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Not Just Child’s Play: A Study of Barbie’s Effect on Self-Image

Not Just Child’s Play: A Study of Barbie’s Effect on Self-Image

Watch the clock for one minute. During that small interval of time, 150 Barbie dolls were sold. Over a billion dolls have been sold since the product was launched in 1956 (Goldstein 1). For a toy which grosses 1.9 million dollars in sales every year, one can see the enormous impact the Barbie craze has had all over the world (Goldstein 1). Not only has this craze made the doll become a childhood icon, but it has also aided in the diminishing self-image of girls worldwide. The doll may seem like a small, harmless toy just like any other plaything a child would enjoy, but studies have proven otherwise. The Barbie doll is notorious for her 42-18-33 inch, out of proportion body shape (Weiss 27). She flaunts herself in revealing, skin-tight clothing for all the young girls to mimic. In fact, the Barbie has branded the image of the perfect body into young girls’ minds, prematurely causing damage to their self-es...

Posted by: Shelia Olander

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