barbie dolls
She is tall, slim and beautiful. She has a smile that never ceases and a body that never ages. She has a wardrobe that every women dream of having. She comes in rectangular, bright pink boxes that are stacked to the ceiling at the toy section of any department store. She can be a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, a babysitter, but one thing she will always be is the companion of thousands of little girls. Her name is Barbie, a doll, unlike the traditional dolls, with the body figure of a woman. Barbie dolls became extremely popular since she made her first debut in 1959 (Lord 3), and since then, her popularity has only increased. To date, a girl in North America would own an average of seven Barbie dolls. Due to the popularity that Barbie has among young girls, it is not a surprise that Barbie dolls would have a serious psychological impact on children. This impact that Barbie dolls have on their fan offers the explanation why Barbie dolls are so problematic and that children should not be allowed to play with them. Barbie dolls, with their long, blond hair and big, blue eyes reflect the traditional image of a beautiful woman in western culture. Her body figure also alludes to the public's expectation of
Some people argue that if a girl does not possess a Barbie doll, she would be isolated from her friends since most of them own one. This isolation, as these people claims, makes a child asocial and lonely, which leads to psychological damages. However, giving a child a Barbie doll only reinforces the gender stereotype that already exists in the society, and reinforcement of stereotype is the cause of various problems in the society. Therefore, it is better to not give a girl Barbie doll at all since she represents gender stereotype. Some may also argue that giving a girl a Barbie doll is the best way to express parents' love for their child since Barbie doll is one of the most wanted toy by girls, but there are alternative ways of expressing their love. In fact, a simple hug or kiss shows parents' affection more than the affection shown by giving toys to their children. It is good that Barbie comes in different races and have different types of career now, but the physical feature of Barbie dolls are still too stereotypical (big eyes, small mouth, tall and thin). One way of stop bringing the stereotypical image is to make Barbie dolls according how human naturally looks like and have them reflect the image of a real woman (different shape and size). This action would make Barbie an ideal toy and a good teaching aid for children since she reflects now the real image of a woman instead
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 946
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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