What Did Barbie Ever Do to You?
Growing up there was two distinctive toys a boy would have;
Transformers or G.I. Joe’s. Some may want to add in Lego’s or Star Wars, but
these two were my staple with G.I Joe being my toy of choice. I would scrape
every penny and would cry, if needed, to get my hands on an action figure. Ten
figures turned to fifty and fifty soon turned to 120. I would live vicariously
through these guys. They had the coolest military outfits and the latest and
greatest weapons. I would plan elaborate battles, buildings, bunkers and hand
sown sand bags (no judging please). I would strategically place every soldier
and its foe some where in the room. All poised for battle. I spent a many hours
screaming, Goooo Joe (fist pump)! Not really, but you get the picture. To this
day as a 37 year old father of two, one a ten year old boy, everything about me
is a covert operation type play. Man hunt, paintball, air-soft, working out,
etc. you could say, my toys reinforced a personality trait or help create one.
The jury is still out.
Growing up I also remembered that my sister loved her Cabbage Patch dolls and her Barbie’s. Barbie cars, houses, kitchens, tea sets, personal clothing were all part of the collection. Barbie was the girl everyone wanted to be. There was classy Barbie, college Barbie, sing along Barbie, shop a lot Barbie, Runway Barbie, Barbie and her Corvette, mansion Barbie and of course Ken, with his built in molded tidy whities. Barbie never had a bad day. Unless your daughter inadvertently cut her hair or decided that her head was a good place for chewing gum. Regardless, Barbie has become an American pop culture icon. It has branded the ideal image of looks and lifestyle. Now I know what you’re thinking, here we go with some fanatical rant about the poisons served by an innocent doll. Ranting about Barbie or advocating a militantly anti-Barbie campaign is not the point. Many girls play with Barbie’s growing up, and doing so isn’t going to destroy their adult lives. But subtle ideas have consequences. As silly as it may seem, Barbie is just one example of the many things that can influence a girl’s identity and self-image.
“Barbie is small and so petite. Her clothes and figure look so neat…. Some day I’m going to be exactly like you. Until then I know just what I’ll do. I’ll make believe I’m you.”
Six years later, courtesy of the 1965-era Barbie, comes an outlandish idea to help keep the pounds off: starvation. We've always known Mattel's iconic Barbie doll may not be the most healthful source for advice on keeping a trim figure, but the "Slumber Party Barbie," produced in the mid-1960s, really takes the cake. Among the doll's accessories, a diet book titled "How To Lose Weight”. The diet book's only advice? "DON'T EAT!"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/slumber-party-barbie-diet-book_n_2245556.html
Here in lies the dilemma. In a culture of photoshopped celebrity pictures and disturbing runway model trends, media preaches that you are not attractive nor looked upon by your peers or noticed by the boys unless you meet strict “Barbie” type criteria’s. We have set unrealistic physical goals that can only be obtained in a digital world or under the knife of a plastic surgeon. If we were to translate Barbie’s 11.5 inch body into a full-size “real human” frame at her original proportions, she would be 5’9” and have measurements of approximately 36 inches (bust), 18 inches (waist), and 33 inches (hips). We eventually admit that Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny are not real, but we never tell our daughters that Barbie is just a toy.
Ironically, just at a time when vast numbers of children in Western nations are becoming overweight, many other children are becoming so obsessed with their body image that they go on diets. Recent surveys indicated that four out of five ten-year-old American girls have been on a diet; and children as young as six are dieting. Many seven-year-old girls are refusing to eat birthday cake because it contains too many calories. (http://voices.yahoo.com/80-ten-year-old-american-girls-diet-2636306.html).
Here are excerpts from www.raisinggodlychildren.org that sums up our thoughts.
This issue of identity is a significant part of the distorted self-image our culture bestows to girls. Marketing campaigns preach a cruel, harmful message of image and identity to young girls. However, as loud and dominant as these voices may seem, we as parents can have the final say. We possess the opportunity and the privilege to demonstrate our love and dedication to the daughters God has placed in our lives.
Here are 10 great points for parents:
1. Dads, don’t underestimate your influence on your daughters. Tell them they are beautiful before the culture convinces them otherwise.
2. Moms, be aware of any distorted body image struggles, because your daughter learns lots about how to think about her body from you
3. Protect them as much as possible from exposure to content that is harmful.
4. Learn about the media and pop-culture in your child’s life.
5. Get beyond the “Just Say No” approach to culture.
6. Make age-appropriate conversations an essential part of your relationship with your child.
7. Encourage children to use art, play, and writing to process the images and other media messages they see.
8. Counter the narrow stereotype of both boys and girls that are prevalent in media and commercial culture.
9. Help them learn how to interpret and engage what they see and read in culture.
10. Love them unconditionally.
Monitoring what comes into our homes and what influences our daughters is the main point and one that deserves the attention of any parent with a daughter. Children desire acceptance and reinforcement from their parents. It is crucial that our daughter’s self-esteem and self-worth is properly developed and nurtured at home. That a humble confidence is instilled in our daughters that speaks louder than the latest apparel or diet trend and ensures them that they were “fearful and wonderfully made”(Psalm 139:14) and that God made man, but He ” fashioned woman (Genesis 2:24 NASB).
What are your thoughts on the pop culture female self-image trends? Please comment and let us now your thoughts?
Growing up I also remembered that my sister loved her Cabbage Patch dolls and her Barbie’s. Barbie cars, houses, kitchens, tea sets, personal clothing were all part of the collection. Barbie was the girl everyone wanted to be. There was classy Barbie, college Barbie, sing along Barbie, shop a lot Barbie, Runway Barbie, Barbie and her Corvette, mansion Barbie and of course Ken, with his built in molded tidy whities. Barbie never had a bad day. Unless your daughter inadvertently cut her hair or decided that her head was a good place for chewing gum. Regardless, Barbie has become an American pop culture icon. It has branded the ideal image of looks and lifestyle. Now I know what you’re thinking, here we go with some fanatical rant about the poisons served by an innocent doll. Ranting about Barbie or advocating a militantly anti-Barbie campaign is not the point. Many girls play with Barbie’s growing up, and doing so isn’t going to destroy their adult lives. But subtle ideas have consequences. As silly as it may seem, Barbie is just one example of the many things that can influence a girl’s identity and self-image.
“Barbie is small and so petite. Her clothes and figure look so neat…. Some day I’m going to be exactly like you. Until then I know just what I’ll do. I’ll make believe I’m you.”
Six years later, courtesy of the 1965-era Barbie, comes an outlandish idea to help keep the pounds off: starvation. We've always known Mattel's iconic Barbie doll may not be the most healthful source for advice on keeping a trim figure, but the "Slumber Party Barbie," produced in the mid-1960s, really takes the cake. Among the doll's accessories, a diet book titled "How To Lose Weight”. The diet book's only advice? "DON'T EAT!"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/slumber-party-barbie-diet-book_n_2245556.html
Here in lies the dilemma. In a culture of photoshopped celebrity pictures and disturbing runway model trends, media preaches that you are not attractive nor looked upon by your peers or noticed by the boys unless you meet strict “Barbie” type criteria’s. We have set unrealistic physical goals that can only be obtained in a digital world or under the knife of a plastic surgeon. If we were to translate Barbie’s 11.5 inch body into a full-size “real human” frame at her original proportions, she would be 5’9” and have measurements of approximately 36 inches (bust), 18 inches (waist), and 33 inches (hips). We eventually admit that Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny are not real, but we never tell our daughters that Barbie is just a toy.
Ironically, just at a time when vast numbers of children in Western nations are becoming overweight, many other children are becoming so obsessed with their body image that they go on diets. Recent surveys indicated that four out of five ten-year-old American girls have been on a diet; and children as young as six are dieting. Many seven-year-old girls are refusing to eat birthday cake because it contains too many calories. (http://voices.yahoo.com/80-ten-year-old-american-girls-diet-2636306.html).
Here are excerpts from www.raisinggodlychildren.org that sums up our thoughts.
This issue of identity is a significant part of the distorted self-image our culture bestows to girls. Marketing campaigns preach a cruel, harmful message of image and identity to young girls. However, as loud and dominant as these voices may seem, we as parents can have the final say. We possess the opportunity and the privilege to demonstrate our love and dedication to the daughters God has placed in our lives.
Here are 10 great points for parents:
1. Dads, don’t underestimate your influence on your daughters. Tell them they are beautiful before the culture convinces them otherwise.
2. Moms, be aware of any distorted body image struggles, because your daughter learns lots about how to think about her body from you
3. Protect them as much as possible from exposure to content that is harmful.
4. Learn about the media and pop-culture in your child’s life.
5. Get beyond the “Just Say No” approach to culture.
6. Make age-appropriate conversations an essential part of your relationship with your child.
7. Encourage children to use art, play, and writing to process the images and other media messages they see.
8. Counter the narrow stereotype of both boys and girls that are prevalent in media and commercial culture.
9. Help them learn how to interpret and engage what they see and read in culture.
10. Love them unconditionally.
Monitoring what comes into our homes and what influences our daughters is the main point and one that deserves the attention of any parent with a daughter. Children desire acceptance and reinforcement from their parents. It is crucial that our daughter’s self-esteem and self-worth is properly developed and nurtured at home. That a humble confidence is instilled in our daughters that speaks louder than the latest apparel or diet trend and ensures them that they were “fearful and wonderfully made”(Psalm 139:14) and that God made man, but He ” fashioned woman (Genesis 2:24 NASB).
What are your thoughts on the pop culture female self-image trends? Please comment and let us now your thoughts?
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