Stereotypes In Barbie Worlds

Barbie Girls in Barbie Worlds

“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
Almost the entire aisle was only of the white race. Some of the white dolls had professions that required higher education, like the baby doctor and the zoo doctor. The black and Latina dolls were very underrepresented and were portrayed in a very racist manner. The makers of Barbie followed every single stereotype known to man of these two ethnicities. The Latina doll had a lot of children and one of the black dolls was a hair stylist with extra weave extensions as her accessories. I strongly believe that this is a very bad message to young girls of all colors. To the white girls, they are being shown subliminally that only women of their color can obtain a higher profession. To the Latina girls, they are being shown that it is of the norm to have a lot of children. To the African-American girls, the dolls are teaching a lack of acceptance of how they naturally
In this particular store, there were only two Ken dolls, both of them part of the Fashionista collection. They were both dressed very well but it appeared that they were only male models. I thought it was very interesting that the Ken dolls didn’t have a specified profession. To me, they just played the role of a “boy toy” or “eye candy” for his girlfriend, Barbie. On the contrary, men in today’s society are represented in a more positive way; they work, they go to school, they provide for their families, and they are huge believers of handling their “manly roles.” Even today, a large majority of girls pick their mate based on appearance. As they begin “breaking the shell” of these men they realize that it is more than