Barbie essay

pson
English Composition
Professor Esters
May.14, 2009
Colored copy

“Icon or Bad Image: Barbie the Perfect Doll”

“I’ma Barbie girl in a Barbie girl, life in plastic is fantastic”
Barbie song (www.dailymotion.com/video/x4wpx_aqua-barbie-girl-music-videos_music)
Many young girls have wanted to be just like Barbie. What is Barbie? Barbie is a plastic doll who changes her outfits to match her career choice at the moment. Barbie also comes in many different races as described by Hilary Tham, “Brazilian, Russian, Hispanic or Mexican, Nigerian, or Black Barbie. (Barbie’s Shoes). Many people think Barbie is an icon for young girls, but in actuality that isn’t the case. Barbie’s whole image, “impossible embodiment of male fantasy (Barbie’s Shoes) embeds the wrong message to young girls, selling them the commercial American dream.

A sexually themed gag toy inspired Barbie for men. (http://us.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/03/09/barbie.50th.anniversary/index.html0 ) The creator Ruth female German cartoon character, named Lilli, who used sex to get what she wanted. (“50-year-old Barbie, based on 'gag toy for men'). The creator Ruth had her own problem finding her place in society. Barbie the creator helped to create a perfect doll on the outside but from Barbie has ahad a troubled past. When Barbie first debuted parents would buy the plastic doll once many of the dolls during the 50’s were baby dolls. These baby dolls provided the child to learn to “nurture”. In other words to learn how to provide as a mother for later on. Through advertising to the children, the Barbie doll was able to overcome this obstacle but at the price of infusing this must have doll for young girls then, and the following generations.
“Math class is hard”. These words are what John Leo uses in his article” The Indignations of Barbie”, to investigate the social impact on young girls. An evolution in Barbie was when each doll began to speak,” four of 270” programmed one liners”(The Indignation Of Barbie”) .The above one liner caused an outrage between feminists and educated women. Leo writes, “Schuster had said, The message is a negative one for girls, telling them they can’t do well in math, and that perpetuates a stereotype. (The Indignation of Barbie). In the real world no one can switch careers that easily. What about the necessary schooling needed or background to go from a teacher to a lawyer or an astronaut to a flight attendant. Even though Barbie sends the message that you can be anything you want she do he jobs right. For example in Marilyn Ferris Motz article “Seen Through Rose-Tinted Glasses”: The Barbie doll in American Society writes a article about when Barbie was a journalist in the Barbie magazine and while she was suppose to be reporting on lost treasure she was sun bathing and her dog found lost treasure (pg.20). What is this telling young girls? It tells the young girls we can do everything easily

The American Dream is 2.5 kids, house with a white picket fence, and a dog. Barbie the icon for American girls had,” several houses complete with furnishings, a Ferrari and a 57 Chevy. She at various times owned a yacht and several other boats as well as a painted van called “Beach Bus.”(Seen Through Rose Tinted Glasses”: The Barbie Doll in American society). Young girls which creator Ruth Handler claimed, ”these dolls become an extension of the girls. Through the doll each child dreams of what she would like to be”(“Seen Through Rose Tinted Glasses: The Barbie doll in American Society”). Such a lavish lifestyle is not achievable by just anybody. By giving Barbie such lavish items and drop of the dime careers it encourages the young girl who envisions herself as Barbie that such options are easily done or easily to come into.
“Barbie remains essentially the woman described by Veblen in the 1890’s, excluded from the world of work with its attendant sense of achievable, forced to live a life based on leisure actives’, personal actives, personal appearance, the accumulation of possessions and the search for popultatiry: The Barbie doll serves as an icon that symbolical conveys to children and adults the measures o success in modern America wealth, beauty, popularity, and leisure.”
(“Seen Through Rose Tinted Glasses”: The Barbie Doll in American society”)
Barbie although a beautiful doll with wonderful fashion choices and on the right to a successful image hasn’t given the millions of young girls who envision themselves as Barbie, the right image. Barbie didn’t represent the right path young girls should picture themselves doing. Barbie’s over the top life style also didn’t help the young girl it only encourages a life of big money and spending.