4. In her last paragraph Prager compares and contrasts the ways the toy company depicted the sexuality of Barbie and Ken. What are the differences? What ideas of cause and effect emerge from the comparison?…
Take a stroll through the Brandenburg Gate; to the banks of the River Spree and you will be spell bounded to see so many classical sculpture and masterworks at one single place, a rare sight! There stands one of the world’s most intriguing and fascinating cultural treasures, the Berlin’s Museum Island.…
In "Our Barbie's, Ourselves" Emily Prager discover that Barbie was created by a man; inventor and designer Jack Ryan (para1). Emily Prager acknowledges that Barbie appeared about the same time during the feminist movement when women fought equality and small breast were king. Prager examines three different reasons why Barbie's anatomy is the way it is. First, she argues that there are millions of women who are subliminally sure that a thirty-nine inch bust and a twenty inch waist are the epitome of lovability, which attributes to the popularity…
Since March 9th, 1959 the United States has had a very influential piece of plastic, called the Barbie. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler, of Mattel Inc. after discovering a doll in Germany named Bild Lilli. The Barbie doll was named after Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara. The Barbie was introduced to the United Sates at a time when the word “teenager” was becoming a popular trend on television and in movies. A teenager is the time between childhood and adult life. Mattel took the opportunity to release Barbie at this ideal time. It was released as a teenage fashion model. Although the Barbie was pricey, many girls loved the idea and the Barbie doll became a very popular toy. With becoming popular Barbie had a huge impact. Barbie has negatively influenced body image, stereotypical female rolls, and enforced commercialism. Although, it has modernized…
I’ll admit it; I absolutely loved playing with Barbie’s as a child! I must have had like twenty of them. She had everything: a dream house, Ken, plenty of friends, and a slender body with all the right curves, everything I dreamed of having when I grew up. “En Garde, Princess!” by Mary Grace Lord, challenges why every girl loves Barbie. Her article appeared in the online magazine Salon under the “Mothers Who Think” department on October 27, 2000, before the launch of a new doll line called the Get Real Girls, which were created by Julz Chavez. In this article Lord uses repetition, ethos, comparison and name calling to convince the reader that Barbie will soon encounter a fierce competitor, a better role model, which may finally dethrone her as the best selling doll of all time, or at least “punch a few holes in her sales” (423).…
In the essay of “There Is No Unmarked Woman”, Deborah Tannen explains it best through the statement that “There is no unmarked woman” (Tannen 412). No matter what hairstyle, clothes, shoes, or style a woman may choose to wear, every one of her decisions will convey a meaning to the public. “If a woman’s clothing is tight or revealing…it sends a message…If her clothes are not sexy, that too sends a message…” (Tannen 412). There are even instances where the clothes are not the cause of criticism, for a woman may be criticized upon her genetic features. As written in the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercg, a little girl grows up healthy and intelligent, but because other people deemed her as physically inadequate by having “a great big nose and fat legs”, the girl is coerced into change, and not anything like a difference in wardrobe, but permanent change with cosmetic surgery (Piercg 378). Such an occurrence is not far from reality for there are women who will do whatever it takes to be deemed as conventionally…
Something that was important to me when I was younger was Barbie dolls. When I was younger i played with a lot of dolls and would not let my sister touch them. I would beg my mom for every doll and extras that I thought was cute. For Christmas I got a lot of Barbies and since then i started having a lot of them. As I got older i stopped playing with them and gave them to my little sister.Even she dosent play with them no more,they just sit in a toy…
Who is this mini plastic devil that has crawled out from the bowels of hell with the sole purpose of poisoning the minds of our young and impressionable? Her name is Barbie and that is exactly the impression of her that young, new, millennial parents would have you believe. They would have you believe that an inanimate object is to blame for the poor self image the girls of today have. It is not as if the media has already taken everything they deem desirable about a women’s body and have objectified it in all manners possible for a profit. It is not as if the film industry stereotyped what “beautiful” was long before Barbie was even hitting shelves in 1959; insert Marilyn Monroe here. No, they want to make an 11 inch doll the scapegoat to one of the biggest problems this generation has, the negative female body image. What about boy’s toys? Are they not as influential on boys as dolls are on girls?…
Gender stereotypes start the day the baby is born for example, if the nursery has been lovingly painted pink ,crammed with frilly, lacy clothes and stocked with dolls , a clear message has been sent to that baby girl.On the other hand,a different message is sent to males by filling their blue-walled room with toy soldiers, sports equipment and race cars.As the children grow up , the messages continue.The male will be expected to participate in team sports, while the girl will only be aloud cheer for him on the field.Society will demand that the young lady is attractive, while the young man will feel no such pressure.These continuing expectations…
“Seen through Rose-Tinted glasses:” The Barbie Doll in American Society. By Marilyn Motz; supports the highly debated topic that the toy Barbie produced by Mattel is a bad influence, on young girls. Motz is claiming that the young female child envisions herself as Barbie, and with Barbie resembling an older more mature woman. Something that Barbie’s age group cannot obtain, in till they grow older and more mature themselves. However, Barbie is just a toy, her resemblance, her actions, as a doll is, solely up to the child. Adults looking into their daughter’s childhood are simply over thinking what a three to eleven year old can produce inside her mind.…
“Can you guess who I am? I was born March 9th, 1959 in the United States of America. I am made of a very special material that never ages. I am 11 ½ inches tall and I weigh 6.4 ounces. I have long blonde hair and blue eyes. I am such a busy girl; you can find me just about anywhere! Even with such a busy schedule, I have always found the time to work. I am a baby doctor, a zoo doctor, a preschool teacher, a babysitter, a vet, a pizza and pastry chef, a racecar driver, and a cheerleader! But most importantly, I am the queen of fashion! I love to travel but I also love to spend time at my “Glam House!” While I am there, I love taking a swim in my “Glam Pool,” cooking up a storm in my “Glam Kitchen,” catching…
In the past, women were always considered the subordinate gender that was expected to powder their nose and stay at home to be a homemaker. Even now, despite the movement to liberate women from stereotypical gender roles, women are still seen as the inferior gender that is discriminated against in society. As suggested by the popular Barbie doll created by Mattel, the idealized image of a woman in our patriarchal society is one who takes care of the home and is flawlessly beautiful with perfect skin, long legs, small waist, and slender figure. The Barbie doll is used as a tool for patriarchy in that it reinforces the notion that women should be domestic workers and maintain a feminine outer appearance. Also, patriarchal values affect girls starting at a young age as they unconsciously begin to believe that Barbie is what a woman should look and be like. With the appeal and popularity of this doll for the past several years, it is difficult to alter the notions of womanhood suggested by this doll. This implies that patriarchy is something we can not permanently overthrow because it is so deeply rooted in our society.…
Why is it that just because my hair happens to be blonde rather than brown or black or even red that I become the subject of hateful or “funny” jokes? On July 9th in 1999, I was introduced to this big world full of people, drama, love, stereotypes, and tons of things that I had yet to understand. I was an innocent child starting in the world with years of learning ahead of me just like everyone else. However, there was one thing that set me apart from all of the other babies, and that was the color of my hair.…
While some women felt that they were too provocative for their daughters to play with, Barbie Dolls have shaped America’s young girls and women for decade. Barbie has an “I can do it all!” attitude, which inspiring to many young girls while growing up. Though there have been some changes over the years, Barbie is a bona fide, worldwide icon.…
She’s a Nurse, Fashion Model, Astronaut, gymnast, and in the army. How could one girl play so many rolls? It’s Barbie... Barbie is a brand of doll representing a slim, shapely young woman, especially one with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Over 50 years Barbie has been the role model for many girls all around the world The 3 main points I will be talking about how Barbie was inspired, how she have changed over the years and the Barbie controversy.…