Barbie
By Sara P.
Think Barbie. Think blonde voluminous hair, a teensy-tiny waste, the latest fashion sense, the hottest convertible, the ideal boyfriend, and the most respected professions. The Barbie doll or, further, the Barbie “idea” was launched into society in 1959 and immediately became a revolution for girls and teens everywhere.
During a time when a woman’s presence was mostly in the home and profession was more often than not a full-time cook, chauffeur and nanny, Barbie introduced something entirely different. She was really the first toy that came with an idea. Modeled after a male pornographic image, Barbie’s creators worked hard to create a doll with an adult body aimed at teenagers and children. A great deal of Barbie’s appeal can be credited to her physique. She was unique because other popular dolls during the time such as Betsy Wetsy and Chatty Cathy were not nearly as attractive as she. Being introduced as a sexy teenager in a black and white striped bathing suit, Barbie’s appeal skyrocketed over other dolls significantly because of her appearance. However, not only was her beauty admired but also her possessions and accomplishments. Barbie pranced around in petite designer clothing and cruised around in her corvette. Her job titles ranged anywhere from police officer to fashion model. “Barbie truly projected every little girl's dream of the future” (Weiss “Toys Were Us”).
With much needed praise and thanks to the media, Barbie’s popularity flourished during the 1950s. Without the technological advancement of the television, the Barbie revolution would not be made possible. Various infomercials featured Barbie having a ball on the beach with her companion, Ken. Also, magazines and comic books featured Barbie and Ken as an inseparable duo. “Ken and Barbie had coordinating outfits for the ‘beach, fraternity dances, after-school sodas, etc’ (BillyBoy 41).” This kind of behavior was new for young girls and considered very positive by critics today. However, as much as critics hailed this time for girls to realize they can be more than a wife and mother when they grow up, some of Barbie’s image held negative aspects.
Barbie was not entirely perfect; She still possessed some qualities evident in the women of the 1950s. In one television advertisement, Barbie was featured on the arm of a Ken doll, bearing an apron and even being praised as having a bendable waist in order to serve Ken lemonade. Despite these imperfections, the Barbie doll was really a break through for the women of the 1950s. Only with the introduction of this doll to society could young girls realize that they possessed more potential than just that of a mother and housewife. For the last fifty years, Barbie has been deemed as and will continue to be considered “the most popular fashion doll ever created” (“The Barbie Doll Story”).
Works Cited
*The Barbie Doll Story. 1999. (29 Feb. 2000)
*Weiss, Michael. Toys Were Us. (7 March 2000)
*Barbie: The Early History (2000)
*BillyBoy. Barbie Her Life and Times. New York: Crown Publishers, 1987.
Think Barbie. Think blonde voluminous hair, a teensy-tiny waste, the latest fashion sense, the hottest convertible, the ideal boyfriend, and the most respected professions. The Barbie doll or, further, the Barbie “idea” was launched into society in 1959 and immediately became a revolution for girls and teens everywhere.
During a time when a woman’s presence was mostly in the home and profession was more often than not a full-time cook, chauffeur and nanny, Barbie introduced something entirely different. She was really the first toy that came with an idea. Modeled after a male pornographic image, Barbie’s creators worked hard to create a doll with an adult body aimed at teenagers and children. A great deal of Barbie’s appeal can be credited to her physique. She was unique because other popular dolls during the time such as Betsy Wetsy and Chatty Cathy were not nearly as attractive as she. Being introduced as a sexy teenager in a black and white striped bathing suit, Barbie’s appeal skyrocketed over other dolls significantly because of her appearance. However, not only was her beauty admired but also her possessions and accomplishments. Barbie pranced around in petite designer clothing and cruised around in her corvette. Her job titles ranged anywhere from police officer to fashion model. “Barbie truly projected every little girl's dream of the future” (Weiss “Toys Were Us”).
With much needed praise and thanks to the media, Barbie’s popularity flourished during the 1950s. Without the technological advancement of the television, the Barbie revolution would not be made possible. Various infomercials featured Barbie having a ball on the beach with her companion, Ken. Also, magazines and comic books featured Barbie and Ken as an inseparable duo. “Ken and Barbie had coordinating outfits for the ‘beach, fraternity dances, after-school sodas, etc’ (BillyBoy 41).” This kind of behavior was new for young girls and considered very positive by critics today. However, as much as critics hailed this time for girls to realize they can be more than a wife and mother when they grow up, some of Barbie’s image held negative aspects.
Barbie was not entirely perfect; She still possessed some qualities evident in the women of the 1950s. In one television advertisement, Barbie was featured on the arm of a Ken doll, bearing an apron and even being praised as having a bendable waist in order to serve Ken lemonade. Despite these imperfections, the Barbie doll was really a break through for the women of the 1950s. Only with the introduction of this doll to society could young girls realize that they possessed more potential than just that of a mother and housewife. For the last fifty years, Barbie has been deemed as and will continue to be considered “the most popular fashion doll ever created” (“The Barbie Doll Story”).
Works Cited
*The Barbie Doll Story. 1999. (29 Feb. 2000)
*Weiss, Michael. Toys Were Us. (7 March 2000)
*Barbie: The Early History (2000)
*BillyBoy. Barbie Her Life and Times. New York: Crown Publishers, 1987.
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 10/31/2006 10:21:00 PM
12 Comments:
Barbie is such a conflicting American image. She does provide girls with the idea that they can have careers, and by now Barbie has had several careers. However, she still has the teeny tiny body, even though adjustments have been made. It is almost as if girls are being told they can have careers but they have to look a certain way in order to attain success.
Barbie has served as a role model for young girls everywhere. Sadly, during the 1950s girls believed that they were limited like barbie to certain occupations. Barbie has become such an important icon that a parody of her was created. Her name was Malibu Stacey that appeared on "The Simpsons". This cartoon was a little exaggerated but it made the point that Barbie at one point was submissive.
Barbie aslo was a sign of status. The girls who belonged to a family with more money could buy more Barbie dolls, more Barbie acessories. Which would let her be seen as the type of girl who is going to become a women who will be able to play all the roles that her Barbies play. Wife, Mother, teacher, and care provider. So the child would not only gain "lessons" by having Barbies and playing with them, but her having the dolls would be lessons themselves.
BARBIE
The Barbie doll is an interesting figure to examine because she is the epitome of the “Anti-Housewife”. She gets to drive her pink convertible Corvette and choose whatever type of job that she desires. She had so much more freedom than most real women of this time had. Girls and women of this time look up to the fictional life of Barbie, who is able to have the freedom to a career and choices. They are able to live vicariously through Barbie and play out her life depending on the imagination of the child. While her body measurements are designed to give the illusion of an “ideal” woman, she is completely unrealistic and gives young girls (not to mention the homemakers of this era) an image to look up to with no chance of ever becoming. This proves to be detrimental to both the mother and daughter because they now have even more conformed roles they have to play in.
Barbie represents an idealized image of sexuality in femininity. What does a toy that suggests an unattainable sexuality in women say about the girls who played with them and gender roles our society places on women? It's interesting to see the feminine gender at such an extreme--large breasts, small waist, pink car, perfectly masculine boyfriend to look like a treasure next to in a fabulous new outfit. Do we really think that Barbie was independent for her time? It's not like she really could go anywhere without Ken. I am sure some of us girls even allowed Ken to take the driver's seat of the Barbie convertible, because what girl would have the sense to let Barbie (the woman) drive if there is Ken to do it for her? --Sarah H.
Does Barbie's body style have anything to do with the roles and image Barbie takes on? I remember seeing on the news that Barbie manufacturers were going to change her body style but did they? and what did they change? Since Barbie has always been thought of as an American icon for young girls, I beleive she influences many of the girls of teh 1950's and still today. With characters like Barbie girls are learning and reinforcing gender norms that women are trying to break away from.
Ben Reynolds
Helen, that's interesting that you bring up the idea of "lessons". I never thought about that. What was the real iniative behind the making of Barbie? Did marketers expect such a social revolution? Or, was Barbie solely produced to teach young girls the ropes of becoming the ideal woman?
It is interesting that almost 50 years after she was introduced, Barbie still creates a significant amount of controversy. Although the line of dolls has expanded to include a variety or professions and variations on the original Barbie, parents are still concerned with the image promoted by the doll -- mainly because its shape hasn't seen much change. It is still a sexualized toy and continues to maintain popularity with young girls despite parents feelings toward the dolls.
Barbie has a hypersexualized image that has evolved through the last half a century. She has become an icon to young girls all over the world, and set as a model for what these young girls should aspire to be. I think its sad that at one point she was shown to be submissive with her apron and bendable waist. But she has come a long way, now she has not only a corvette but a jeep and a beach house. And I think I saw a commercial for a Rambo barbie at some point but maybe it was just something on comedy central.
-Matt B.
I agree with Emily that the fact we still debate the "meaning" of Barbie 50 years later says something both about the message the dolls sends and also how we use public images for personal use. I took a soc. class on pop culture and we watched a documentary about how people use Barbie, everything from little girls modeling after her to adult look-alike contest. But the over sexuality is definitely there, especially with the convention of Barbie eroticism that is held. Not surprisingly, Matel went after that group for using the Barbie image and name and "dirtying" it up
It sounds like Barbie is a feminist paradox… both sexist and restrictive but also surprisingly liberating for the time when it was released. An impossible goal for girls to obtain, and very much a sex symbol first and anything else second, she also (as the poster states) shows girls a world where they don’t have to be housewives. I would be very much interested to see studies on the new “Bratz” dolls who may be this generation’s Barbie. They are even more hyper-sexualized than Barbie but have attitude and ‘baditude.’ They definitely don’t need a man (though one of their accessories is a feminine looking boy with the first wisps of chin hair).
Kinglsey brings up a good point. There is a huge complex with Barbie and I still think it continues in today's society. To obtain certain things, we need to have the "right" image. Such as with women on television. For the most part, women need to be a size 4 or smaller to be put on television-even though most women don't look like that. Barbie is a good role model because she is portrayed as a career woman, but still needs to fit into society's image of being thin to get those things.
Michelle J.
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