By Mihaela C Schwartz
The most beloved and famous doll of the history, Barbie has enjoyed over a decade of uninterrupted success, but she has also had her share of controversies. Although she has embodied the symbol of beauty for many generations, most of the criticism takes on her physical features. Many psychological studies have been conducted over the years in order to emphasize the negative impact that Barbie has upon children's development.
The major concerns coming from researchers and parents refer to the unrealistic body image the doll transmits to young girls. Her too long feet would make it impossible to stand and walk for a real life women and her incredibly tiny waist was blamed for promoting anorexia. Cindy Jackson's case and the numerous plastic surgeries she has undergone in order to fulfill her dream of looking like Barbie is well-known and used as an argument in this kind of debates.
The manufacturing company has also been accused of stimulating girls to keep unhealthy diets when in 1963, the outfit "Barbie Baby-Sits" was launched and it came on the market accompanied by a book focusing on the losing weight topic and advising girls not to eat. More over, the doll that has already passed the age of 50 has never shown a wrinkle on her face - another factor in favor of cosmetic surgeries in order to eliminate aging signs.
Besides this, Barbie has been the subject of countless critics hinting at her lifestyle, at her relationship with Ken as well as at racial discrimination. Thus, when Mattel decided to issue a colored doll in order to respond to such critics, they were blamed for using head molds of the while version of the doll which did not have African American features. Since then, the manufacturers have struggled to solve these issues, launching on the market different series of Barbie friends in line with various beauty standards, to cater for international tastes.
However, no matter what crisis she had to overcome during her long history, Barbie was, has been and still is the most beloved doll in many countries and many generations of girls have enjoyed playing with her. Nowadays teenagers have the opportunity of keeping themselves updated with every detail of her life as well as that of her long list of friends, family members and neighbors as the internet comes with this great advantage and the manufacturing company knows very well how to make use of it.
Mihaela Schwartz is an versatile content writer with over 10 years of experience with all sorts of topics (medical, leisure, technology, education).
The most beloved and famous doll of the history, Barbie has enjoyed over a decade of uninterrupted success, but she has also had her share of controversies. Although she has embodied the symbol of beauty for many generations, most of the criticism takes on her physical features. Many psychological studies have been conducted over the years in order to emphasize the negative impact that Barbie has upon children's development.
The major concerns coming from researchers and parents refer to the unrealistic body image the doll transmits to young girls. Her too long feet would make it impossible to stand and walk for a real life women and her incredibly tiny waist was blamed for promoting anorexia. Cindy Jackson's case and the numerous plastic surgeries she has undergone in order to fulfill her dream of looking like Barbie is well-known and used as an argument in this kind of debates.
The manufacturing company has also been accused of stimulating girls to keep unhealthy diets when in 1963, the outfit "Barbie Baby-Sits" was launched and it came on the market accompanied by a book focusing on the losing weight topic and advising girls not to eat. More over, the doll that has already passed the age of 50 has never shown a wrinkle on her face - another factor in favor of cosmetic surgeries in order to eliminate aging signs.
Besides this, Barbie has been the subject of countless critics hinting at her lifestyle, at her relationship with Ken as well as at racial discrimination. Thus, when Mattel decided to issue a colored doll in order to respond to such critics, they were blamed for using head molds of the while version of the doll which did not have African American features. Since then, the manufacturers have struggled to solve these issues, launching on the market different series of Barbie friends in line with various beauty standards, to cater for international tastes.
However, no matter what crisis she had to overcome during her long history, Barbie was, has been and still is the most beloved doll in many countries and many generations of girls have enjoyed playing with her. Nowadays teenagers have the opportunity of keeping themselves updated with every detail of her life as well as that of her long list of friends, family members and neighbors as the internet comes with this great advantage and the manufacturing company knows very well how to make use of it.
Mihaela Schwartz is an versatile content writer with over 10 years of experience with all sorts of topics (medical, leisure, technology, education).
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