Barbie Dolls and Bratz - Which Is More Progressive?

3. Barbie dolls came into existence in 1959. During that time all dolls were infant dolls and Ruth Handler creator of the barbie dolls saw that “children will enjoy giving the Barbie adult roles” because it is different than playing with infant dolls. It has evolved over time, due to the improving technology, the dolls these days look very realistic. The social impact it has made is that it gives children a chance to play with more advanced toys and gives them the ability to admire Barbie’s achievements through her various career

The Barbie dolls were invented in the year 1959 on March 9, by a American company called Mattel,inc. Barbie dolls have been around for the last 57 years it is a world wide known children toy that changes throughout the years. Barbie dolls play a major role in pop culture life in many ways. Barbie dolls reinforce the idea of fashion in the current year. They creates new styles of barbie dolls with different interests, this applies for barbies who show interest in pop, career interest women's, space barbie. Also barbie has empowered people to personal beliefs and society views such as body image and president barbie.

During the time of development and release of Barbie, the feminist movement was in full swing. The concept that Barbie may have been manufactured as a weapon against these feminist groups is plausible as the image of Barbie 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 decade, setting a new path for women and young girls.

Young girls have been playing with Barbie dolls since the dolls inception at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Recently, researchers have been skeptical on whether the dolls have an effect on the self-image of girls who play with them. In order to determine if Barbies have an impact on young-girls self-concept, clinicians have carried out several studies where they monitor the interaction between the young girls and the famous figurine. From these experiments, scientists concluded that Barbies can have a bearing on a girls self-image, making the consumers who buy the doll more aware of the issue Barbie

As I was on the hunt for the perfect gift for an 8 year old’s birthday, I discovered the doll market is quite different than my coming of age. Undoubtedly, Barbie is still problematic, but now she has competitors, including Bratz, and Monster High dolls, who are noticeably thinner than barbie and dressed up to look like grown women getting ready for a night of clubbing than a game of tennis. As I pick up the first doll box, I find a doll chained up in a slither of clothing with a blank expression on her face, a prominent thigh gap, with the tagline “GREAT for girls ages 5 and up!” By all means, I never imagined in my life that I would miss Barbie. For that reason, I begin to sit myself down in the toy aisle to start googling everything I could about these dolls on my

Children’s child play has become a form of an unrealistic world. Although, it is considered for children to begin creating a creative imagination, the mind fascinates children into toys. Some child’s play toys are not ideal for young children, like the one and only “Barbie”. Barbie has become a worldwide toy product for children all over the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole. These dolls have emerged from one ethnicity to another. In Ann DuCille, “Dyes and Dolls: Multicultural Barbie and the Merchandising of Differences” the author talks about the race and gender differences; found in Barbie. She argues; “Is Barbie bad?” her response, was “Barbie is just a piece of plastic” (459). In contrast, this piece of plastic is not just a piece of plastic to young girls; it is much more than that. A piece of plastic that little girls all over the world wish they could be. Even though, it is only a piece of plastic to adults that Barbie significantly means nothing to them. Growing up, I owned a couple of Barbie dolls. The tall, long blond hair, blue-eyed doll was my best friend and my “role model”. I wanted to become exactly like Barbie. As a child, I thought only beautiful people who looked liked Barbie signified beauty. To my little to no knowledge, I soon came to find out no one really looks like Barbie, except people who want to become like Barbie. In my adolescent years, no one taught me Barbie was “unreal”; no one taught me it was just a figure in my imagination.

In conclusion, Barbie’s changing fashions, interests and views have altered in response to suit pop culture throughout the years. Barbie is a physical personification of popular culture throughout the years, and she has grown to fit the world around her, to change with the ‘fads’ and ‘fashions’ of the time. However in some cases it seems as though she has transgressed us on some levels. Barbie is a palpable representation of the amount of change that has taken place over the decades, a change in social thinking, social constructs, fashion and beauty. The Barbie doll is the perfect representation of popular

Since 1965, Barbie, and more recently, the Bratz line of dolls, have been the poster children for beauty, despite their grotesquely disproportionate appearance. Barbie and Bratz dolls were meant to represents average girls in their teen years tall, flowing hair and incredibly thin, a body image that is not possible for every girl, though Mattel’s slogan “Barbie can be anything! And so can you!” might suggest otherwise. For the company to insist young girls compare themselves to the piece of plastic that is a Barbie doll, is completely outrageous. Looking at the doll 's physical appearance, it 's clear that a real person could never embody this image. Breaking down the doll’s structure, there are feet readily bent for high heels, long muscular legs and thin arms, not to mention the fact that the head of a Barbie or Bratz doll exceeds the width of it 's waist! To even begin to entertain this image is unrealistic. What are we telling

A lot has changed since 1959! Barbie was created in March of 1959, by an American businesswoman named Ruth Handler. Ruth use to watch her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, and noticed that she loved using her paper dolls as adults instead of infants which all of the dolls were back in 1959. Barbie was based off of a German doll called Bild Lilli. Every girl wanted her own Barbie and they still do! Every time a new Barbie comes out it’s to represent the era’s new fashion statements, new makeup trends and the bodies of how woman should look but a lot has changed since the first ever Barbie’s to now day Barbie’s. Barbie has become a lot more controversial and more accurate to how women’s bodies really are.

Barbie embodied the lively American culture (Forman-Brunell 2). The patriarchal culture during this time, however, messaged that women were expected to obey their husbands. Their only purpose in life was to find a husband, have children, and keep a presentable house to please everyone. Women weren't even allowed to manage their own credit cards until the 1970s. Women and girls were not treated equitably. These values, on the whole, are not the values we operate under today. As our society has progressed, however, Barbie has remained

The Miracle of Barbie Barbie’s advertisement is an excellent example of how marketing can shape a group of people’s identity and representation in whether society or culture. The main and first role for making Barbie’s advertisement is to attract children or more likely girls. The controversy is so obvious that whether consciously or unconsciously this advertisement has another significant role in the society; shaping and creating quandaries for females in both philosophical and cultural aspects is another important role of Barbie’s advertisement. This advertisement has been effective in benefiting and promoting the company and helps them selling their product and reach their goals, although the advertisement’s negative side has been more

Barbie, at the age of 41, is one of the longest living toys in America. Analyzing her early history can give a person a look into the societal trends and culture of the late 1950's and early 1960's. There is evidence of fashion innovations in Barbie's wardrobe. Also, one can see the perception of females by society, such as what they should look like, how they should act and dress, as well as what their future goals could be. The following essay follows Barbie's history from 1959 to 1963, covering her development, her appeal to children, and her existence as a cultural artifact of the time period.

In the past, women were always considered the subordinate gender that was expected to powder their nose and stay at home to be a homemaker. Even now, despite the movement to liberate women from stereotypical gender roles, women are still seen as the inferior gender that is discriminated against in society. As suggested by the popular Barbie doll created by Mattel, the idealized image of a woman in our patriarchal society is one who takes care of the home and is flawlessly beautiful with perfect skin, long legs, small waist, and slender figure. The Barbie doll is used as a tool for patriarchy in that it reinforces the notion that women should be domestic workers and maintain a feminine outer appearance. Also, patriarchal values affect girls

Young girls have to play with a doll that looks nothing like them and doesn’t mirror their body. Even after Barbie came out with new dolls it does not change the fact that Barbie causes self-esteem issues. It still makes the girls question what is wrong with their appearance. According to Mona Awad, “I see that Barbie can’t escape herself either, regardless of changes made to her height, waist, hips and skin tone. . . . Barbie troubled me by being “unrealistic” or “unrepresentative …” (qtd. in Wilhelm). Young girls have to play with a doll that still causes problems even with the new sizes and outer appearance. These girls playing with a doll they feel has not changed does not make them any less

A brilliant example of a brand that has successfully navigated the crossroads between history and modernity is Barbie. Little girls across the world have played with Barbie dolls for generations and Mattel’s 2015 “Imagine the Possibilities” campaign serves to connect the iconic image of Barbie with millennial perceptions of femininity and empowerment. In the last decade a wave of criticism has attached a negative connotation to the line with concerns of stereotyping and gender biases topping the list (Gani, 2014); Mattel wisely chose to address this by focusing on the limitless opportunities out there for girls as they begin to plan their futures. The video features several young actresses who take on their dream professions for a day, occupations ranging across a wide spectrum such as a veterinarian, teacher, soccer coach, a museum guide, etc. before coming together in a screen of a girl arranging the scenes in her bedroom using her Barbies (Barbie, 2016). The passion and excitement shown as the girls are able to experience their dream careers first hand with very receptive, supportive participants recalls the association with creativity and play Mattel wishes to strengthen. This is reinforced with the line “When a girl plays with Barbie, she imagines everything she can become” (Barbie, 2016). The message is clear without being over-obvious: the perception of Barbie as unintelligent, a clothes horse, and a figure