The flawed, yet idolized Non-traditional Barbie

When thinking about the role “Barbie” plays in our society, what usually comes to mind is a perfect woman, with a perfect life, that is idolized by many. The non-traditional Barbie I chose truly defines the role popular culture plays in our society. The Amy Winehouse doll, extremely flawed, tragic life and death, however idolized by many. The interesting question is, how could someone so imperfect uphold the same value as original Barbie?  It’s as her tragic life story was viewed as beautiful misfortune. Meaning, although she struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as depression and bipolar disorder. The thing that radiated through it all was her soul of a voice. In fact, her producer, Salaam Remi stated “she released more albums in her death than she did in life.” To this day she is still remembered by the tragically beautiful soul music that can only be described as iconic. The message Amy displayed in her life and music was that she knew she was flawed, and she was okay with it. She could openly express her faults without facing social destruction. 

In her song “Rehab” she sings,

“they try to make me go to rehab

I said, no, no, no.” 

She then follows with these lyrics later on;

“The man said, ‘why do you think you here?’

I said, I got no idea. I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose my baby

So I always keep a bottle near

He said, I just think you're depressed. This, me, yeah, baby, and the rest.”

You have Amy Winehouse Barbie and original Barbie, one flawed and one unflawed; however, both idolized by society. The Amy Winehouse Barbie is able to display that no matter what you look like, what you do, or what you act like, a beautiful soul will never go unrecognized. And to do this day Amy Winehouse and her soul continue to live on.

Non-traditional Barbie

Mattel created Barbie because all they had were baby dolls which forced children to act like a parent or dolls that were like a friend. There were no adult dolls that children could play with. Although this pregnant doll is not a "traditional" Barbie this shows a big part of being an adult. This pregnant Barbie is almost more normal than the blonde haired, blue eyed Barbie with unlimited amounts of clothes, shoes, and accessories. Barbie is portrayed in many different ways that are not realistic, but the "non-traditional" Barbies are more realistic than the traditional Barbie.

Non-traditional Barbie: Curvy Barbie

Last year, Mattel introduced "curvy Barbie". Curvy Barbie was introduced to showcase a diverse line of the popular dolls. Within this updated reintroduction they also introduced tall and petite Barbie dolls to help differentiate their product.

Curvy Barbie is seen as a non-traditional Barbie because Barbie was originally modeled very skinny (in a way that most human figures cannot become). Curvy Barbie is an important Barbie to have in their line of dolls because negative views on body image can be damaging to anyone playing with these dolls. Curvy Barbie showcases Barbie as the important figure she is in a more realistic manner. Nobody has the same body type and Curvy Barbie exemplifies that by being as important as any other Barbie but is unique in her own way.

Curvy Barbie has wider hips and a slight larger form factor than the original Barbie. Even though she is slightly larger than the original Barbie, she still doesn't look entirely different than the original Barbie. Differentiating Barbie by size is important though. Showcasing to a younger demographic, having Barbie's in different sizes can allow for the kids playing with these Barbie dolls to feel comfortable in their own skin no matter what size.

Barbie Perfidy

Barbie Perfidy

This particular issue derives not from Barbie herself rather it stems from her choice in reading material. In 1965, Mattel created Slumber Party Barbie equipped with a scale that always reads 110 pounds and a guide to losing weight. The title is How To Lose Weight with a tip on the back that says, “Don't Eat!” Perhaps Mattel was playing a joke, but with issues of weight and self-esteem, especially from young women, this message wasn't an appropriate one.
 

The children that play with Barbie or have seen the doll have now been exposed to Barbie's image. A supposed societal expectation for women to look like a plastic figurine. Of course, promoting unhealthy habits, especially from national icons, has its repercussions; a year later Mattel removed the scale, but kept the “diet” book. The take away point is this: To relay a message that losing weight is as simple as not eating is irresponsible and it calls into question what this toy company's true intentions were.

1. Lacey, Martha De. "'Don't Eat!': Controversial 1965 Slumber Party Barbie Came with Scales Permanently Set to Just 110lbs and a Diet Book Telling Her Not to Eat." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Jan. 2017. 

Nontraditional Barbie

 

Within the last 5 to 10 years there have been more barbies that try to accurately show the reality of what the female standard is. The picture above shows a wider hipped more truthful model of an average female. She also has blue hair which in my opinion shows the the ability for girls to express themselves. Her skirt is also longer and portrays the motherly role in my opinion. 

Nontraditional Barbie

This a non traditional barbie because its not the same as all the others. Instead of wearing what supposed to be "normal" she is wearing her horse riding outfit which wouldn't be a common outfit to wear around. It shows that even though there is a stereotype for barbies its okay to step out of those norms and be yourself without feeling some type of judgement. Even though is barbie is still the "skinny, blonde hair, blue eyed barbie" it still steps away from what is considered normal.

Computer Engineer Barbie

Computer Engineer Barbie

While this Barbie does have the same physical characteristics of the traditional barbie, this Barbie is non traditional because she is dressed and equipped to be an engineer. Throughout the history of the profession and even today, the vast majority of engineers have been men, and this Barbie aims to break that mold. Although her outfit is flashy, her clothes make her appear to be a professional by wearing a blazer, and most importantly, pants. Decades ago in the workforce, women have been viewed in a professional setting as being a secretary, wearing skirts. This barbie's appearance demonstrates that women have the mental and social ability that they can be more than secretaries, and can do intellectual work. The modesty of the clothing also shows that in a professional setting, that women do not need to try to display physical features to work. With Barbie holding a laptop, a cell phone and wearing, it demonstrates how women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) can have a lifestyle centered around modern technology, contrary to the notion that women cannot integrate technology in their lives. The study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is not a boys club, and computer engineer Barbie is here to show America's youth that it is for women too. 

Non-Traditional Barbie

Muslim Barbie is a non-traditional Barbie because she represents the Muslim religion and gives young girls that also wear hijabs a doll to buy that wears similar clothing that they wear. It is very different from the normal Barbie because we rarely see Barbie completely covered up and not wearing bright colored outfits. This Barbie argues that there is not one type of woman and that Barbie needs to represent the many different types of women and cultures among society. It is also a way for Muslim people to express their religion and some of its misconceptions through this doll. For example, many people believe that Muslim women are "oppressed" when they wear hijabs but usually it is the way they express their religion. Barbie wearing a hijab shows the fact that she is wearing it by choice which is an important thing to know about Muslims' lifestyles. 

Non-Traditional Barbie: I Can Be President Barbie

The "I Can Be... President Barbie" is not your traditional Barbie. This Barbie does much to challenge the traditional stereotypes that Barbie is known to perpetuate. First, this Barbie shows that women can accomplish more in their professional lives than just being a mother, babysitter, or flight attendant--this Barbie advances the idea that women can be successful politicians, and are even capable of being elected President. The packaging claims that this Barbie "Stands on her own! Literally" which shows that Mattel is attempting to push the message that women are capable of accomplishing greatness, independently of men. The back of the box encourages girls to dream big, and be informed, confident, and involved. This is a departure from the messaging that has come along with traditional Barbies--"eat less," "Math class is hard!" This packaging is empowering to women--telling them that they are absolutely capable of making great contributions to our society. Furthermore, this Barbie seems to be less sexualized than other traditional Barbies--her skirt is a longer length, and her top is not low cut, perhaps advancing the message that women do not need to be "sexy" to be successful in the work-world.  Finally, this Barbie appears to be African-American, demonstrating to young girls that women of any race are capable of success--success, and the position of President, should not be limited to just one gender or race--showing young girls that they can truly be anything. 

Realistic Barbie

There are many reasons that the newest line of Barbies are considered non-traditional.  They don't all have the same figure, skin color, hair color, or facial features.  Mattel describes this new Barbie as the most realistic the doll has ever been, due to the many changes that they made.  Since the doll now comes in all shapes and sizes, I think that it creates a positive image for girls who play with the doll. They see it's okay to be curvy or have a different hair color or style.  Even though this toy is intended for children, it really has the power to change the way that women, and young girls in particular, see beauty.  Although this is great for the audience and consumers, it may hurt the business of Mattel since Barbie's clothes aren't one size fits all anymore.  Overall, I think if you are looking at this from a popular culture perspective and not a business perspective, this new line of Barbie is a positive

Non traditional barbie

When thinking about Barbie’s, many people think about the most stereotypical figure, a Caucasian blonde hair blue eye girl. As this is the way many people describe Barbie’s, it is not quintessential because of how unrealistic it is. In the picture, the Barbie is more ideal to the majority. The first difference is the clothing she wears. This type of clothing is more casual than a regular Barbie. Another difference is the accessories this Barbie has. She has a snowboard in her hand, indicating she likes to snowboard. This breaks the stereotype of girls not being sporty. The last difference is the scrape on her hand. This indicates that she is not perfect. The regular Barbie is known for being a perfectionist, but this Barbie relates more to the majority.  

Non-Traditional Barbie-"Normal Barbie"

I chose this Barbie doll because she isn't exactly what you picture when you think of a traditional Barbie doll. Unfortunately in our society most people perceive a traditional or normal Barbie doll as being a skinny blonde woman with blue eyes. These stereotypes of a  "perfect woman" are not just seen on a dolls, they are also heavily seen in the real world. A tall, skinny, blonde girl is perceived to be the "ideal" vision of beauty in our society. This doll goes against those unrealistic standards, and proves to our society that a curvy woman can be just as pretty as a skinny woman. The Barbie is an action figure of the real life plus size model Ashley Grahm, who is making history as a plus size model. Ashley Grahm is just as good or even better as some "regular size" models and she proves day in and day out that size truly doesn't matter. I think it is important that they start making more dolls like this because these unrealistic ideals of beauty are damaging the younger generation.

Non-Traditional Barbie: Black Canary Barbie

The non-traditional Barbie that I chose to examine is the "Black Canary Barbie". I discovered the doll on TrendHunter.com, which can be found by clicking this link:

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/badass-superhero-barbies-black-canary-barbie

The idea of having a super hero Barbie doll seems initially to be a good and genuine effort by the manufacturer, Mattel, to create a doll that helps foster a positive self-image for the young girls playing with the toy. However, my initial positivity was diluted upon seeing the physical product that the genius minds at Mattel created. In my opinion Barbie is a toy that is notorious for enforcing gender roles. The doll has also historically been designed with unrealistic physical dimensions which is not a good thing for the developing minds that interact with these toys.

Probably the most significant problem I have with the doll is the choice of outfit. The good folks at TrendHunter.com state that the Black Canary Barbie doll was designed after the character "Black Canary" of DC Comics. Although this DC character is highly sexualized (I discovered after some research), there are many depictions of Black Canary where she is not so scantily clad. Taking the historical fabulousness of the Barbie brand, I can understand why they would choose this character: but why not choose a less promiscuous outfit for the doll.

For those of you who chose not to follow the link and read the article describing the abilities of the Black Canary Barbie Doll, I will give you a brief glimpse into the abilities and qualities of the character. She is most noted for her ability, "Canary Cry" which is a high-powered scream that can incapacitate villains and also shatter glass. I don't know about you but I feel like a woman superhero that is most known for her ability to yell really loudly was the Barbie brand continuing to be 'old fashioned'.

Non-traditional Barbie - "Normal Barbie"

                      I chose to represent  “Normal Barbie”. This Barbie was created with the dimensions of the average American woman. She also has tattoos, pimples and stretch marks, which are very common features on an American woman. This marks a change because for so long Barbie and other dolls have often represented an unrealistic and impossible to obtain standard of beauty. If most Barbie’s were actual humans they would be unable to stand or function because their proportions are make it impossible to do so. By making Barbie a more realistic size and giving her “flaws” such as acne, it represents a change in how woman and especially young girls perceive beauty and what it means to be beautiful. It gives them more of sense that no one is perfect and no one has to look one specific way to be beautiful. It is an important realization, that children’s toys have an effect on children’s self esteem and the way we represent reality to children can affect them later in life.

Intro to American Pop Culture Blogging!

Hi Everyone!: Welcome to our course blog!! I hope you enjoy the experience of blogging, as much as I know I will enjoy the experience of reading your ideas:-)

You will find the day’s blog question and due date on the course calendar. It is your responsibility to join and learn blogger.com, although I will give a brief tutorial in class. Make sure when you join you use a recognizable name so I may record your assignment in my gradebook. To receive credit for this assignment, you will proofread, spell check, and write thoughtful blog entries of 5 complete sentences and an accompanying graphic, video, or multimedia example where prompted. Blogs are due on these dates: 1/24 (upload an image of a non- traditional Barbie example and explain); 2/9 (upload and deconstruct a song of your choice); 2/23 (analyze any comic strip panel); 3/9 (isolate shared cultural values of an ESPY speech of your choice); 4/20 (Upload a film clip and deconstruct the aesthetic dimensions). Note: Details about the blog topics are found in your syllabus under the course calendar section.