WTF is Wrong With Barbie? (Part 1)

Worship-Me Barbie
There are several websites on the internet that parody Barbie, such as Adios, Barbie which spouts the slogan, "Love your body, through thick and thin," and The Distorted Barbie that calls Barbie the "sacred cow" of the new millenium. Critics have said she reinforces sexism, embodying a young woman with no intelligence with an impossible body type. But how can that be? How could this little angelic face harm anyone? In learning more about this toy, perhaps we will can figure out what the big deal is.

My First Barbie
When Ruth Handler invented the Barbie doll in 1959, she was not out to squash women's dreams of ever being beautiful. On the contrary, her idea was "to make a three-dimensional adult female doll that was likelife enough to serve as an inspiration for her daughter's dreams of her future." Her designs were to portray the girl-next-door, the one we grew up with, the one everyone liked. And as the years wear on, Mattel has come out with new dolls to fill in the new images of the modern woman: Barbie is seen as a doctor, astronaut, teacher, police officer, lifeguard, businesswoman, and athlete.

TO BE CONTINUED...
[Barbie is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc. This webpage in no way affiliated with or represents the opinion of Mattel, Inc. or its affiliates.]