Cause And Effect Of Barbie Research Paper

Brianna Guffanti
English 122 Wednesday 11:00am-1:45pm
11/5/14
Cause and Effect Essay
Why don’t I look like her? Media’s portrayal of the “perfect” body and what a person should or could look like is a very controversial issue in the world today. Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured in March 1959, portrays what the perfect body is presumed to look like. For over fifty years, Barbie’s creator, Ruth Handler has been the subject of numerous disputes and lawsuits. One of the most common complaints of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman. For centuries media has broadcasted this “ideal image”. For instance, to further explain why Barbie promotes an unrealistic body image, we much first look at her “infamous”
measurements. If Barbie was life-size, she would look bizarre due to her impossible physical proportions. Analyzing her measurements closely, starting at her neck, Barbie would be incapable of lifting her head. Her neck is twice as long and six inches thinner than an average woman. With a 16 inch waist (smaller than her head), she only has room for half a liver and a few inches of intestine. Barbie’s legs are fifty percent longer than her arms. The average women’s legs are only twenty percent longer. At only 16 inches in girth, they are much thinner than the average woman’s. Finally, with six inch ankles, a child’s size three feet, and a top heavy distribution, she would have to walk on all fours (1). Barbie 's figure has regularly come under fire over the years. Critics argue her proportions are unrealistic at best and damaging at worst. (2) “Why don’t I look like her” is one of the most commonly stated phrases when looking at anything pertaining to media. While the vast majority of images are being digitally altered, so are our perceptions of normal, healthy, beautiful and attainable (3). Photo shopping, digital alteration and image manipulation are everywhere. The fact that so many images are “perfected” with the help of the technology distorts the truly “ideal” image we see. Whether or not a person is aware of the possibility of image alterations, not everyone realizes just how much these images are changed to fit some seriously un-human and unrealistic ideals that we view over and over again.
Media images of ridiculously thin women are everywhere – television shows, movies and popular magazines. The media often glamorizes a very thin body for women. These are also the pictures that are being shown to teenagers in a time of their lives that they are particularly susceptible to peer pressure and looking good. With the amount of manipulated media, the “ideal” body is impossible to get naturally. Teenagers susceptible to peer pressure and the need to fit in may go to extraordinary lengths to get the body they see on media. Media portrayal of the perfect body emphasizes skin and bones as beautiful. For a young lady trying to replicate this image, she may turn to an unnatural solution: binging and purging. Anorexia is an emotional disorder, characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. Frequently, people with anorexia become so undernourished that they have to be hospitalized. Most even deny something is wrong with them. The pressure to fit in can be overwhelming especially with the media showing reruns of the Victoria Secret Run Way Show.
Media’s portrayal of the “perfect” body puts immense pressure on anyone. Whether it be male or female. The Victoria Secret model’s that everyone craves to be like, all have the same body type and receive alterations or manipulations to make them appear perfect. As for the models petite figure, females who are going through the “why can’t I look like her” stage, turn to a quicker method to change their looks other than anorexia. Bulimia is characterized by the act of binging and purging. A person eats and then deliberately force themselves to vomit. Bulimia is an emotional disorder involving distortion of body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight. Although anorexia and bulimia are extremes, they happen quite frequently.
Though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that “no exact cause of eating disorders have yet been found,” they do admit that some characteristics have been shown to influence the development of the illnesses, which include low self-esteem, fear of becoming fat and being in an environment where weight and thinness were emphasized – all of which are shown to be related to media depictions of idealized bodies, which is all but inescapable (2). Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are caused, in part, by an extreme commitment to attaining the “perfect” body as portrayed in
media.
We all have notions of the perfect body, or of what our own bodies would look like if they were perfect. These ideals may vary in size and in shape, but in general our ideals are all “beautiful” (5). While media portrays this “ideal perfected” body image, a body can still be beautiful and not look “ideal”. Bodies range from person to person; they are unique and as individual as we all are. Recognize that you are not just a body.
Recognize that your body is not just an ornament or an object to be fixed and judged — it is an instrument to live and do and be. Reject messages that teach you otherwise. Cancel subscriptions, unfollow on social media, spend your money elsewhere, talk back to companies and speak up in your own circles of influence. Your reflection does not define your worth, and self-comparisons to unreal ideals get us absolutely nowhere. These ideals are unlikely to change anytime soon, so we have to change our perceptions of media and bodies with or without media (2). Media’s portrayal of the “ideal” body pertains to the manipulation and alterations using technology and plastic surgery. Media shows one body type; unnatural. Beauty is natural, being who you are without media to influence your self-worth.

Works Cited:
1. Golgowski, Nina. "How Barbies Body Size Would Look in Real Life." Daily Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
2. "The Average Doll vs Barbie." British Broadcasting Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
3. "Photoshopping: Altering Images and Our Minds." Beauty Redifined. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
4. Dittmar, Helga. "How do 'Body Perfect ' Ideals in the Media have a Negative Impact on Body Image and Behaviors? Factors and Processes Related to Self and Identity." Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 28.1 (2009): n. pag. Print.
5. Ruper, Stefani. "How Perfect Is the Perfect Body." Whole
30. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.