toys such as baby dolls, kitchen sets, etc. These toys play a significant role in our society in shaping the way children are thinking beginning from a young age. However, of all the controversial toys, Barbie seems to take the cake for young girls. Barbie has transitioned
that they one day want to be beautiful. In Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” she gives an in depth look at what negative effects the concept of beauty can have on an individual. From infancy to a full grown adult woman, beauty has been a way of thinking and lifestyle. As a little girl you are given petite shaped, blonde, blue eyed dolls. While boys are given brawny soldiers and mechanical toys. What do little girls do with these dolls? They put on fresh makeup, change there fashionable clothing, and
absorbed by the teenage society rapidly, creating social change both in a positive and negative manner. Barbie was created to satisfy the needs of young girls who wanted to act out their aspirations for adult life with a doll – a function that could not be carried out by the ‘baby’ dolls existent at the time. A catalyst for social change with positive outcomes was needed that would result in young girls being encouraged to aspire to be something other a carer for children. This trend has extended to be
The poem Barbie Doll was first published in 1973. The 1970’s in the United States was a time of change and a type of “social revolution”. Several “social revolutions” happened during the 1970’s, but the movement that influenced Piercy was the Feminist movement. The feminist movement of the 1970’s is often referred to as the second wave of feminism. It is the second wave because the first wave was women's suffrage and protesting to gain the right to vote. The wave of the 1970’s was about changing
Why is it we allow toys do dictate how we live our lives or how are lives are molded? Why is it a Barbie World? We all know and love the doll, manufactured by Mattel, named “Barbie”. She was and is a part of every little girl’s childhood in one-way or another. She gave every little girl the hope she needed to believe that she could be anything she set her mind to through play, dress-up, movies etc. Barbie could be a Veterinarian, a Doctor, a Lawyer, and even an Astronaut. She promotes and gives
playing with Barbie dolls, for many people like myself, she was more than a toy, she was an influence that many woman have tried to emulate because she was an innovate figure in the 1960s and has continued to be well into today. The intention of this paper is to examine what were the intentions of Barbie doll creator Ruth Handler when the doll debuted in 1959 as well as the magnitude of Barbie’s impact on women and women’s history. Ruth Handler, the creator of the Barbie doll conceived the idea of
In the past, pageants were an interactive way for girls to display poise and to compete against each other in different categories. Nowadays pageants have transformed completely. Young girls are being treated and made up as if they were women or dolls. On the TLC show, Toddlers and Tiaras, we begin to see this trend happening. Girls as young as the age of two to fifteen months are being put into these pageants and are shown off to the world as “role models” to other children. The show starts off
paper ... ...rt/barbie/barbie.html. Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, 60. Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, 61. Kilbourne, Killing Us Softly 3. Napier, “The Distorted Barbie.” Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, 60. Napier, “The Distorted Barbie.” Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, 61. Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, 60. Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, 61. Toffoletti, Cyborgs and Barbie Dolls, Dennis Hall and Susan G. Hall. American Icons: an Encyclopedia of the
well as changes with her appearance. Barbie was inspired based off of the original call-girl character named Lilli, which was a German doll. In 1956, Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler seen the doll while she traveled to Europe and got the inspiration to make a similar doll
From Frida Kahlo , to Barbie Women want to look like Barbie . Men want to look like Ken . This continuous race for beauty and eternal youth never ends , and with the medical’s inventions and innovations everything is possible today . Thanks to cosmetic plastic surgery , you can become the person you ever wanted to be . If you are bothered by a too big chest, a small chest , or a drooping one , you can resort to a breast surgery operation . Whether hunchback , too long or too wide a nose operation
In the 21st century, the range of Barbie’s available is higher than its ever been before in previous years. As popular cultures throughout the decades alter with societies acts, it, in turn, causes Barbie to change. The Barbie doll was introduced in 1959 by a woman named Ruth Handler. The figure has been an influence on fashion, body image and a female’s stance in society. The Barbie is no longer just a toy but used as role models for young children. With a range of body types, skin tones, eye colors