The Barbie Doll: What Does She Represent?
While Barbie has been around for decades, there has always been some controversy around her and her friends. Barbie's image has always come two-fold, and probably always will.
Barbie has always had a positive effect on girl of nearly every age. I don't know any girl that can't provide you with a fond memory of playing with Barbies when they were younger. Barbie's goal is to provide a creative toy which children can put into numerous situations. Now with the numerous accessories that are available for Barbie, that creative outlet has been expanded to include more locations, and the equipment needed to participate in specific activities.
When I was a child, my Barbie had a car, a wardrobe and an RV. Not only could I have a fashion show, and drive around town, but I could go camping and hiking all in the comfort of my own room! If I got especially creative, I'd take my Barbies and their RV outside and take them for some extreme hiking and camping. This allowed me to create so many different experiences and scenarios for my Barbies that the possibilities were endless! Barbie was my most cherished toy, which I proudly passed on to my younger sister when her Barbie days began.
While Barbie was an educational experience for me and my sister, this is not always the case. Some parents are extremely worried about what their children will believe is the "correct" body image, especially for young females. With the stress of the media making children worry about their body size, Barbie seemed to be lumped into this media categories. While Barbie is not what I would consider a "real" body type, she is developed to be 1/6th scale of an average woman. With this scale, Barbie would be 5' 9" tall, measuring a 36" chest, 18" waist and 33" hips. With measurements such as these, hospitals have determined that she would not have a high enough body fat percentage to menstruate. Since this was determined, Mattel has widened Barbie's waist slightly, to better suit her to the contemporary fashion designs.
Regardless of Barbie's body type, she has been an icon for young girls of many generations. I personally can list serveral memories I have of playing with my Barbie dolls, most of them including other people (my mom, younger sister, and many of my childhood friends). Not only was Barbie a staple for girls of my generation, but she also helped girls lacking in social skills by having common ground with their peers. The Barbie doll has become a network tool, and a memory that brings a smile to women's faces of all ages.