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…
Blonde hair, blue eyes, business woman, rock star, princess and doctor, can you guess who? It’s Barbie. To be beautiful is to possess qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction, and for most, Barbie is the epitome of beauty. For years Barbie has been a doll that has been living in the hands of girls of all ages. Some girls start getting Barbies as young as three years old and continue to collect these dolls sometimes into early adulthood. But are these dolls a positive influence on young girls? Barbie is harmful because she gives a false perception of beauty that effects the self esteem, health, and ethnic concerns of young girls.…
Today’s world demonstrates girls as these skinny twigs that are always on diets to fit what they think society expects from them. Some are happy with their body and who they are, but regardless of what they think about themselves, there will always be people who try to knock them down. The young girl was described as: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (lines 7-9). The list of qualities above are examples of the way people are categorized and seen. The description of the girl gave a sense of imagery of how well rounded she was, except for the fact that she didn’t have the “Barbie body.” She was happy with who she was and her body, but when someone told her otherwise, she started questioning herself. The girl was, “ advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (lines 12-14). Those list of activities are what most people imagine Barbie to act like: play dumb and not be yourself. She was also told to eat less to be skinny, just like the Barbie image everyone expects. Due to all the insecurities society had given this poor young girl, she followed into the footsteps of a “Barbie” girl and lost herself on the way. Imagery of the fake Barbie girl everyone wanted to be was…
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.…
exploits the female body and challenges the values held by active feminists. Though, from a slightly different perspective, one could argue that Barbie with her freedoms and luxuries supports the ideals of women's equality and rights. Barbie may have been the transition piece of the…
Upon initial release, Barbie began instigating social change both positively and negatively. 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. At a local level, that is, in the neighbourhood of the Handler’s, a catalyst for social change ensued with positive outcomes in that young girls were encouraged to aspire to be something…
Hoskins, Stephanie. "The Negative Effects of Barbie on Young Girls an the Long Term Results." Divine Caroline. N.p., 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.…
A study was conducted that had preschool-aged girls play with Barbie Dolls™ dressed in uniforms for typically male-stereotyped jobs such as a police officer or firefighter. Before seeing the Barbie Doll ™, the girls were asked if they thought they could do those jobs when they grew up and most of them said no. But after playing with the Barbie Dolls ™, many of the girls completely changed their minds when asked again. One girl even responded saying “Well I’ve never seen a girl do that before, but yeah I think I could do that job when I grow up.” After just a few minutes of playing with these toys, these girls’ opinions of what they were capable of in life were completely altered. Children are incredibly easily influenced, so why not allow them to see all of the opportunities available to them if that is as easy to do as changing Barbie’s outfit of choice from a flight attendant to a firefighter.…
In Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” the title carries a lot of meaning because a Barbie doll has long been an icon in society. Although it is a children’s toy, a Barbie doll exemplifies a woman with a perfect body exonerating beauty. This poem portrays a summary of a life since birth to the end of life at a funeral. The protagonist never had a chance to live her life to the fullest because she was always trying to please others and wanted to be accepted. She never got the chance to be herself which led her to a life of unhappiness. In the poem “Barbie Doll,” Marge Piercy uses repetition, simile and irony to show the expectation of society on women.…
A short-term consequence of Barbie is gender role socialization. From a traditionalist mothers perspective, Barbie is not a good role model; she would rather her child idolize the mother and play motherhood games so as to play how her life will be. An American mothers perspective may be that Barbie is a good toy as she shows how woman can be successful and independent, and has a lot of opportunities. Feminists have a negative perspective of Barbie, as they see her as socializing woman into the weaker role, and will stand up for what they believe-that woman are just as strong and responsible as…
The Disney Princess Effect: [Subtitle] The Disney Princess Effect has a negative influence on the lives of young girls changing them into womanhood before they are ready. It gives young girls and women unrealistic views of the world. Media outlets such as the internet, magazines, and television encourage the development the development of dangerous concepts of the world and themselves. Today’s culture teaches girls and young women that their worth is more about beauty and less about their intelligence. The “Princess Effect” has taken a toll on how young girls grow into mature and emotionally developed women.…
Boys think they need to have muscle, and girls think they need to be a pretty princess (Sweet). The advertising and packaging of toys creates an "ideal" boy who is tough, rough, rowdy, and dirty. This shows boys that being sensitive is not okay, and gives them low expectations for their performance at school (“Toys”). Children think that boys are academically inferior to girls, and this message comes from the rowdy and rough boy on toy packages. Even at these very young ages, boys' performance on an academic task is affected by messages that suggest that girls will do better than they will (“Negative”). Dressing up can make girls think that they need to be beautiful (“Toys”). Makeup sets for toddlers, 'Top Model' stationery, and princess dresses create an image girls think they need to conform to. These toys make girls think that beauty is more important than ability (“Toys”). Eighty-seven percent of girls think women are judged more on their appearance than on their ability (“Girls’”). Glamour and beauty that is portrayed in toys has young girls worrying about their own looks and beauty (“Why”). When girls play with Barbie, they obtain the idea that that is what they need to look like, even though that body is pretty close to impossible of getting (Graydon). Still, when girls grow up seeing the skinny Barbies and princess they create an image of what they think they're supposed to look like. As they grow older their longing to be skinnier like they're dolls turns into eating disorders, which are in the rise (“Toys”). This constant worry of their appearance takes girls focus away from achieving their goals and learning. Toys with gender stereotypes cause children to conform to stereotypes by developing depression, and changing their personality and…
Media’s portrayal of the “perfect” body and what a person should or could look like is a very controversial issue in the world today. Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured in March 1959, portrays what the perfect body is presumed to look like. For over fifty years, Barbie’s creator, Ruth Handler has been the subject of numerous disputes and lawsuits. One of the most common complaints of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman.…
In reality how fantastic is it? Barbie is perfect. Perfect hair, face, and body shape. To often do we find women trying to imitate her. Not only do females starve themselves or try other ridiculous methods to achieve her body shape, but they have also turned to plastic surgery to achieve this “goal”. Take Nicki Minaj or Kim Kardashian for example. They are famous and they try to achieve that ultimate beauty that Barbie holds through artificial ways. Nicki Minaj even takes it as far as calling herself Barbie. Women need to understand that Barbie is indeed plastic and that they will never achieve her looks or body size, even when they try to manufacture them through surgery.…
Barbie has it all. Every career imaginable and what women perceive to be the perfect body. In real life this could transfer into bankruptcy, low self-esteem and materialistic behavior. There is much controversy surrounding Barbie and whether she has an effect on young girls’ self esteem. There have been studies on both sides of the issue with no clear definitive answer.…