Evolution Of Barbie's Embodiment Of Pop Culture

In the New York Times article: “Barbie- Doll, Icon or Sexist Symbol” it shows how kids see Barbie. With her blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfect body, she is seen as a symbol because it symbolizes that her intentions of having a thin body. The author

While the Barbie doll set an unrealistic female appearance expectation, she has also taught young girls that a woman can be anything she desires to be. Whether a doctor, a chef, a teacher, or a police officer, Barbie did it all. Today, our youngest generations are playing with the toys that in some way, shape, and form have been influenced by the leading Mattel toy company, or in other words the birthplace of the Barbie dll. Kids nowadays are still growing and exploring the world with Barbie just like generations before them did.

In ads from decades past, Barbie was the stereotypical Caucasian, tall, blonde girl who every young girl desired to have in her toy-box. But the negative effects of the expectations and ideal that she would enforce into the minds of young girls would become an extremely heated topic among parents.

Overall Barbie evolved through out the years in many ways. Barbie has reinforced the idea of the yearly fashion ever since she was created. Barbie created an impact on society views and beliefs based on body figures and lastly Barbie has developed with the idea of careers and ambitions in life to maintain a better idea for future careers for

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.

As we planned the workshop, we discussed our own personal ambivalences about Barbie’s collusion with heteropatriarchal, consumerist culture, while at the same time acknowledging the remembered pleasures of childhood doll-play...(Reid-Walsh and Mitchell 2001). In developing the workshop format, we tried to provide enough structure and eclectic raw materials to invite focused thinking about embodied femininity, but without imposing our own expectations about how the girls “should” view Barbie and reinvent or remake her ( Collins, Lidinsky, Rusnock, and Torstrick 106-107).

Barbie has been the face that many girls all over the world have looked up to for 50 plus years. Since her debut in 1959, she has undergone so minor design changes and has even added a couple of friends. There were a few authors who wrote articles and poems about Barbie. Among the authors, Hilary Tham who wrote a poem called Barbie Shoes. Tham did mention some prejudices with Barbie shoes that can be compared to today’s society. She used words such as “useless” and “mismatch” which could detail that most Americans put things down in the basement to preserve for their children and grandchildren. Although Barbie shoes are “useless” and “mismatch” they still reintroduce newcomers with a like spark from the old shoes but go buy new Barbie shoes

Toys and sports also promote gender appearances. Male appearances are characterized by being physically fit, strong and aggressive whereas females are to be beautiful, feminine and nurturing. Jane Smiley describes Barbie as being slender, stylish and most of all popular. Barbie is often dressed in pink and wears make up. Models in today’s society fit this description which makes other females want to achieve the same look. The appearances for females set by society‘s norms are presented in toys that gives off the message that ‘if you do not look like this’, it is considered unattractive. “Frilly, sexy, pink, purple, bedizened, and bejewelled were the preferred Barbies,” (Smiley 238) shows that females should have these characteristics in order to be seen as

What was that one doll every little girl just had to have growing up? What doll made little girls obsess with perfection? What doll set the unrealistic standards for girls starting at ages three or four? Barbie is a children’s toy that was first introduced to the market in 1959. Barbie was the perfect role model for all girls. She was perfectly skinny, had a perfect boyfriend and family, perfect hair, perfect house, perfect everything, but her existence is completely ironic. Although Mattel, creator of Barbie, attempts to make Barbie absolute perfection, all her imperfect buyers are wondering why they cannot look like the beautiful doll. She is responsible for the diminishing young girls’ self-confidence. Lisa Belkin believes girls in today’s society cannot comprehend what true beauty is because they were so entranced with the idea of Barbie in her online article “Banning Barbie.” Barbie should be pulled off the shelves immediately. Barbie’s looks, actions, and lust for materialistic objects are the blame for the degeneration of assurance in young girls and women.

Since the late 1950s, Barbie has come to represent the idealized American woman. She is tall, slender, and blonde. For most, this body type is unattainable and unrealistic. Woman come in all shapes, sizes, and hair colors. Who decided that Barbie was going to be the perfect woman? Obviously, not the vast majority of women that do not fit the Barbie-standard. This 1950s standard should not be what little girls think they should look like in 2016. Little girls need a broader example of achievable beauty.

Looking Like a Barbie Doll; The True Definition of Beauty or Just a Fluke? Marge Piercy writes about the harsh reality of what society says a girl should be and reality of what can happen when she is pushed to transform herself into something she is not. The first thing one may notice is the title of the poem, Barbie Doll. The name of the poem came from the society has filled peoples heads with the idea that one must look like a Barbie doll.

The characteristics of this woman created one of the biggest stereotypes in our society. From coining the term and associating the meaning of beauty with a blonde hair, blue eyed woman, with an hourglass figure the barbie doll was created. All little girls had one and when asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Many would say “I want to be like barbie.”

Barbie has been a household name for decades and many kids around the world love and adore her greatly. Through the years Barbie has been at the top without any challengers to bring her down. Executives and shareholder love the way in which Barbie conquers all of the competition. Since its inception in 1945, Mattel has been collecting market intelligence in some form (Nash & Duvall, 2005). As a man, I even understood the importance of Barbie to little girls growing up. Around Christmas, Barbie had all the commercials appealing to the little girls and tweens.

The message the ever so popular Barbie doll has been trying to push to children all over the world has varied in a way over the years. In 1959, when Barbie was first released, it was all about the ‘girly’ barbie and how women should look like and what they have to do, kids were playing with a doll that had an ideal body and expectations barbie put in their minds were intangible. Barbie’s image has changed overs the years in effort to keep up with the change in pop culture. In the 1960’s, Barbie wore designer clothes and took most of her inspiration from the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, as well as wearing mini skirts and white go-go boots. During the 1970’s Barbies attire was very much fitting for the glitz and glamour of the decade.

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.