Tanog, Aliah M. 12- Ruby
Barbie Should Be Banned
Toys have a significant influence on the development of children, far beyond innocent
play. Through play, children mimic social norms and subtle messages regarding gender
roles, and stereotypes can be transmitted by toys. Barbie was first released on March 9, 1959
at a toy fair in New York. Barbie was initially just a doll before becoming a brand. Other
merchandise has been created with the Barbie name such as games, movies, videos, clothing,
accessories, and books. It is most prevalent in the U.S. The clothes and fashion accessories
allow girls a taste of high fashion.
The philosophy behind Barbie was that through the doll, a little girl could be anything
she wanted to be and that she has choices. Barbie has empowered girls to imagine themselves
in aspirational roles from a princess to president. Prolonged exposure to playing Barbie
though, has affected many girls like having eating disorders. It is due to the fact that the body
of a Barbie is unattainable but she is seen as a role model at a very young age.
According to an Analytical Essay, Barbie dolls should not be banned because it was
made decades ago so that young girls may play with them and relate to them in some way.
Little girls have a better understanding of diversity because of Barbie dolls, and they love
playing with them. According to Lisa Belkin, Barbie benefits society because she's fun to
play with and she inspires young girls to dream big. Barbie portrays the perfect image and
life. Not only is Barbie tall, skinny, and beautiful, she has all the luxurious accessories to
match her perfect life.
However, drawbacks would be that some little girls do not have the maturity to
appreciate the symbolic value of a Barbie doll. Children consider Barbie a role model and
will attempt to emulate her. It has become an obsession to look like her and she, Barbie, is
not an appropriate role model.
Barbie dolls foster unreasonable expectations and give many young children a
distorted perception of what a flawless and beautiful female body looks like. According to
studies done in 1996 by Norton, less than 1 in 100,000 women had this body form. Barbie is
a totally unattainable figure in all of her forms.
Many of the girls that have been affected by any sort of eating disorder admitted that
the Barbie Doll contributed and played a huge role in their influence. Barbie dolls may be
linked to eating disorders in adolescents, according to a study by Sussex University. Barbie
dolls make girls want to be unreasonably skinny as adults since they are far thinner than
typical shapes, especially around the waist.
Barbie is known for continue gender stereotypes, with the doll primarily marketed as
a female who is interested in fashion and beauty, rather than careers or other interests. In the
1970s, alongside the feminist movement, critics slammed Barbie as a she was too
materialistic and led girls to believe that only things like cars, money, and fashion were
important.
Barbie, as a role model for children, is toxic as it dictates that girls should look and
act a certain way in order to be more successful. The introduction of Barbie’s more feminist
friendly career choices may suggest a more open perspective, but also shows how these sorts
of ‘dream big’ ideals are only available to the attractive and ‘picture perfect’ models.
Barbie can be better if they include more diversity to the dolls and characters they
produce. For the first time though, Barbie is seen with a hearing aid, a prosthetic limb and a
wheelchair, while a Ken doll has the skin condition vitiligo. More representation will benefit
future generations. Maybe, they can also try to produce a Barbie that shows realistic
proportions to help promote loving ourselves as we grow up.