Imagine long blonde hair, perfect tan skin, a tall slender body with perfect measurements and outfits that only accentuate the perfect features. It might be hard, or impossible, to bring to mind a human being who could fit these characteristics. If I were to say, long blonde hair, perfect tan skin, a tall, slender body with perfect measurements and outfits that only accentuate her plastic body, what comes to mind now? Young children have received Barbie dolls as gifts for many years. Many times the buyer of these toys only pay attention that it is just a toy, something any young child would love to play with. Barbie, although, should not just be viewed as just a toy, but also poor influence on children’s body image. Many factors of Barbie affect how a young child can perceive body image. The Barbie’s body measurements and proportion, and overall appearance can all be factors in distorting young children’s self-image.
We live in a world where no two people are the same. People come in all shapes and sizes, whether that is weight related or height related, however, Barbie only comes in one size. With the body measurements of Barbie being 36-18-33, referring to bust, waist and hips, many children begin to think that this is in fact, the correct body image. The question is, why would we want to supply a young generation with a doll whom they are likely to idolize, but can never reach her appearance? Authors Dittmar, Halliwell and Ive’s research (2006) found that girls who were exposed to Barbie’s at a young age, were found to have lower self-esteem along with a desire to have a thinner body (p. 284).
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Effective communication is the most important part in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults. Having a positive relationship is the key to creating a happy and calm environment. I believe in treating everyone with respect and in terms of verbal communication, I speak to people in the way I would like to be spoken to (positive, gentle and honest). Children often ...
This research supports my position that the Barbie dolls promotes children to believe that these small measurements are necessary to have a good body image. It is important to teach children that there is not one specific body type that is the correct and that everyone will have different proportions, but that’s what makes us unique and beautiful.
The world is imperfect. Nothing nor no one has seen perfection or will ever reach perfection. It is important to realize that along with providing these unrealistic body measurements, bad body image is also fueled with Barbie’s appearance such as the perfect hair and complexion. Children notice the small things, as they are so attentive to the world around them because they are learning every second of the day.
The traditional Barbie doll has the typical long blonde hair and perfectly bronzed skin. By promoting this look most often in their dolls, this can lead children to believe that these attributes are what make a person attractive. Personally, growing up I had a box of around twenty Barbie dolls. My favorite thing to do with them was to brush their hair and put pretend makeup on their skin. Although at a young age I was less aware of what complexion was, I was familiar with my hair. I always loved that Barbie has the long flowing golden locks, which made me long for hair just like my favorite toy, believing that this is what was pretty. At a young age, I felt deficient in looks because I had exactly the opposite hair color that my favorite doll had. Is it possible that other girls, as I did, find themselves feeling not good enough because they cannot match the perfect beach blonde hair of Barbie?
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We must safeguard children and young people as they are unable to protect themselves alone and are far more vulnerable to things such as abuse and neglect than adults are. It is our duty of care to protect children and young people from physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse and neglect. We must be able to identify early on the signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect before the ...
Barbie dolls have been a popular toy for many young children. They offer a friendship and someone they can look up to, who seems to lead the ultimate life with slender body measurements and an overall perfect appearance. Although it has been a toy that many enjoy, it can also have negative affects on the young children who idolize the appearance of the Barbie doll. These unrealistic expectations of what a woman or young adult is supposed to look like leads the young toy owners to believe that this is what they need to look like.
My position is also mentioned by Thomas (2006) who points out that Barbie’s body has a large influence on what we perceive as the epitome of a perfect figure, even though her body does not resemble the female population in the slightest bit (p. 27).
In order to prevent bad self-image, I find it important that the suppliers of the dolls to the children offer reassurance that everyone is beautiful in their own way. This is possible with verbal reminders or by investing in the new Barbie dolls that provide different appearances such as brown hair, red hair, or even the new, more realistic curvy Barbie. While still letting children play with this beloved doll, and providing assurance that not one specific look defines a population, it is possible to avoid a cause of negative self-image that we commonly see today.
