Barbie A Sex Symbol Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Barbie: A Sexual activity Symbol? ? Essay, Research Paper Laura Fultz Period 5 Barbie: The Sex Symbol? Barbie, America # 8217 ; s figure one merchandising doll, was non a sex symbol. With the assistance of a kid # 8217 ; s imaginativeness, she could be -and do- anything a kid wanted. Barbie has endured through decennaries of societal and political turbulence -not to advert the countless onslaughts by womens rightists. How did she make it? By remaining abreast of the times and by using some of the savviest selling in American concern history. Barbie is sold in more than 140 states, histories for 38 per centum of Mattel # 8217 ; s gross revenues, and has had more than 500 brand overs in her calling. It all started when Ruth Handler noticed her girl Barbara playing with paper dolls and conceive ofing them in grown up functions. Ruth realized that dolls on the market at the clip were all babe dolls. She besides realized that there was a demand for a doll that would animate small misss to believe about what they wanted to be when they grew up. We will write a custom essay sample on Barbie A Sex Symbol Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore Ruth came up with the thought for the adolescent manner theoretical account, Barbie, whom she named after her girl. Barbie has more apparels in her cupboard than some little section shops. She can be anything from a physician to an aeroplane pilot. Barbie can be black, white, or Asiatic ; have brown, bluish, or green eyes ; and have blond, brown, black, or ruddy hair. Barbie, through her astonishing ability to morph before one # 8217 ; s eyes, gave immature people a opportunity to spread out their skylines by demoing that race or sex was non a factor in one # 8217 ; s hereafter. When Barbie was foremost introduced in 1959, the Women # 8217 ; s Movement was merely deriving impulse. In a clip when adult females were stay-at-home married womans, Barbie was out skiing or possibly nursing a ill foal back to wellness. Forty old ages subsequently, Barbie has her ain Corvette and motor place, dream house, and website where you can plan your ain Barbie. I went to Barbie # 8217 ; s web site and made my ain Barbie, although I have non played with a Barbie in more than 5 old ages. A liberated adolescent, I would non O.K. of anything that even remotely denounced me as a adult female. Barbie is merely a doll to me, a symbol of my childhood. I remember having a Barbie Corvette on my 6th birthday. I did non acquire to play with it for long because my brother, older than me by two old ages, decided to take over. He placed my # 8220 ; hard-bodied # 8221 ; Barbie in the auto and they were away, rushing down the streets of San Juan or another every bit alien topographic point. I neer wondered why Barbie had big chests, because all adult females had chests of some kind. In actuality, Barbie’s chests were less like chests and more like big hills of extra plastic. At 10, Prager states that she found Ken’s genitalia-oppressed province baleful. At that age, I had no thought what genital organ were, nor did I attention. The last thing on my head was the sexual wonts of two dolls. Prager besides states that she did non get married because she could non happen a cat who â€Å"looked as good in clam diggers† as Ken. She was non so disquieted about Ken’s genital organ that she would non get married him. It is said that if Barbie were human, she would be about 8 pess tall, have a 39-inch flop and a 23-inch waist. If Barbie were human, she would either be the most sought after hoops participant or the highest paid theoretical account in history. Yet Barbie is non human. She is an eleven-inch piece of plastic. Any individual who would happen mistake in Barbie # 8217 ; s organic structure had deeper issues than a doll # 8217 ; s broke size. Prager says that she questioned the type of adult female who would do Barbie ; evidently Barbie # 8217 ; s shaper was a really loving female parent. Barbie # 8217 ; s shaper gave her girl a opportunity to turn emotionally and intellectually. My female parent neer designed a doll for me, but she did provide me with many Barbie # 8217 ; s. In Prager # 8217 ; s try, # 8220 ; Our Barbie # 8217 ; s, Ourselves, # 8221 ; she ends by proposing that we are all trapped in # 8220 ; Barbie # 8217 ; s universe # 8221 ; without opportunity of flight. I was neer portion of Barbie # 8217 ; s universe ; Barbie was portion of mine. I put Barbie in state of affairss that occurred in my mundane life, and I put Barbie in my dreams. Through her, I could travel anyplace I desired, but I could besides set Barbie back on a shelf after playday. In her essay, Prager says that, in films, adult females are ever topless and work forces are ever covered because of Barbie. Topless adult females and covered work forces were non freshnesss in 1959, nor are they in 1999. One doll did non account for the events both before and after her creative activity. The innuendo that, if a adult male made Barbie, so all things were explained is pathetic. Barbie was non made by a adult male, and was non made in the image of a adult male # 8217 ; s perfect adult female. She was formed to give a immature miss a realistic thought of her hereafter, non needfully in expressions, but in her ability to make what she fantasized most approximately. Barbie was non made to be a sex symbol. She was created to do dreams seem possible.