Barbie syndrome

To Barbie or Not to Barbie Why does Barbie spark such an interest in younger girls if she has caused so much controversy over the years? There are many arguments that Barbie has a fully negative effect on little girl’s minds, but what about all the positive ones? Throughout the years Barbie has taken on more than 150 careers such as a CEO, Zookeeper, Racetrack Driver; you name it Barbie’s done it. “As an astronaut, she went to the moon 4 years before Neil Armstrong” according to the article…

Modern times call for modern ideology. Everyday there seems to be a growing rate at which gender is categorized in a strict fashion. Author and professor of USC and Notre Dame, Mary Celeste Kearney has a vast amount of research to help break those lines. She wrote Pink Technology: Mediamaking Gear for Girls, an article in which she entails the way society see the way girls should be utilizing things that are geared towards “boys.” Her current role as associate professor of film, television, and…

Sandra Cisneros’s short story, “Barbie-Q”, describes the hardships endured by a young girl, never identified by name, and the less-fortunate life she and her family lead. The child discloses the rarity of new toys, but purchases damaged Barbie dolls while on a trip to the flea market. The narrator acknowledges the flaws of the Barbies, but counters the stereotypical “perfect” woman standards by implying her gratefulness of possessing any dolls at all. Through this struggle, the girl learns to…

Title Artifact Barbie is a brand of dolls that were first produced by the toy company Mattel in 1959, and has since become one of the most popular titles within the female toy market (History, 2009). Mattel released the first Barbie doll in New York city in 1959 (History, 2009). The creator of Barbie and co founder of Mattel, designed the Barbie as an eleven inch tall, white woman with flowing blonde hair (History, 2009). Since 1959, Barbie has sold over 800 million dolls world wide,…

children playing with the products on the box that were available at the store. Barbie Dolls lacked a great deal of ethnic diversity in their aisle; Barbie essentially had Barbie Dolls of two colors, the two colors being white and black. I only saw two dolls that could be considered not white or black, which is shocking considering all the steps the Mattel company has taken to create a more ethnically diverse Barbie. One box included six…

In Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child, the protagonist of the novel, Bride, finds herself slowly transforming back into an adolescent. The novel uses magical realism to both literally and figurately revert Bride back to a state of girlhood. Her increasing lack of secondary sex characteristics, like breasts and pubic hair, triggers a fear of reverting back into a “scared little black girl”. The novel deals with several prominent themes, the two most prevalent being race and childhood trauma.…

In 1996, Mattel created a new Cabbage Patch doll named Snacktime Kids. The dolls were cutting edge with movable mouth parts, and they were popular due to their predecessors, Cabbage Patch Kid dolls. Unfortunately, the doll’s moving parts would trap children’s fingers, and they had no off switch. The dolls were removed from the shelves of stores, and consumers were given a refund. The U.S Consumer Safety Commission supported how Mattel handled the situation (Ferrell, page 596). According to…

In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, the girl could not stand up for her own beauty and body standards. She wanted to change her herself because others saw she should change. For example, when she is being described, “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back” (7-8). She had a fit body and was smart, but people thought a girl shouldn’t have the muscular body a man should have. Though she was healthy and smart, everybody believes that beauty is more important.…

novelist, and social activist have, in one way or another, embarked on the idea. In “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin both authors portray the life of a woman judged by the world around her. Analyzing the way each author presents their argument, it becomes evident that the iconic image instilled in women causes their destruction. Poet Marge Piercy uses various devices throughout “Barbie Doll” to better communicate…

the word “Barbie Doll” your mind is set to think about your favorite childhood toy. “Barbie Doll” is a powerful poem. People around the world are labeled by their appearance. The main purpose on why “Barbie Doll” is effective because it demonstrations the negative effects on labeling people by their appearance and also by society. Society constantly influences individual lives, especially the role of women. Barbie Doll is an example of judgments between her and others she encounters. Barbie…