The first party states that the blonde haired, blue eyed piece of plastic setting an ideal is a negative, that having our youth believe they should want to be like Barbie is wrong. They say that Barbie's iconic status has contirbuted to weight-anxiety in teenagers along with magazines and television, that she promotes slimness, beauty, and youth as feminine success.
However, there are those who believe that the image of Barbie's figure is paid attention to less by her owners than her profession, or which version of Barbie, if you will. They argue that Barbie does not warp the minds of our youth to think that they have to look like her. Rather, they present the idea that while Barbie may look like a 'blonde bimbo', she promotes much more. As an astronaut, an engineer, a lifegaurd, firefighter, and many other careers of a striking variety, Barbie gives the idea that you can be whatever you want to be. She gives hope to those who play with her, inspiring them to make something of themselves. They claim that Barbie is a child of 'liberated times', that she 'empowers girls after all'.
The article briefly covers Mattel's success, worth more than Armani and right behind the Wall Street Journal. Whatever the impression that Barbie gives our youth, no one can deny that Barbie has indeed made a lasting impression on history. Placed in the 1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule, Barbie represents part of our culture, whichever image you take from her. No matter which of her many forms and professions she is at the time, Barbie is an icon of our time.
3 comments:
I don't think Barbie has a huge impact on how girls think today. I know that I only figured that's what a grown woman's body kind of looked like. I never took it literally, myself.
Its so amusing to see some people find flaws with a doll and spare time to create a mountain out of a molehill.Presuming, Barbie has the maximum effect on young girls,I think it inspires them to look good and carry themselves properly in whatever they do.The best example is my sister...I hope she is not reading this.
Yah i actually see where both are coming from. Ive never been one to be against barbie because i think if they changed the way she looked it just wouldn't be the same anymore. I've always had brown hair, and playing with blonde barbies my whole youth never made me want to be a blonde. I think people are taking things too seriously.
People have played with babies for many years, and back when my mom was young, teenagers didn't deal with weight image like today. If it didn't effect young girls back then, im sure its not contributing that much either now.
Post a Comment