As a child, I was a huge fan of the Barbie doll. I probably had sixteen of them at one point (that was a lot back then) and they each had seen their share of love. A lot of them got haircuts from me in an attempt to "feather" their hair (it was the 70's, after all) which resulted in incredible failure and most of them had lipstick marks on them in an attempt to change their makeup. As I grew up, I stopped playing with those dolls but grew my hair long, sprayed peroxide on it to make it blonde and subconsciously thought Barbie's looks were ideal.
Now I'm a parent to two girls of my own. They've both been into Barbie dolls, particularly my youngest. Remember that number 16 that I had? She probably has 60. And they're more than just a doll. They're veterinarians and teachers and Mermaids and fashionistas and heck…even archers. Barbie has been made to have a brain to go along with her beauty.
This debate on how Barbie impacts young girls today is one that is usually around in some shape or form. There are those strongly against Barbie…her proportions are completely inhuman (yes..they are) and she helps create a poor body image with young girls today because they want to look like her. On the other hand, Barbie does everything. She's not a blond bimbo sitting in the corner waiting for Ken…she's driving the sports car herself, and going to college and being an activist as well as a style icon. In fact, it seems as if there is nothing that Barbie HASN'T done.
Through social media and real-time commentary, this debate has come to the forefront recently. It seems everyone has an opinion on how Barbie influences young girls today. Are young girls starving themselves because they want to be as thin as Barbie? Personally, I don't think Barbie has anything to do with it as most girls are kind of out of that phase by age 9. My oldest daughter is 13. She's growing like a weed and starting to notice the opposite sex. As a result, she's curling her hair, and exercising and putting on makeup. Have I ever heard her say that "Barbie made me do it?" No. Have I noticed she's emulating actresses on shows she watches on TV? Yes. My youngest, on the other hand, still loves putting on fancy dresses when she plays with her Barbie. She does her hair up to play with Barbies. Will this change? Most likely, but will move onto a phase much like her older sister.
The point is, the debate marches on. Social media brings topics like these front and center and as a result, debate is created. Just remember… nobody is perfect…not even Barbie. We all just do the very best we can.
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Tamara Day is a lover of warm weather that lives in the north, much to her chagrin. She is particularly interested in social media, such as http://www.tawkers.com and how it's affected our lives.
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