Barbie's Defence

Barbie is perfect. Her hair, makeup, and figure have made an impact on how girls look at themselves, but I honestly do not get where the heat is coming from. I have never been a Barbie lover, I disliked her for a bit, but now I’m pretty neutral about her. Maybe people who see Barbie as a threat are the ones that are approaching the iconic character wrong.

First off, Barbie did not just poof out of thin air and appear in our material world. She was thought of by Barbara Millicent Roberts who based the doll off of her daughter. So, in the eyes of the creator (both daughter and doll), she may have seen her daughter as perfect as any parent should, thus the perfection of Barbie.

Yes, the doll is also about making money, but the important point is, it was never intended to be something harmful. It’s a toy, it’s meant to be imaginary, thus what does it say about all the other toys or cartoon characters out there? Should those be changed to ‘realistic’ standards too? Interestingly, it may just be Barbie having so much human qualities that people cannot differentiate that she’s just an object of glamour. Maybe that is why I’m referring the inanimate object as a “her” instead of “it”.

Barbie was meant to be a best friend. She’s a doll, an object that was meant to visually appeal, but her appeal was not to be taken literally. We (and I speak for the majority) are drawn to ‘perfection’, it’s what keeps us going, so would a customer want a less appealing figure?

Another aspect I am greatly troubled with is why is Barbie attacked so much? Again, are we impaired to separate what’s suppose to be real and imaginary because of such human like qualities? If the image of Barbie is being updated, then we must do something about other visually appealing yet harmful to self-confidence ‘propaganda’ out there such as models and ads. Why are their illusions more accepted than Barbie? I see more people starving themselves because of models than Barbie.

In Leonard Pitts, Jr.’s “Barbie’s Makeover Makes Her More Real, Less Hateful”, I strongly disagree with the assertion that there should be a 'Teen Mom Barbie. No Ken available” or “Abused Barbie. Comes with Abusive Ken with Special Kung Fu grip.” I understand he exaggerates the extent of realism Barbie should be, or at least I hope so, but if it comes down to those types of dolls, that would be the negative influence on kids. If those dolls come about, it is encouraging the young audience that it would be alright to be taken advantage of, or it’s alright to have kids at a really young age. It’s not a recommended encouragement. Barbie play set options and the dolls they are coming out with, I feel, are a positive reinforcement. We see the doll as a doctor, vet, and so many professional fields that parents would want their children to aspire to. I feel this is a really good job the company did for feminism, encouraging young girls to become teachers and such.

Ultimately what Barbie needs, if needed anything, would be breaking gender roles. Instead of the knocked up or abused Barbie, I want to see the change of having a Military Barbie, an Engineer Barbie, or of such lines. It doesn’t have to all about the ‘it girl’ too; Ken could be a designer or someone who does domestic chores like a stay-at-home spouse kind of deal though it’s not the usual target market.

The remedy to those obsessing over the image of the figurine though is parents educating their children about their toys. Since most toys bought are for kids, it’s important they do not get the impression at such a young age that this doll that looks like a person could be naturally real. An adult may understand it’s just a toy, but I don’t think a kid really does. I mean, I used to dress my stuffed toys because they were ‘cold’. For those parents or future parents, teach your kids. Don’t just buy them a toy, use it as a lesson. Make your kids understand that it’s an object for enjoyment, not something to seriously look up to. I don’t think this only goes for Barbie though; it goes for all toys (guns, videogames, etc.).

So you know what, to me, Barbie is perfect.

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