Barbie’s Effect on Body Image
The ‘Barbie Effect’ affects many children with specific reference to girls and women alike. The Barbie effect is described as the need by women to become like dolls as the image depicted by the Barbie doll. The image exhibits a young woman who is a model because she has flawless features such as astounding beauty, lean body, and a great height than the average woman. The message clearly sent out to women by this doll is without the presence of such body features one is bound to fail. In addition, she is always in the presence of a man who is masculine because of his tough body features, which women consider as irresistible. Hence, a woman cannot get love from a man without her having lean features such as those exhibited by models in fashion design and in magazines (Anschutz, Doeschka, & Rutger, 27).
The Barbie doll was created in an image, which reflects a body that is impossible to possess. It has clear discrimination for the average woman because it favors features that are only present in an imaginable perspective. The ideals communicated to us show that only women with features similar to Barbie’s, have the ability to succeed in society and in pursuit of happiness. The effects of this reductionism approach brought about by the Barbie doll are both psychological as well as physiological. This can be explained as the degradation of self-value for the average sized woman as they view themselves as inadequate in both shape and intellect. Hence, it cultivates low self-esteem and the need for women to strive to become perfects like the Barbie doll.
The body version of the Barbie doll is regarded as unattainable hence such as body is unhealthy and impossible possess. The ideal brought forth is to avoid eating healthily to attain a small body, which is unattainable in real sense because she possesses a less proportional body size and weight. The use of dolls and other toys is vital in play as they emulate these characters. They form decisions in relation to the message brought abut by these dolls. Hence, the Barbie doll is a toy, which forms a vital part in the formations of character of the girls who play with these toys (Daniel, 41). Boys are also affected, but in an indirect way because they find the doll as the ideal woman to have relations with. This is because of the message spread by these dolls is the emphasis of lean body features and incredible beauty instead of focus or morals and ideals possessed by an individual. Hence, it is a trend, which has become part of society that beauty is necessary for any healthy relationship or for the achievement of success in life.
Health is a major part of development, without consumptions of food with adequate nutrition; an individual is bound to suffer from health issues such as anorexia, which is mainly an effect of lack of proper diet. Diet has become an issue especially for women because of the image cultivated by the lean body of Barbie dolls. The ultra lean bodies exhibited by these Barbie dolls which are present in almost each and very home have aided in lowering the self esteem of the young girls. The girls view themselves as lesser than human due to the social view of a perfect body. This brings into question as to whether there is a perfect body for any man or more so for women. Self-consciousness comes into play because they view themselves as inferior to the body image depicted by the doll (Abramson, 27). The girls eventually grow out into women who are dissatisfied with their body images. Dissatisfaction with one’s body image has many effects such as inconsistent and unhealthy eating patterns. Unhealthy eating patterns lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, which many women who are self-conscious about their body images while in pursuit of the ideal body images exhibited by the Barbie dolls. Anorexia is a disease, which is caused by food restriction due to the excessive compulsive view of one’s body image. Young girls who are exposed to views of possessing an ideal body as exhibited by Barbie dolls usually develop anorexia due to their distortion of their self-images and psychological development. The aspirations of these young girls are to become women like the Barbie dolls as they have a view that the Barbie doll represents what they considers as a successful women with the perfect body. Anorexia usually sets in puberty because teens are usually self-conscious about their self-images. They mainly think about what their peers think of them. Hence, it becomes more of a necessity for these teens to achieve the perceived perfect body. This is a clear illustration of the total disregard for oneself as public opinion becomes more important to the girls to gains acceptance from their peers and more so from boys.
It is evident that exposure of young girls and boys alike to these dolls has devastating psychological effects on the development of these individuals because they grow up with the view of an ideal body as one depicted by having ample makeup, fashionable and expensive attire and the ultimate thin body. In society, the Barbie doll effect can be seen from all events carried out by people. In advertising there is great emphasis on women who are ultra thin by the clothes sold, modeling agencies, which insist on women who are extra thin in comparison to the average woman. In addition, the advertising of basic products without specific reference to one advertisement is done by use of women who have adopted a thin body ideal. Hence, it has become apparent that a thin ideal is the best ideal for any woman as it ensures social success and more so achievement of personal dreams in either careers or relationships.
The Barbie doll is depicted as an older woman with a lean body. Hence the young girls long for a body in future or when they grow up which is identical to the body by Barbie doll. They do not want to achieve the lean or thin body immediately but look forward to having such bodies in their future (Verplanken, & Tangelder, 44). This has been cultivated more by the media who insist on women with ideals, which are identical to those exhibited by Barbie. Fashion has taken the Barbie approach as most of the women in the modeling and fashion industry if not all, lay emphasis to ideals such as expensive and fashionable attire, lean body, beauty products.
In addition, it has also led to materialism, because Barbie exists in a world, which is full of all material possessions, a big house, nice car, expensive clothes and a macho man to take care of her. She has the ability to attain all that she needs through her lean body and her astounding beauty. The Barbie doll can be described as sexist as it seems to castigate the body shape and size of the average woman. In addition to has also led to erosion of moral values as people go any lengths to attain the perfect body shape and size. The physical looks possessed by Barbie have helped attain the materialistic lifestyle which any woman or girl would long for in life. The Barbie doll is overly sexualized, because in German the word Barbie refers to stunningly beautiful woman without morals who will go to any lengths to attain what she needs or wants. The diminutive reference given in the German meaning is a clear indication of the feminine chauvinism. Women have taken the Barbie approach in the modern world in pursuit of the ever-elusive ‘perfect beauty’ exhibited by Barbie (Dittmar, Emma, & Ive, 28). Plastic surgery, botox treatments for women to look young, breast and hip enlargement to attain the figures exhibited by Barbie has become a common feature in our modern society.
In conclusion is difficult to measure the negative effects of using Barbie dolls as different children respond differently when they have outgrown their playing with dolls. Some get negative views of the dolls and others want to emulate the doll as they find her successful in her achievement of both social status, good relationship with the male doll and more so material possessions. However the psychological effects are however present from inculcation of the belief that for success in life one must possess the attributes exhibited by Barbie, exceptional beauty and a thin body. The boys have also been affected as they have a view of the perfect woman as identical to Barbie with astonishing beauty and a lean body. This has eroded the need for good morals when looking for any partner by the boys (Abramson, 37).
Work cited
Abramson, Ellie. “Barbie Brains: The Effects of Barbie Dolls on Girls Perception of Male and Female Jobs”. Oregon State University. 2009. Print.
Anschutz, Doeschka J, & Rutger C. M. E. Engels. “The Effects of Playing with Thin Dolls on Body Image and Food Intake in Young Girls.” Sex Roles. 63 (2010): 9-10. Print.
Daniel, Thomas C. “The Disempowering Empowerment of Children’s Consumer “choice”: Cultural Discourses of the Child Consumer in North America.” Society and Business Review. 2.1 (2007): 37-52. Print.
Dittmar, Helga, Emma Halliwell, & Suzanne Ive. “Does Barbie Make Girls Want to Be Thin? The Effect of Experimental Exposure to Images of Dolls on the Body Image of 5 to 8-Year-Old Girls.” Developmental Psychology. 42. (2).2006: 283-292. Print.
Verplanken, Bas, & Yonne Tangelder. “No Body Is Perfect: the Significance of Habitual Negative Thinking About Appearance for Body Dissatisfaction, Eating Disorder Propensity, Self-Esteem and Snacking.” Psychology & Health. 26. (6) 2011: 685-701. Print.
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