Preview

Linda Parson Pipi Longstocking

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4656 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Linda Parson Pipi Longstocking
What would Linda Parson say about Pippi Long Stocking? (Feb 21 2010)
Parson states that “in our mass-media culture we are surrounded by the vestiges of fairy tales from marketing of Disney products to the perpetuation of romance ideology, the binary positioning women and men, and women’s and girls’ obsession to manifest socially defined beauty.” Pippi Longstocking challenges this idea since she is not obsessed with her looks; she is a freckled faced red hair nine year old girl who lives on the edge. She has superhuman strengths and is able to lift her horse one-handed without difficulty. Pippi doesn’t like to follow directions from adults and tends to mock them or challenges them when she encounters them. Her clothes are miss- matched or ragged.
…show more content…
Well according to Sherri Inness in “Anti- Barbies” she talks about the American Girl dolls and how they are challenging Barbie and the views that girls have about themselves. However I found it very fastening how these dolls start off at $82 and can total up to $995 if you were to purchase all the accessories that went with them. These dolls were marketed towards the middle-upper class white family. Sherrie Innes would say that the Pippi Longstocking doll would market to all classes, Pippi is no ordinary girl- she has bright red pigtails, she can carry a horse with one hand, and she is not afraid of anything! She would need no accessories as she finds adventure in everything she does making pancakes, cleaning around the house, going to school and many more adventures that she takes. Unlike the American Girl dolls that grew in sales over 7 years it took years for Pippi Longstocking to become popular. The first Pippi book was published in Sweden in 1945 and it didn't take too long for Lindgren's book to reach the screen, but this was rarely seen and the few stills that surface from it showed a bulky young woman with a female wrestler physique, hardly the ideal image of a boisterous nine year old girl! After this production it took nearly two decades before anyone else attempted to film Pippi, and when they did it was for the small screen. In the 1970’s the Pippi TV series and films rampaged throughout Europe and much of the world gaining a foothold they have never relinquished. Inness would say that both Pippi and the American Girl dolls taught young girls was it is okay to be different and the importance of friendship with all enthicy and class. I did find it strange that the American Doll company makes a black doll and markets her as a slave. This seemed strange to me since their demographic is towards the upper middle class girls which back in the day would have been from a family who mostly likely approved of having

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    argumentative on barbie

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    First of all, the body of a Barbie doll is very impractical. Have you seen the measurements of a Barbie doll? She has a neck twice as long as and six inches thinner than an average woman. In reality she would be physically incapable of lifting her over-sized head. Also with a waist size of 16 inches, she would only have room for her liver and a few centimeter of her intestine. And for her feet, if Barbie was a “human”, her shoe size would be size 3 kids. She would not be able to stand straight. Statistic shows that it’s nearly impossible for someone to have a body or look like Barbie.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Living in a Barbie World: Modern Stereotypes of WomenIn 1973, Marge Piercy wrote a poem that follows the life of a young girl growing up with modern expectations that she struggles to conform to. "Barbie Doll" uses different aspects of a woman's life to express the different pressures on women today. The first aspect Piercy uses to emphasize the stereotypes attached to women are images, colours, and toys that are traditionally associated with girls; the main character of the poem, is given gifts that are very feminine. The other aspects Piercy utilizes are the 'magic' of puberty, and she also uses the popular children's doll Barbie, as seen in the title of her poem, to highlight society's expectations on women, the main character at the end of the first stanza is ridiculed by a peer because of her looks. Stereotypes of how a woman 'should' appear and behave like have always been around in some shape or form. These 'ideals' are instilled in girls at a young age. These 'ideals' however can be very difficult for women that cannot or wish not to conform to this 'norm', as like the main character in the poem who in the fourth stanza has taken her life because she couldn't fit in. Piercy relates diverse portions of a woman's life to effectively connect Barbie doll expectations of women and her subject.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Pip grows up her realizes that life is full of pain and struggle. Pip learns that, “Miss Havisham’s intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me; I only suffered in Satis House as a convenience, a string for the greedy relations, a model with a mechanical heart to practise on when no other practice was at hand...”…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages

    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).…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dangers of Barbie Girl

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Barbie creates the cultural myth that to be beautiful women must look like her. Barbie gives the impression that everyone should look like her in order to be beautiful. This impression gives the idea for girls to accept the fact that when they grow up they will fall under the cult of domesticity. I’m not saying that all girls belong to the cult will, but it creates the idea that they might grow up to be housewives and that it is okay because Barbie sets a great example.…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The poem “Barbie Doll” is a poem concerning a young girl who has let the societal expectations that America puts on young women destroy her. The poem starts out by explaining a small female child who is just like all young girls. She had dolls and miniature ovens and lipsticks for the dolls, but when she hit puberty and her body began changing a classmate called her fat (Piercy, 687). This seems to be the beginning of all of her internal battles and self-esteem issues. The next stanza describes all the wonderful characteristics that this young woman should have been very proud of. She was a healthy intellectual who was also quite strong and skillful with her hands (Piercy, 687). The second stanza is predominantly sad to me because she possesses many of life’s more important qualities and it is a shame that she was unable to comprehend that. By my standards intelligence is a more prestigious quality to possess over beauty. The image that she owns is not incorrect in an empirical sense, but it is one that America does not accept as being the definition of the perfect woman. The girl’s human…

    • 1598 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Barbie Stereotypes

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The most important thing developing at that age is their imagination. Barbie acts as a gateway to new stories and adventures for young girls. The new clothes, shoes and gadgets provide a change of pace for them. And what little girl did not think of herself as a mother when she was dressing and feeding their Barbie doll; but I mean God forbid 5 year old girls view themselves as anything other than the “modern woman”. Parents are so quick to put their children in a box these days in order to ensure that in the future they are well adjusted to those boxes. And then when the box does not quite fit their children in the way they had hoped they panic and take to their blogs and invent the new parental craze like blaming a toy that their children does not even play with anymore to explain their poor adjusted…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In just the first 30 minutes of the story, the recurring motif of rich versus poor is expressed three times. First, when Pip is forced by Uncle Pumblechook to go to Miss Havisham so that his family can become richer and gain social status. Second, when Estella degrades Pip by telling him he is dirty, smelly, and that she is “out of his league”. Though they had similar backgrounds, she still chose to look down on him for not being as well off. She continued to tell Pip she was better than he was and since she was better she had the ability to do what she wants, when she wants. The third representation of class studies in the first 30 minutes come from another boy of high class in similar age to Pip. The boy accuses Pip of being around Miss Havisham's house only to steal because of how he’s dressed. Additionally, the boy takes an air of superiority and calls himself a “gentleman,” insinuating that Pip isn’t, and that this difference makes the boy better.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Elizabeth Sweet, author of the December 9th, 2014 article Toys Are More Divided by Gender Now Than They Were 50 Years Ago, explains why most of society are complacent with obvious gender divisions; consequently many girls are subjected to unrealistic body expectations as well as lowered job goals. Sweet vocalizes "Girls can be anything-as long as it's passive and beauty focused" and dolls such as Bratz and Barbie, with newcomers Monster and Ever After High on the rise, are two of the most popular examples of Sweet theory (Sweet). With Barbie at the forefront, these dolls are more than markedly anatomically disproportionate with extremely small waists and large bust they promote young girls to believe they should look a certain way. Many girls…

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the article “Pippi Longstocking: The Autonomous Child and The Moral Logic of the Swedish State” talks about how the individualistic style of Sweden and how it relates to Pippi. The article stated “What makes Pippi such a remarkable character is not that she’s an unruly enfant terrible … but that she doesn’t need anybody else, not even parental love and care. She is totally self-sufficient with her chest of gold and superhuman strength.”. In our class discussion we also talked about how Pippi did not change throughout the novel. Although this statement is true and there was validity behind our discussion about Pippi, I argue that she starts to become less self sufficient as the story continues. We experienced this in the novel when Pippi was invited to the Coffee Party with all the women. Initially Pippi was afraid to go to the party because she feared she couldn’t behave, but with motivation from her friends Tommy and Annika she built up the courage to…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since the beginning, boys and girls have been put into separate groups and as children they are very different, especially when it comes to the toys they play with. One of the first teachings of a child’s gender role can usually be found in their toy chest. Boys had race cars, building tools, guns and action figures all being apart of their preparation for manhood. Girls had makeup sets, kitchenware, stuffed animals, and dolls. Although boys get their share of subtle societal conditioning, I am going to focus more on society’s psychological pressures on young girls through seemingly harmless toys. Barbie can be considered to be one of those toys, she programs young girls to think that her body image is normal. Though Barbie is just a children’s toy, she is a very controversial figure produced by Mattel. Barbie is the man’s ideal woman and young girls are playing with her. Barbie is more of a sex icon rather than a children’s toy.…

    • 1531 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, most of them highlight the negative impacts of the ‘Princess Ideal’ left on young children’ mind; especially on the young girls. Snow White’s fair and white skin color don’t only attract more boys, but it also becomes a dream for girls trying to look like these princess’. Consequently, girls with the dark skin lose their confidence. In this regard, the animated fairy tales are prime example. Snow White, being one of the favorite Disney princess' of children these days, has changed a lot in the last twenty years. Intentionally or unintentionally, the Disney princess is teaching young girls that all the value is of their beauty; and with this beauty, they can dream of having a handsome prince. Paradoxically speaking, this thought does not give any good reason to the less beautiful girls to love themselves as they’ve fear of not being able to attract any prince charming. Hence, beauty is invariably prominent and…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jane Yolen

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages

    When she describes the princesses, she uses metaphors and similes to draw attention to her body image. She says she thinking of a fairy tale where the princess is not “wasp-waisted” (6). This phrase is a hyperbole to describe the stereotypical Disney’s princesses’ figure of a slim waist and large bosom. She also says she’s thinking of a fairy tale where the beauty has “fingers as plump as sausage” (14). This simile is used to describe a woman who’s so overweight that even her fingers are rounder than the skinny princesses’.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Barbie Doll written by Marge Piercy in 1970 is a reflection of how women were supposed to act and look in the 70’s and before the 70’s. Women were always thought to be picture perfect, perfect weight, perfect height, stay in the kitchen and do everything she is told although this is the expectations of the 70’s and before, those are not the expectations of women today. Women today do what they want to basically if their religions allow. According to Marge Piercy’s poem, women should be perfect from birth, become the perfect house wife, not have flaws while going through puberty, and look up to models you are skinny and almost unhealthy looking, this is not how women are not meant to be seen.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics