Nov 11 2008
Dissecting Barbie
I was a very prissy little girl. I wanted to be in beauty pageants, but my mother didn’t want me to believe in the objectification of women (or anyone else for that matter) and she didn’t want me to grow up thinking that I was the sum of my body parts. I would sneak and watch the Miss America pageants. My mother was not a self-proclaimed feminist, but she was very conscious about the ways that women were depicted and would not allow me to watch any programs that showed women in a negative light….But something slipped through the cracks…
Barbie. I played with Barbies from the time that I was preschool age until I was about 11. I had a pink convertible, a Barbie dream house, and tons of accessories and clothes. Most of these items came, hand-me-down, from my older cousin. When I played Barbies with my sister or cousin or friends, we would each take turns choosing items from my huge box of Barbie things. If a male friend was present, he would be Ken or Joey McIntyre from New Kids on The Block. Boys would only play Barbies if other boys weren’t around.
I didn’t maim my Barbies as some girls were wont to do. I never gave them haircuts or drew on their faces. They stayed as beautiful as they had been on Christmas morning through out the duration of our times together.
I considered myself a feminist long before I even had the word to describe how I was feeling. I grew up in a very sexist environment. Blue was for boys; Pink was for girls; Boys were strong; Girls were weak. There were specific duties and jobs intended for men and women. Adult men would laugh if I wanted to learn “a boy thing.” For example, my dad is a talented auto mechanic and carpenter. I remember showing an interest in his work, not being taken seriously, and ultimately giving up.
As a little girl, I wanted to do everything little boys got to do, but I didn’t see anything wrong with looking good while doing these things. I actually still don’t see anything wrong with that.
I realized that Barbie was potentially harmful to girls when I discovered feminism via Jessie Spano from “Saved By the Bell.” She was my first feminist icon and remained that way, until I saw her in “Show Girls.” ;(
Barbie represents societal pressures on women as a whole. A lot of progress has been made, but with unrealistic images of women (and men) everywhere, it’s hard for children (and adults) to have healthy body images. I hated my body until I was in college. I would never let anyone know how bad I hated it because it felt hypocritical as I was always encouraging others to love themselves. Barbie is just another unattainable goal. Open your eyes! Look around you! Pay attention to what you are seeing everyday!
I wake up and check my email to find numerous ads with half naked women (and sometimes men) in them, all airbrushed, all unrealistic.
I stand in line at the CVS and browse through the magazine racks while I’m waiting. It’s beautiful women on the cover of every magazine. They are scantily clad, even in magazine’s intended for heterosexual women.
It’s Halloween and there are little girls walking around in bra tops and miniskirts. Did you know they make thong underwear in little girls’ sizes?!!! It’s crazy!
Then there is Barbie–the original icon for little girls. Can you imagine how unattainable Barbie’s look is to little girls of color. Read Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.
If Barbie were human-sized she would be 5′6″ tall, 110 lbs, with a 39″ bust, 18″ waist, and 33″ hips. She would fall over!
I know I’m not breaking any new ground with this article. Whether you care or not, you know about the unrealistic expectations that women face. The main point I want to make is to discuss these images with your children. Explain that Barbie’s and Bratz dolls (Thank Goddess) are not representative of what bodies really look like. I don’t know if I will allow my children to play with Barbies. I think I probably will as I enjoyed them so much as a child, but there will definitely be an open dialogue about loving our bodies just the way they are.
