Toys have been an indicator of the way our society behaves and interacts with their kids. We find toys of great value to our lives and give them to children as gifts. Most little girls are grown up with their first toy to be a Barbie doll. If you ask a young girl what they would like for a gift and the answer is mostly “A Barbie”. Why is Barbie such a big deal to young girls? Well the answer is that Barbie dolls have always been a role model to girls while they grow up.
I saw a commercial on Adult Swim where a little girls’ grandmother gave her a Barbie with abnormally large breasts. As she handed the doll to the child, she made a comment about that particular doll being able to do absolutely everything; the child’s mother then made a quick comment, saying “yeah everything, especially guys”. The little girl then responded to the mother and said “Oh! I can’t wait to do that too!” referring to the comment about males. Even though the commercial was exaggerated compared to an actual Barbie commercial, the basic message was exactly the same. All Barbie’s have model-like bodies and are marketed as being a perfect surfer or flight attendant or a nurse. The little girls then get these dolls and make believe with them that this perfect little doll is going about her job or daily activities. Since young girls want to look like a Barbie they start to follow how a Barbie looks so they start dieting so they can get skinny. Most girls that grow up also go through surgeries to make their breasts large and get their nose and lips done just so they could look perfect.
I have a little sister who is 13 years younger than me, so I have seen her go through this phase of dolls and Barbie’s. It was horrifying to see her get so excited about a Hannah Montana movie or doll, and even more so scary to see my mother buy into the hype as well. Hannah Montana lives a double life: one life is the normal teenage girl as Miley Cyrus, and the other life is Hannah Montana who is the...