 Barbie controversies and anorexia nervosa
Added: 12/22/2005 |
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Despite the great popularity of the doll all over the world for a lot of years there are some Barbie controversies. Psychologists say that the doll is able to arouse violence, hatred and rejection in small girls because they often mutilate their dolls in different ways. The controversies can arise on religious reasons. Moreover Barbie physical characteristics are a subject of disputes.
Very often Barbie is called the icon of the Western childhood. The doll is very popular, so its effect on the Western children attracts high scrutiny. The core of Barbie controversies lies in the belief that children take Barbie as a role model and try to emulate it.
In September 2003 the Middle Eastern country prohibited the sale of the doll in the country in order to escape the conformation to the ideals of Islam. The second reason why the doll was prohibited was the fact that the Saudi authorities defined Barbie as Jewish because of the Jewish origin of its creator.
The word "Barbie" is used in slang and means a person, traditionally a woman or a girl who is stupid.
"Colored Francis" was Barbie's first black friend. It appeared in 1967. Nevertheless the production of the toy was stopped because of racial conflicts. The first African-American Barbie appeared thirteen years later.
It is worthy of note that the main Barbie controversies are aroused because of Barbie physical characteristics. The criticism towards Barbie's hourglass figure and height is usually aroused by parents and by those who are ill with anorexia nervosa.
As a result of Barbie controversies a number of researches have been held on Barbie's proportions. The results of the research have told that the neck of the normal woman has to be elongated in order to achieve the proportions of the girl. It is not a secret that long necks are appreciated in a number of societies. For instance, the Burmese elongate their necks with the help of special neck rings. The rings break the collar bone thus giving the appearance of a long neck.
A large part of Barbie controversies concerns the doll's available accessories. They relate to clothes, make-up, hair, looking pretty and parties. So, the conclusion is that the doll stimulates the interest of young girls only in shallow trivia. The lifestyle offered by the doll's accessories is usually unobtainable for the girls playing with the toy.
In December 2005 the psychologists of Bath University in England held a research which has proved the fact that very often girls try to mutilate Barbie dolls in different ways including decapitation and putting the doll into the microwave oven. After several questions to small girls the doctors came to the conclusion that Barbie arouses violence, rejection and hatred. As for the older girls, they reject the dolls because the toys aroused unwelcome memories of their childhood.
Barbie have suffered a number of Barbie parodies and lawsuits. There were several cases when artists referred to Barbie or to the accompanying accessories as a parody of homage. For instance, in 1997 the pop-dance group Aqua released a song named "Barbie Girl". The producing company used it as a material for a trademark infringement. In September 1997 they also filed a defamation lawsuit. Nevertheless, the court dismissed it as a parody in 1998.
Another example is the use of Barbie and Ken's images in the advertisement of Nissan Company in September 1997.
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