The Various Effects on Young Girls. of all ages, including children, the media acts as a reflection of what our culture expects

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1 Student Example Ryan House English May 2, 2014 Final Draft Barbie Dolls: The Various Effects on Young Girls Popular culture has become an unavoidable presence in Western society. For people of all ages, including children, the media acts as a reflection of what our culture expects from males and females. Even the toys that children play with have an important impact on their development in this day and age. The influences of some toys, such as Barbie Dolls, have been thoroughly analyzed. Barbie Dolls act as a reflection of, as well as an influence on, our societal values and gender roles. Although Barbie Dolls receive criticism for their promotion of negative stereotypes, their ability to portray independence and be a positive influence on young girls is often neglected. Since the debut of Mattel s fashion doll in 1959, Barbie has grown to become an icon for contemporary Western culture. Although she is not a living person, people everywhere can identify the popular doll. Ruth Handler began the company with an idea that would forever change pretend play for girls. The inspiration for the appearance of Barbie came from the Bild Lilli Doll, which was essentially a three-dimensional pinup girl, designed for adult men (Lord 8). There were essentially no alterations to the body shape of the Bild Lilli Doll when Handler marketed the first Barbie Doll, explaining her extremely curvy figure. The bright blonde hair remained the same as well. Handler desired to create a doll that would allow young girls like her daughter to learn, develop and explore their interests in a totally new way. Handler took a very important risk that has had a lasting impact on our culture.

2 To this day, women continue to be the key decision makers for the company, carrying out Handler s vision (Lord 8). The popular teen fashion doll was a revelation from the beginning, providing young girls with a pretend play experience they were previously unaccustomed to. Barbie s body shape has remained essentially the same since her beginning, however, the doll has adapted to the changing times and fashions. Included in her adaptations is the production of Barbie with several different ethnicities such as African-American and Asian. Mattel has continued to expand since it was created. Fans and critics alike agree that Barbie Dolls have had a major impact on the lives of young girls around the world. The most prominent concern associated with Barbie Dolls is the unattainable body shape that the iconic fashion doll possesses. The negative opinions of Barbie due to her appearance are not unjustified by any means. Since she was modeled after the Bild Lilli Doll, a sex doll of sorts, Barbie has an unrealistic and extremely exaggerated curvy figure. In fact, if Barbie were a life-sized person, she would have a 34-inch chest, 16-inch waist and feet that were a mere 3 1/2 inches long (Scheibe 6). Furthermore, she would not be able to menstruate and her ankles would be unable to hold her body weight (MacDougall 1). Barbie s body shape is not only unrealistic, but it is a disgusting image of what we as a society value in women. Many argue that her accentuated curves urge young girls to be excessively sexualized. Health concerns are arising in young girls as they try to emulate the body shapes they see in Barbie and other women in popular culture. Girls are beginning to take interest in unhealthy dieting trends at young ages, even when they are considered healthy (Silverman 3). Along with other media, young girls are surrounded by impossible standards that they feel pressured to live up to.

3 Understandably, a significant amount of girls across several age groups have a distorted body image. Whether justified or not, popular culture has made girls feel the need to be thinner. When girls begin to develop and their bodies do not look like that of Barbie, they get increasingly disappointed with their average bodies. Barbie can have an important influence on how girls perceive their own bodies. Data has revealed that girls exposed to Barbie Dolls reported higher body dissatisfaction and an overall lower self-esteem than girls who were given a more realistic looking doll (MacDougall 1). Simply providing girls with more realistic dolls could increase their self-esteem and allow for a healthier and happier development. Although the body image issues that girls express cannot be linked exclusively to Barbie Dolls, the fashionable doll reflects what society has determined is the ideal body shape for a woman. Society tells girls that to be considered beautiful, they must appear a way that is unattainable by any human being. There is a significant absence of realistic portrayals of beauty and body shape in popular culture today. Barbie Dolls embody the societal demands that girls are surrounded by their whole lives. Influences such as Barbie cause otherwise healthy girls to possess a low self esteem. Body dissatisfaction is becoming apparent at younger and younger ages, especially in females. Studies have collected empirical data outlining the body perceptions that girls uphold. One such study discovered that 40% of the 2,379 girls studied at ages 9 and 10 believed that they were too fat. However, a majority of these girls were well within healthy parameters (Silverman 4). Television, magazines, and even toys like Barbie infiltrate the minds of girls. From a very young age, the media, as a reflection of society, attempts to tell girls what their bodies are supposed to look like.

4 People are also quick to disparage Barbie Dolls due to the image of femininity that she projects. Parents often supply their children with toys that affiliate with the correct gender stereotypes. Boys are given trucks and sports equipment while girls receive dolls and princess dresses. From the second babies leave the hospital swaddled in either blue or pink, society attempts to dictate what is normal and gender-appropriate. The childhood of young girls is filled with all the femininity that Barbie endorses. Barbie represents the ultimate girl toy; or at least what society has deemed the ultimate girl toy. By Western societal standards, there is absolutely nothing gender-neutral about Barbie. Rogers claims that Barbie takes feminine appearances and demeanor to unsustainable extremes (14). Besides dictating what girls bodies should look like, Barbie provides young girls with stringent distinctions of what is considered feminine. The Barbie Doll aisle in any given store is easily distinguished by the massive amounts of pink flowing from the shelves. There are countless outfits, accessories and tiny plastic hairbrushes to purchase for Barbie, which many people argue, imparts materialistic values on Mattel customers (McDonough 24). Barbie demonstrates everything that our consumer culture stands for: the belief that possessions are correlated with happiness. With the perpetually increasing amount of Barbie paraphernalia, girls are raised with a materialistic mindset from the time they get their first doll. Girls are made to believe that the most stylish outfit is the key to their happiness and success. Mattel sparked controversy in 1992 when Barbie was released accompanied with phrases such as Will I ever have enough clothes? and I love shopping (Deachman 1). Popular culture, including Barbie Dolls, determines that clothes, the color pink, and shopping are exclusively for girls, and that those things will never fail to make them happy.

5 People generally discredit Barbie Dolls entirely before considering the many positive influences they have as well. To begin with, when Barbie was introduced in 1959, she was the first doll designed for young girls that was not a baby doll (Lord 9). Prior to Barbie, popular toys for girls taught them to nurture and prepared them to be mothers from an early age. Girls were supposed to grow up to become housewives and remain in the domestic sphere and the toys they were offered reflected that. Toys such as kitchen sets and baby dolls were common for young girls, contributing to the gender stereotypes of the time. However, Barbie came along as an independent, career-driven character that defied the notions of femininity present at the time. There was finally a toy for girls that demonstrated that women are not merely defined through relationships of responsibility to men or to her family (Lord 10). Although times have changed, women are still not treated equally in the workplace, and many individuals cling to the idea that women belong in the home. Barbie does have fictitious boyfriend Ken; however, she was made famous in her own right, proving that women can be successful without a man. Ken was really never more than an accessory in Barbie s life. Handler did not even want to produce a boyfriend to accompany Barbie, but gave in to public demand in 1961 (Lord 11). Barbie presents the view that women should pursue their own dreams and build their own future. Girls should not feel as though a man is what defines their success. To this day, Barbie serves as a confident and independent woman role model for girls across the world. The first Barbie was marketed as a fashion designer and model. Although fashion is a female-dominated industry, the fact that Barbie even held a career was not common in Along with creator Ruth Handler, Barbie was one of the first self-supportive role

6 models for young girls. Since then, Barbie has been portrayed in over one hundred professions and hobbies (Deachman 1). Barbie Dolls allow young girls to incorporate their future selves into their pretend play. Rather than being confined to taking on a maternal role, girls now have the opportunity to express their dreams and goals, or to explore their current interests while playing. Barbie Dolls have been marketed in several prominently male professions such as doctor, astronaut and firefighter. Mattel has made it possible for girls to feel free to explore professions that other aspects of the media attempt to define as a chiefly male careers. One may argue that the feminine way in which Barbie Dolls in professions such as these are packaged and dressed defies any attempt to eradicate gender stereotypes. For instance, even Doctor Barbie comes donning pink high heels and a bright floral skirt. However, the way in which Barbie is marketed implies that women can exhibit all the signs of traditional femininity, including the demeanor of niceness, and smoothly succeed in male-dominated professions (Rogers 17). Girls should not have feel pressured to choose between feminine qualities and succeeding as an independent women. Women can choose to embrace characteristics that are considered feminine and be considered equal to her male counterparts in the workplace. People question why such a large company has not altered their product to accommodate the many complaints. Alterations to their product could potentially increase sales through support of those currently against Barbie Dolls. However, rival fashion doll lines such as Bratz and My Scene, offering an array of appearances in their dolls, have not come close to the revenue Mattel brings in annually (Mattel). Mattel has grown to a multibillion dollar industry without the support of many people. Would changing the all-too-

7 perfect face of the company do anything to improve their success? Barbie is thriving regardless of her many critics. The Bratz line is not even comparable to Barbie in terms of their influence. Bratz are even further unrealistic and overtly sexualized and do not offer the positive influences of Barbie. Bratz wear more racy clothing and significantly more make up, and do nothing to promote independence or career goals. Consequently, their impact is not nearly as widespread. No other teen doll line has come close to competing with Mattel s Barbie. Those who oppose Barbie are becoming impatient waiting for Mattel to change the messages that their dolls imply. Mattel knows of the body image criticisms that Barbie receives, but produces the same body shape because their sales continue to grow. A company that has remained so successful throughout the years is not likely to change their image drastically. Tired of waiting for a change from Mattel, Nickolay Lamm decided it was time to provide an alternative source of beauty ideals for girls. In 2014, Lamm began releasing prototypes of the Lammily Doll. Images of the doll went viral, and demands for the mass production of Lammily flooded in. Lammily possesses a body shape with measurements in accordance with the average nineteen year-old woman and promote an active lifestyle. All her joints can be moved and her feet are flat, unlike Barbie s tiny, Figure 1 The prototype of the Lammily Doll, created by Nickolay Lamm in 2014, compared to Barbie.

8 permanently arched feet. Also, while still fashionable, Lammily wears less make up than Barbie (Plank). Lammily would provide girls with a healthy and realistic influence. The controversy surrounding Barbie is constantly increasing as body image problems become more evident. Lammily has the potential to compete with Barbie as the public demands a healthy and confident role model in the media. Lammily incorporates the femininity and independence that Barbie does while also having an active, athletic and realistic body. Lammily promotes ideals that are not often found in popular culture. Society is ready for an image of a woman that is confident with a fit, realistic body and natural beauty. Parents would be eager to support a company that encompasses all the positive aspects of Barbie and improves upon the negatives. Barbie has become one of the most recognizable non-living icons worldwide. Despite the many who oppose what Barbie represents, Mattel calculates that every second, somewhere in the world, two Barbies are sold (Lord 7). Mattel has the potential to inspire young girls; opening their eyes to possibilities they may otherwise be unaware of. Despite the negative feedback Barbie receives, people continue to love the icon and support the company. Barbie has the ability to empower and promote independence in girls. Mattel does not attempt to remove feminine qualities from Barbie, but rather express that girls have the right to be independent and equal while maintaining a feminine appearance if they choose. On surface level, the complaints of Barbie are easily understood. Unhealthy and inaccurate body perceptions are apparent in young girls. Girls will go to extreme measures to make their bodies match what they see in popular culture. Barbies are a reflection of society because Mattel understands that is what people will buy. Their company has been

9 so effective partially because it endorses what our Western culture values: materialism and unattainably beauty. On the other hand though, Mattel has the power and responsibility to affect the distorted opinions of our modern society. Barbie imparts independence on young girls. From the beginning, Mattel s goal was to promote goal-oriented and career-driven women role models for young girls. Barbie Dolls have been extremely successful in empowering girls everywhere to be proud and confident, and will be an enduring symbol in our society.

10 Works Cited Mattel. Annual Reports. Investor, Web. 11 Apr Deachman, Bruce. The Endless Possibilities and Impossibilities of Barbie; As the World s Most Famous Doll Turns 50, the Criticisms are Obvious and Well- Documented. Ottawa Citizen 7 March 2009: B1. Web. Lamm, Nickolay. Lammily Digital File. Lord, M.G. Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc., Print. MacDougall, Cindy. The Battle Over Barbie; A Mom s Convictions Run Smack Into One Girl s Determination to Own the Iconic Teen Doll. Times Colonist 23 February 2013: D1. Web. McDonough, Yona Zeldis. The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., Print. Plank, Elizabeth. A Very Different Type of Barbie Hits Shelves to Revolutionize How Girls Think About Their Body. PolicyMic. Mic Network Inc., 5 Mar Web. 11 Apr Rogers, Mary F, ed. Barbie Culture. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Inc., Print. Scheibe, Cyndy. Body Image in Children. Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents and the Media Web. Silverman, Robyn J. Abeles. Body Size and Image, Female Attitudes and Perceptions about. Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science Web. Where Have All the Children Gone? A Visual Semiotic Account of Advertisements for Fashion Dolls. Visual Communication. 8 th ed Web.