Feminist Analysis Of Barbie

The idea of the Barbie Doll has been debated or many years. Released in 1959 during the largest feminist movement in America, it was labeled as an icon for women. However, the physical appearance of Barbie has caused many feminists to argue its intentions. It portrays unrealistic body standards for women, accentuated by tight, skimpy outfits. At a very young age, girls are taught to be perfect and perky. Additionally, the Barbie doll has implications of being inferior to men. Barbie is also seen as a racist toy; the African American version being released nearly twenty-one years later. Though Barbie appears in many different career roles, she teaches young girls to believe they need to look and act a certain way to get somewhere in life. There are two opposite ideas of what Barbie is: a cultural icon or a sexist symbol.

Every woman, big or small, young or old, has a Barbie element about them. Whether they have a thing for fashion or beauty, there is something that every girl has in common with Barbie. She may like to shop, or they may relate to one or more of her characteristics. They feel that

She has been a babysitter, a doctor, a tennis player, even a soldier. However, she takes on the feminine side of these professions. For example, her doctor uniform consists of a short skirt and of course, high heels. Her soldier personality is dressed in a dress and once again, high heels. Consequently, this shows girls that even though women can do the same jobs and men, they are not done the same way. Most of the time, a girl who is a soldier is referred to as a “female soldier”, not just a soldier. In the book “Mormon Feminism”, Chelsea Strayer writes about growing up without a mother and states, “Where no matter where I go, what I do, or who I talk to I am a girl first and a person second.” Though Barbie never directly acknowledges her inferiority, her outfits show that she is not on the same level as men in her