The Barbie Doll
The Barbie and other similar girls’ toys are turning them off the field of STEM. Little girls have been taught to use Barbie dolls containing mirrors and hairbrushes, cooking sets, and makeup utilities. Of the 8000 phrases that have been programmed for use in the speech of Barbie dolls, the word fashion appears 51 times, which is the highest number compared to all other words. Style is one of the doll’s favorite topics for conversation, and she interrupts conversations about school, often preferring to talk about fashion instead. In the Hello Barbie’s lexicon, the words style, shop, pizza, fairies, and jewelry are more frequent occurring than terms such as math and science (Brown). For the past six to seven decades of Barbie dolls existence, the doll has revolutionized sexist gender ideals, and how they are marketed to women at a young age – “high heeled, hyper-sexualized stereotypes, coated in cotton candy pink and glitter ” (Brown). This has reinforced the deeply sexist notion that being a woman, requires particular interests in fashion and appearance. Many women have been consistently removed from the fields of STEM because they seem ‘unattractive’ and lack ‘style’ as portrayed by the Barbie doll. Many young girls that enjoy playing with Barbie dolls imagine themselves in lesser career professions than their male counterparts. Clearly, the Barbie doll is not the ideal toy for women with careers in the field of computer science, engineering, astronomy, and teaching. Brown says that if a child likes playing with the Barbie doll, don’t take it away from her, but remember to add variety to her options for playing so that fashion dolls don’t always become the primary option. The company responsible for producing Barbie dolls should also manufacture a modern and smart version of her which appeals more women to join the STEM field and achieve what men can or better in these area.
Work Cited
Brown, Kristen V. "Hello Barbie Isn't Just Creepy. She Is Also Pretty Sexist.". Fusion. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
