In looking through the Barbie section at Toys R Us, we were quite disturbed by what we found. One of the most unsettling Barbies we discovered was the Barbie teacher, in the Barbie professions section. Not only is Barbie wearing heals to school, make-up, and a tight skirt, but what she is saying was the most disturbing. Her speech bubbles states, “I chalk it up to my Ph. D in fashion.” This quote sends out the message that women can only study superficial things, like fashion. It is confusing because a teacher could have a degree in many different subjects; however, Barbie can only have one in a girly area. This message is based off of a premise that women are not as smart as men and can’t have as respectable degrees. As well, it sends out a message that women must always look pretty and dolled up, even when teaching in a school. These messages lead us to wonder about the consumers buying these dolls. Do parents even think twice about what implications and influences these Barbies can have on their children? Do they want their children to fall into society’s gender expectations? Are fathers more likely to buy this for their kids than mothers? If we don’t want society to create such strong gender identities, we should monitor the messages toys send out to kids whose opinions are still developing.
-Shelby, Alexandra, and Nick
Ok. This one is so weird. What about the "1965" in the upper right hand corner of the box? Is this a barbie that was originally released in that year? Was this on sale, or part of a display showing barbie over time? If it was on sale, who would want to buy this? Do they think that little girls will get the joke that this is retro and ironic? Are they appealing to the retro-ironic parents of these children?
ReplyDelete-Erik
In observing the barbie above, I agree with the people who posted the ad.
ReplyDeleteMy group looked at a "classic" barbie, and although the barbie wasn't quite as disturbing as the one above, I began to question how screwed up our society is if women look up to icons such as Barbie. In the ad above, the message about "geting a PH.D in fashion" is giving off a shallow message, just as the "classic" barbie my group observed is giving off the message that all that matters is superficiallity--body size, dressing, makeup. I agree that we need to monitor the messages that the toys are sending.
-eva
Wow. Even if "retro-ironic parents" were able to see the retro-irony in this, I would be REALLY curious to see how they would communicate that retro-irony successfully to their kids. My basic knowledge of child psychology and cognitive development tells me that irony and sarcasm are lost on younger Barbie-playing-aged children...
ReplyDeleteI'm also wondering what it would be like to be Fashion PhD Barbie as a teacher, seeing as her waist is so small and breasts are so large that she might either have to (a) skip class to have back surgery, or (b) have to crawl on all fours to support her own weight as she was teaching her class. http://forums.skadi.net/showthread.php?t=8657
There's already so much to think about when you are teaching - I am thankful that I don't have to worry about upcoming back surgeries during class.
But all sarcasm aside, your keen observations and the messages and questions you uncovered from those observations really resonate with me and leave me really curious about why this particular Barbie is still on sale today.
-Steph
-Steph
Hey,
ReplyDeleteWhat does this Barbie say about males who teach in fashion? Do you think the "1965" has anything to do with the message that women only teach things like fashion? I also looked at the "students" in the background and they definitely are not fashion students. I also thought that it was interesting that she's a Barbie, she's not blonde, and she's a teacher. Does Barbie follow the "blondes aren't smart" joke that people make in our society?
Jenni