In the article “Artificially Yours” by James Vlahos, Mattel has a new Barbie in the market. Hello Barbie is a doll in which has been inserted artificial intelligence (A.I). With the help of ToyTalk, a company based in San Francisco, Mattel was able to come up with a Barbie that would be able to talk to millions of little girls. Hello Barbie has gone through a lot of modifications since her first appearance to the public. Modifications done to Mattel’s new Barbie was that her thighs were slightly thickened to fit a rechargeable battery and a mini USB charging port was installed in her back.
Every year more Barbies are being sold than babies are born. Have you ever wondered who created the dolls that have their own shows, movies, and is a little child’s favorite toy? Ruth Handler did many impressive things throughout her lifetime. Ruth created Barbie, became the co-owner of her husband’s company “Mattel”, all while taking down breast cancer, which resulted in the creation of “Nearly Me.” One of Ruth Handlers biggest accomplishments was creating Barbie.
In this essay, I will explore the themes of various poems from “Kinky”, by Denise Duhamel. The poems “The Limited Edition Platinum Barbie” and “One Afternoon When Barbie Wanted to Join the Military”, reflect upon the oppressive beauty standards and gender expectations in our culture and hyperbolize them to a dystopian point. Duhamel uses Barbie as a metaphor throughout these poems, and addresses our culture’s misogyny, while making Barbie a first person character and giving her a voice. The poem “The Limited Edition Platinum Barbie” critiques our culture’s narrow standard of beauty. Our society is consumed by the fantasy and perfection of the idealized body.
While Marge Piercy (“Barbie Doll”) and James Dickey (“The Leap”) have created poems that are about women who were trounced by society’s pressure, each poem depicts different elements to reflect the narrator’s voice and convey their message. Piercy highlights her character’s struggle with the preconceived vehemence on women’s role in our society from a young age. “This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” (Piercy) On the other hand, Dickey uses nostalgia to describe the character in his poem “fastest runner in seventh grade” (Dickey) and how he remembers the main character.
The story tells the reader about how two girls, each owns a Barbie doll with their one outfit piece and they made a dress out of worn socks for the dolls. One Sunday, they both went to the flea market on Maxwell Street, where the dolls of the other characters in Barbie were sold with lower price as a big toy warehouse was destroyed by fire. They did not mind to buy the dolls at the flea market even though the dolls were flawed, soaked with water and smelled like ashes. Barbie is widely pictured as a successful girl, who is perfect in every way; with her beautiful face, a slim body, nice house, secured job and a handsome boyfriend which is the fancy of every girl. The story tells the reader of the expectancy for women to have this immaculate figure, ignoring the fact that each person has different body fat percentage and body mass index which may affect their sizes and weights.
The freedom of being able to change Barbie’s clothes into her various wardrobes sold gives the young children playing with her the sense of individuality. Although Barbie has brought a lot of controversy to the table within the years it has been on the shelf, her portrayal has not changed because after all she is just a doll,
In the short story ''Barbie Q,'' Sandra Cisneros portrays that Barbie dolls can impact girl's lives as they grow up, and influence the way they act and perceive themselves. These girls grow up in a poor family environment considering that they acquired the rest of the dolls in a toys sale after a store burned down. In ‘‘Barbie Q,’’what is the thematic significance of the damaged dolls after the fire? The girl’s enthusiasm to get the new dolls -when they said that they prefer to receive new doll’s clothes- suggests that the meaning of these Barbie dolls is more than just a new toy.
Compare/contrast: the criticism of society's values Rosemary Catacalos “David Talamantes on the last day of second grade” and Marge Piercy’s “Barbie doll” are two poems that paint an illustration from criticism of society’s values and the outcome they could have on people. Threw the views of society from the outside looking in upon these people in the poems they share the common criticism of others. The tone seems to be different in each poem but they have a Common Thread of what others view of them.
They do not care what the Barbie doll looks like because to them, the toy is still a Barbie on the inside. This short story shows that beauty is not what is on the outside, but what is in the inside. It focuses on beauty and what beauty means to the two young girls. When the two young girls look at a Barbie, the only thing they see is the beauty within it and what it could become to them. “So what if our Barbies smell like smoke when you hold them up to your nose even after you wash and wash and wash them.
In "Barbie-Q," we get introduced to the two little girls and their Barbie's: "Yours is the one with mean eyes and a ponytail. Striped swimsuit, stilettos, sunglasses and gold hoop earrings. Mine is the one with bubble hair. Red swimsuit, stilettos, pearl earrings, and a wire stand." (Cisneros 285).
Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” takes a sarcastic approach to backlash at society and send the reader a message about what beauty really is. In “Barbie Doll”, A Barbie doll is used to show and symbolize what society views as what a female should aspire to become “perfect”. “Barbie's unrealistic body type…busty with a tiny waist, thin thighs and long legs…is reflective of our culture's feminine ideal. Yet less than two percent of American women can ever hope to achieve such dreamy measurements.”
Although Barbie has conveyed many beliefs through the clothes and jobs she has had, the most controversial belief has been body image. Since first being brought out into the world, Barbie has had an unreasonably shaped body, with a small waist and large breasts. All of Barbie’s body features have impacted the way society expects women to look. But in 2016, Barbie had a dramatic makeover, she was released in different heights and body shapes, making her more suitable to the way women actually look. Barbie’s new look has made a positive impact on young girls and potentially society’s unrealistic expectations of
Many girls strive to have a body just like Barbie but it is unhealthy and unrealistic. Maggie Palmer stated, “if Barbie was a real woman, she would be 5’6” and weigh 120 pounds. Her body fat percentage would be so low that she would not be able to menstruate. Her measurements would be 38-18-34.
But where did it all start and how did you get to this position? You’re five years old when you receive your first Barbie doll. Your innocent mind looks at the plastic figure as just a symbol of inspiration or a relatable toy used on the playground
Literature review Introduction Many changes in the industries and workplaces have changed and affected the work and personal lives. These changes have risen in recent years as a result of large numbers of working people and the entry of more women in the labor force. Women used to take care of their families and children and men used to work. However, nowadays most women work and share their duties with men in different organisations and at different job levels.
