Barbie has been a global fashion icon since the late 1950s. She has changed dramatically over the years, but her image is still a global phenomenon.
Barbie has been an icon in the dolls industry for more than 50 years. Her distinctive look and unapologetic attitude make her one of the most recognizable toys in the world. She was first introduced to the world at the American International Toy Fair in 1959, where she became a smash hit among young girls.
Since then, Barbie has made more than 150 million dollars in sales worldwide, and she is still going strong.
Barbie’s popularity has not been without controversy, though. Many people who grew up with Barbie have grown to dislike her due to her “perfect” appearance and unrealistic proportions. Others are critical of her lack of diversity, claiming that she should represent other races and ethnicities besides white Caucasian women.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of these issues and discuss how Barbie could be improved.
Barbie has been a controversial figure since her creation in 1959. Back then, Barbie’s busty, wasp-waisted figure earned the doll a place on the cover of Time and Life magazines. But as she approached her 50th birthday this week, Barbie has been under fire from all sides. She’s been subject to petitions, boycotts, and a whole book of criticism called “The Barbie Chronicles.”
Barbie hate is nothing new—but why do people hate Barbie? Her form factor hasn’t changed much over the last half-century, but public opinion sure has.
Barbie’s critics say she’s a bad role model for girls: She’s too thin and too blond, “a tanned size zero with perfect teeth” as one blogger put it. They say she sends the wrong message about body image. And that she gives girls unrealistic expectations about their future careers (she’s been everything from an astronaut to a computer engineer).
These criticisms are not just coming from parents—some of them come from kids themselves. In one recent commercial for GoldieBlox toys, girls protest against Barbies by building their own alternative toy: a Barbie-like doll with rainbow hair and muscles.
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company’s largest and most profitable line. However, sales have declined sharply since 2014. The doll transformed the toy business in affluent communities worldwide by becoming a vehicle for the sale of related merchandise (accessories, clothes, friends of Barbie, etc.). She had a significant impact on social values by conveying characteristics of female independence, and with her multitude of accessories, an idealized upscale life-style that can be shared with affluent friends.
Starting in 1987, Barbie has expanded into a media franchise, including animated films, television specials, video games, and music. She had a starring role in my Halloween costume one year when I was about three years old.”I don’t think you’re going to want to be a lawyer,” my mother told me then. “Because being
Barbie is the most popular doll in history. It was made in 1959 by Ruth Handler and her husband Elliot, founders of Mattel Inc. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. She has a boyfriend named Ken, who was introduced in 1961; a sister, Skipper, who was introduced in 1964; and a little brother and sister, Todd and Stacie, who were both introduced in 1992. She has been portrayed as an astronaut, surgeon, Olympic athlete, downhill skier, aerobics instructor, TV news reporter, vet, rock star, doctor, army officer and presidential candidate.
Barbie has had over 80 careers since 1959! She has won over 180 awards including: Woman of the year (1968), Fashion Oscar (1970), Best Dressed Doll of the Century (1996) and more! The first Barbie doll had dark hair and wore a black-and-white striped swimsuit. She had her mouth open like she was about to say something. Barbie’s best friend Midge was introduced in 1963. Her first friend Christie (an African American doll) was introduced in 1968 along with their friend Francie. Barbie has been sold in over 150 countries worldwide! In 1999 she got her own star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
When Barbie first made her debut in 1959, Mattel sold out of 300,000 dolls in the first week. That same year, the company sold a million more. When the doll was first released, it was marketed as a “Teen Age Fashion Model.” The original Barbie was modeled after a German doll called Bild Lilli which had been on the market since 1952.
The doll was created by Ruth Handler who noticed that her daughter liked to play with paper dolls and give them adult roles. Handler then set out to create a 3-D paper doll that girls could use to act out their fantasies. After struggling to find a company that would produce the dolls, Handler decided to partner with her husband Elliot who worked at Mattel. Elliot would later co-invent Hot Wheels and other toys we all remember growing up with.
Barbie sparked controversy pretty much right off the bat because it represented an unrealistic body type for young girls (a body type that still does not exist). It’s no surprise that people took issue with this as well as some of Barbie’s other traits. She has been criticized for placing too much focus on beauty and materialism and encouraging young girls to do the same.
Whether or not Barbie promotes poor values is up for debate but one thing is
I wish Barbie had been around when I was a kid. I would have played with her, probably ripped her hair out and maybe even burned her in the oven.
What would I have done with Barbie? I don’t know. She was just a doll to me. But I think my mother would have found some use for her. After all, she never used to let me play with my sister’s dolls, claiming they were too expensive and breakable. Barbie’s head is made of vinyl, not porcelain, so it wouldn’t shatter if I threw it on the floor during one of my tantrums.
I wonder if today’s mothers allow their little girls to play with Barbies or just buy Bratz for them. The latter are supposed to be the new generation of dolls, manufactured by MGA Entertainment, who sued Mattel for stealing their idea (the Bratz). However, there are many articles that suggest that Bratz are racist and sexist and promote anorexia.
Still, Bratz are not as controversial as Barbie. In fact, Barbie has become an icon of what’s wrong with women today: she promotes an unhealthy body image; she gives girls unrealistic expectations about what they should look like; she makes them want to go under the
In the early 1960’s , Ruth Handler, a mother of two, was on a family trip to Europe. While there she saw that her daughter Barbara was playing with paper dolls. Barbara’s favorite doll was Lilli, a German doll based off of a comic strip character. Ruth liked the idea of the adult figure, but wanted to make the doll in the likeness of her daughter.
When Ruth returned to America she told her husband Elliot about her idea for an adult figure. He said that it was a great idea, but that no one would buy it because all the other dolls available were childlike. Elliot thought that there should be more diversity in the toys sold in America and he agreed to help his wife create an adult figure doll.
After many attempts at making the body of their doll look realistic, they came up with a true to life figure. The legs were so realistic looking that it was difficult for them to get clothes on and off the doll.