"Barbie you're beautiful, you make me too. My Barbie doll is really real. Barbie's small and so petite, her clothes and figure look so neat. Her dancing outfit rings a bell, at parties she will cast a spell. Purses, hats, and gloves galore, and all the gadgets gals adore... Some day I'm gonna be exactly like you. Till then I know just what I'll do. Barbie, beautiful Barbie, I'll make believe that I am you."
In 1959 Barbie began her reign over childhood playtime. Little girls all over the world desired a Barbie doll to play with and be her own. Ever since then, Barbie has been of huge influence to little girls everywhere, even today Barbie dominates the toy market. Because Barbie is adored so much by female children, they begin aspiring to be just like her. In the very first Barbie Commercial, It insists that the children should pretend to be her and grow up to be her. "Barbie's small and so petite. Her clothes and figure look so neat..." Is a direct relation to exactly what being Barbie is all about. However, Barbie's physical proportions are unrealistic and have been ever since she was produced. This gives young girls an unattainable goal which could lead to illnesses such as Bulimia, Anorexia and Depression.
Also, when the commercial song from 1959 tells us "Someday i'm gonna be, exactly like you.." we are given a close up shot of the doll in a big wedding gown. And in other parts of the commercial we are shown Barbie hosting parties and wearing pretty dresses and bathing suits. This relates to the affluent, glamorous lifestyle Barbie is advertised to have in today's toy market. She seems to always be completely feminine, wealthy, and looking 'perfect'. This gives young girls the message that there is no other option in life but to fulfill the 'duties' of being a girl. In 1959 this means getting married and being a perfect woman, today this means being rich, girly and beautiful also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmTJ2ykbPuY
Notice this modern Barbie television commercial only mentions being a girly, cutie, artsy, sassy, wild or glam girl. None of these suggest any other alternatives to what being a girl can mean. This gives young girls the impression that this is the only way to live their life as a female. In result, woman have been deprived the chance equal chances in leading positions and high status' at work, and also do not have as much opportunity to participate competitively in sports.
We even see teenage girls on the internet who are internationally famous for being able to obtain such doll like features. A girl called 'KotaKoti' is known hugely over china, japan, and the US as the human Barbie.
Girls today desire these unrealistic qualities because they are so unattainable, and to be able to come as close to looking these ways is an objective now in their lives. Some females even feel the need to actually change their permanent appearance to be more doll like. This could be facial treatments such as nose jobs and lip implants, to bodily treatments such as breast implants, tummy tucks and liposuction.
The media have given Barbie this image way to sell the fantasy of being a perfect woman. The commercials and representation of women through Barbie by the media induce young girls into feeling they need to be like her and are inadequate otherwise. Because Barbie is so hugely known as such an icon for women, the inadequacy caused by not being like this fantasy woman that Barbie presents can lead to depression and mental health issues. Society also has learnt to accept the representations women now have as normal, and both females AND males set this standard for women now in reality.
The young girls who want to be a part of Barbie's fantasy are absorbed by making her perfection a reality. It leads and develops into a life-time of no being acceptance if they do not conform. This creates a perfect market for sellers and an easy audience for the media to target. It also leads into beauty products, clothing, accessories, perfume, and more.
"My Barbie doll is really real..." states the 1959 commercial. But Barbie is not real, she is a fantasy. She sets a standard for young girls to look up to, and therefore sets them up to a lifetime of disappointment.
1959 Barbie and 2012 Barbie>
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