Barbie's had a make over!

What do you think of Barbie's make over? 

As a young child I had a few Barbie dolls, and lots of accessories! Did it have an impact on me at that time? Yes. I thought to be beautiful it meant you had to be white and have an unrealistic figure. Of course at the age of 5 you do not realise it is unrealistic. Luckily for me, I had lots of male cousins and also played with cars and action figures.

I will not blame Mattel (makers of Barbie) for girls growing up thinking they need to look a certain way. In my previous post I spoke about Jean Kilbourne's research on female representation in advertising, which she identifies has an impact on both men and women. Indeed, all media does. 

So whose fault is it that society ends up having unrealistic expectations of both men and women? We are all to blame. We create it and we consume it. Until we start questioning what is presented to us, nothing will change. 

Is it a progressive step that there is a new range of Barbie dolls? Somewhat. They come in different shapes, sizes and colours. Great. But they all still embody an ideal of what beauty is. 

One of the girls in this video said when she grows up she wants to become a teacher if she has time. Kid, you will have no time.