Does Barbie Keep Little Girls Oppressed?
Does Barbie Help Keep Little Girls Oppressed?
It is plastic, it is just a toy, it is a doll, a non-human item, and it is called Barbie. A popular toy to see little girls holding, adoring, and idolizing. Can this tiny “Pink” American icon, really be responsible for all this negativity? Can she really be helping to impose negative stereotypical gender roles, while also influencing girls into developing a negative body image, and helping to keep oppressing girls? That is a lot to blame on one doll, however, there is past research that is supportive of these suggestions. This paper will discuss and explore past research and provide findings to three participating parents during a semi-structured interview. The overall goal is to see if …show more content…
This can result in possible causing a lot of harm to young girls. The harm comes in the form of developing eating disorders, including anorexia. “The Barbie doll is an iconic image. The Symbol of the “feminine ideal” which has caused women to perceive and recognize this figure in a personal light …show more content…
size 16), or no doll at all (balloons, flowers, clothes) and they also had disappointing findings. They found that the girls that were only exposed to the Barbie with the unrealistic body, were the ones that reported a lower body esteem and a greater desire for a thinner body shape (Dittmar, Halliwell & Ive, 2006). Barbie represents a beauty ideal, but that ideal is unrealistic and unobtainable for real women. It keeps women oppressed because they can never achieve this look which is an issue. Naomi Wolf argues that “beauty is the "last, best belief system that keeps male dominance intact” (Nery, 2000). She believes that girls are kept oppressed by men and by the booming business of beauty systems. Both men and the business of beauty keep girls oppressed by encouraging girls to aspire to be something that is unrealistic. Making them feel like they are not loveable or acceptable unless that are skinny and acquire a certain level of beauty. Barbie sets false standards for young girls (Nery, 2000). These standards are not physically possible without some extensive, dramatic, and extremely expensive cosmetic surgeries. Could Barbie influence a girl to that
It is plastic, it is just a toy, it is a doll, a non-human item, and it is called Barbie. A popular toy to see little girls holding, adoring, and idolizing. Can this tiny “Pink” American icon, really be responsible for all this negativity? Can she really be helping to impose negative stereotypical gender roles, while also influencing girls into developing a negative body image, and helping to keep oppressing girls? That is a lot to blame on one doll, however, there is past research that is supportive of these suggestions. This paper will discuss and explore past research and provide findings to three participating parents during a semi-structured interview. The overall goal is to see if …show more content…
This can result in possible causing a lot of harm to young girls. The harm comes in the form of developing eating disorders, including anorexia. “The Barbie doll is an iconic image. The Symbol of the “feminine ideal” which has caused women to perceive and recognize this figure in a personal light …show more content…
size 16), or no doll at all (balloons, flowers, clothes) and they also had disappointing findings. They found that the girls that were only exposed to the Barbie with the unrealistic body, were the ones that reported a lower body esteem and a greater desire for a thinner body shape (Dittmar, Halliwell & Ive, 2006). Barbie represents a beauty ideal, but that ideal is unrealistic and unobtainable for real women. It keeps women oppressed because they can never achieve this look which is an issue. Naomi Wolf argues that “beauty is the "last, best belief system that keeps male dominance intact” (Nery, 2000). She believes that girls are kept oppressed by men and by the booming business of beauty systems. Both men and the business of beauty keep girls oppressed by encouraging girls to aspire to be something that is unrealistic. Making them feel like they are not loveable or acceptable unless that are skinny and acquire a certain level of beauty. Barbie sets false standards for young girls (Nery, 2000). These standards are not physically possible without some extensive, dramatic, and extremely expensive cosmetic surgeries. Could Barbie influence a girl to that