Is "Barbie" a good role model for little girls?

Question

Barbie's first appearance was as Lilli, a german prostitute on a cartoon strip, made into a joke for a masculine audience. Do you think barbie is good for girls to play with? Does she reinforce negative stereotypes about women?

And folks, I'm merely presenting an opinion here, I never said that I full on endorsed either side of the debate, so please stop with the personal attacks. Maye you are the ones who are taking barbie too seriously by ferociously defending her.

Answer 1

i think you may be taking this a little too seriously here... i like barbie, i never really thought about the whole 'body image issue' when playing with them or lookin at them, i just loved them, especially the ones all dressed up in the gowns. I also liked the cars and houses. I dont remember thinking oh i have to be like this lol, i dont get how barbie would reinforce some stereotype about women? its just a doll, they come in all different colors and types too.. dont think theres anything wrong with the bratz either, when they first came out i thought wow , how cute!

Answer 2

First, Barbie is only fantasy and not reality. All toys are inferior to the real things. Role models are living beings that have the same quality of existence as the observer. That is being alive. It is these human influences that shape the cjild. They hear what the adults, peers, or media says is how they should look and live to be accepted. Barbie is just a lifeless object that can be used for good or bad depending upon how it is used. When you see a Barbie in her box on a shelf, her identity is made clear. You do not see "Teacher Barbie" inside a Mattel box that says "Doctor Barbie" because the company wants the buyer to know what they are buying. "Doctor Barbie " is representing the role of doctor and not teacher. Barbie does not pretend to be something that she is not to anyone she comes in contact with through purchase or play. What you see is what you get. Therefore, it can be used to express the need to be genuine in our relationships or business dealings to the child. Barbie is satisfied with a few things or many things. She has a smile on her face no matter which situation. The consumer has the say in what things Barbie does or does not own. What if someone else bought you houses, vehicles, clothes, or other accessories? Would you think it was fair for you to be criticized for having them? Barbie never criticizes anybody that does not look like her. You will never hear that come from any Barbie. This can teach the child to not judge others on appearance alone. Barbie never praises her beauty above other females to anybody. She says that the girl that plays with her is equal. After the button on the back is pushed, this message is played in song from a Barbie produced not long ago. No matter what the little girl looks like, Barbie sings that you are just like me. If she thinks Barbie is beautiful, the doll says that the little girl is too. If your ancestor was a prostitute, should that be a factor in how people judge you? So what if she had been created from an idea from a german prostitute doll? The doll is just a canvas to paint whatever picture that the one that has her decides.

Answer 3

Honestly, Barbie were quite tame compared to what they come up with now. The Bratz (or whatever they are called) REALLY look like wh*res.

But even that would be ok, if the parents didn't decide to dress up their kids the same way. Barbie's clothes in the past were pink, ok, but they still looked like clothes for kids. Nowadays, you have clothes for little girls which makes them look like tiny women. Young girls are exposed to too much sexuality, they are constantly reminded of their body, etc. We might think about Barbie's figure now, but in the past, I don't think kids wanted to look like Barbie for real (except for a couple of disturbed girls, but I don't think Barbie is the issue here). Barbie is just a doll. It's more what they see on TV, and commercials marketing younger and younger people that are a problem.

I don't think the problem is the stereotype it might reinforce(remember that Barbie also had clothes for different jobs, so she could also make a living, and she also had horses and stuff like that, and girl friends, etc.). Girls often like to play with dolls, it's a fact. My younger sister loved it, but I liked to play with cars. We had the same education.

Answer 4

Actually, barbie has always been a doll. She was created by an American woman as a toy for her daughter, Barbara. I believe the child passed out of the doll phase before the doll, who ended up with her name came out.

Like any Role model, Barbie gets and deserves mixed reviews. On the one hand she is a strong single woman who can get her own things. But others see her as an unrealistic figure of a woman who has kept her phenomenal figure for fifty years. In all cases the judgment on Barbie reflects the bias of the observer.

Answer 5

Originally I would have said no, they're not good for children, but ever since they came out with Bratz I'm ready to shove Malibu Barbie on any girl.

Some Barbies do have a positive image. Lawyer Barbie, mommy Barbie, Pizza Hut Barbie (I had that one!), ice-skater Barbie are all good because they can help reinforce the idea that girls can be whatever they want!

I understand the concern relating to Barbie's physique- she sure is perfect, huh? But with proper upbringing and a variety of toys that's not going to do any harm. Not compared to what little girls will be exposed to in school!

Edit: Upon reading other responses I'd like to add I'm referring to the doll ONLY. All other Barbie products are bad. /They/ do promote dumb ideas like "Never enough clothes!" and "Never enough boys!"

Answer 6

not entirely......barbie is well-rounded (lots of careers,etc) and is pretty p.c. (they now have Asian, Hispanic, and African-American dolls), but barbies aren't necessarily modeled after real women in terms of body type (big breasts, slim built). overall, barbie seems like a pretty good role model, but at the same time reinforces SOME neg. female stereotypes. barbie is a much better role model than bratz. bratz dolls have sleazy outfits and makeup, are only based around shopping and materialistic things, etc., and are being played with by girls as young as 6.

Answer 7

It isn't a great artist's responsibility to be a role model unless he or she chooses the role Being hailed as the greatest voice of all time must have put unimaginable pressure on her as it would anyone and some just cave under pressure. The way she caved in gives some judgmental fools an opportunity to do what they do best: judge. Addiction is a disease.

Answer 8

One of the answerers mentions that she had Barbies as a kid, but her mother made sure she knew it wasn't reality. That's the best approach, I think.
___When adults project onto kids, through their behaviors, that exposures to media, toys, and games are too dangerous to be allowed, one message conveyed to the kid is that she or he is too sensitive and neurotic to be able to distinguish reality from fiction, and too weak to live independently. Of course this is only one of many messages given to kids, but in this age of over-parenting and over-protection, it falls in line with a lot of others with similar implications.
___Most American women born since about 1955 have played with Barbies, and few turned out to be bimboes. Most Baby-boomer men and younger, up until recently, played with toy guns, and few turned out to be killers. Even GrandTheftAuto has been out for a long enough time to have demonstrated that its power to turn young kids into killers hasn't amounted to much.
___But little research has been done on the effects of communicating to kids that they are victims of their genetic and environmental circumstance, and that they bear no responsibility for their behavior. Teaching responsibility involves more than just preaching it while acting as if kids are powerless. It requires parents to let kids take moral and physical risks, in an appropriately graduated manner, make their own mistakes, and deal with the consequences, which should be relatively small, if the parent manages the risk-exposure well enough.
___BTW, is this "first appearance" one of those urban myths? Has some Mattell executive revealed in his memoirs that he was inspired by a comic German hooker? And would it follow logically, even if this were true, that "Barbie's first appearance" was as a comic-strip prostitute?

Answer 9

Actually, she was modelled on Bild Lilli, not actually was her (Product Design project - research a popular toy).

I think she has her positive and negative points. Her obvious negative side is her looks seem to reinforce the traditional ideals that women should be beautiful, thin, blonde and have a large chest.

Her more positive influence is that she has taken on many roles over the years, which would suggest to an impressionable mind that you can do whatever you want.

Answer 10

Yes, I think Barbie is a great role model for young girls. What doesn't Barbie do? She has a husband/boyfriend, she takes care of her siblings, and works in every career field possible. It is a fun way for young girls to be whoever they want to be. Barbies help creativity and imagination grow. You have to style her, which promotes originality, you brush her hair which promotes health and caring for yourself. If people look past the proportion issue and let their children be kids, childhood would be a happier and pinker place.