"No Ken, I don't want to go to a movie later, 'cuz I need ta work out first."
"OK, I'll be by in the vroom-vroom Ferrari to pick you up later."
—Five year-olds playing with a Barbie doll
"Yes, dear, try to get home, soon. The baby's sick and we need to take care of him."
—Mrs. Heart talking to Mr. Heart
"Out of my way. I'm She-Ra, princess of power. You can't stop me."
—Six year old assuming the identity of her doll But what did these dolls really do good for children, well For over 30 years Barbie has represented the quintessential American Girl. She doesn't look good, she looks perfect. Her classic features and exquisitely coiffed hair are complemented by her perfect life-style: fashionable clothes, a shiny red Ferrari, a dream house, a desktop computer...and of course, a man (Ken), with whom to enjoy it. The toy is a marketing dream. The average little girl has three Barbies to facilitate pretend interactions. And the clothes, accessories and environmental props for parents to buy are endless. Psychologists claim there are social benefits to Barbie doll play; they say it provides an opportunity for little girls to learn how "big girls" behave and what they value. However, as researcher Brian Sutton-Smith observed, the Barbie doll image and the personas of most television characters correspond closely. Mrs. Heart doll, her doll family and their accessories support a traditional home environment and a mother whose first care is her family. "The Mrs. Heart doll is a mother who loves her children. That's what the Heart family is all about: the love and warmth and caring of a family relationship," comments Candace Irving, manager of marketing/public relations and Mattel spokesperson. Children playing with the Hearts not only practice motherhood and fatherhood; they also can imagine themselves the center of their mother's attention, which may appeal to some of the children whose mothers are part of the 68 percent of mothers of school age children who work outside the home. Yet another Mattel toy, She-Ra the Magnificent is a spin-off from the popular Masters of the Universe television program. It was visualized as an action figure for girls, and although it was manufactured for only three years, She-Ra was still available in some stores in early 1989. A doll-for-the-80s, She-Ra was designed to combine fashion and glamour with action and adventure. Following her introduction in 1985, the figure appealed to the female third of the Masters of the Universe audience. But little girls who played with each toy also grew up differently too. When Childern play with She-Ra theyWhile when they choose Barbie they
- Yell when confronted with conflict;
- Think independenly;
- Be out having an adventure;
- Hold back tears.
When they play with the Mrs. Heart dolls the are more likely too
- Talk it out when confronted with conflict;
- Consult with others, yet think for herself;
- Be out on a date;
- Shed tears.
So in all reality, are dolls that bad for future generations?
- Run away and cry if confronted with conflict;
- Ask advice before making a decision;
- Be at home with her family;
- Shed tears.
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I don't think that we can consider dolls a bad thing. Everything can be considered a psychological cause for young girls. If they wouldn't have the 'doll world' to live in, they would imagine another world, inspired by the same factors.
I don't remember the Mrs. Heart Doll, but I remember She-Ra!
As far as Barbie, I hated her while I was growing up, and every one used to buy them for me. I actually got into trouble because my mother found on in the freezer (hehe, after I discovered that putting one in the oven would cause her to twist all up, I wanted to know if putting her in the freezer would straighten her back up; I was like 7, what did I know?).
But since when should any toy be considered a role model? When I was a little girl, I was into G.I. Joe and Leggos, but I never considered them role models and didn't look up to them in any way as having an influence on my life (although I did cut open almost all of my G.I. Joes' arms to try to see why they didn't shoot lasers like on the cartoon). Ha! Maybe I just didn't like toys?
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"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean
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That's exactly what I thought when I even just read dthe title of this blog. Since when were my toys my role models? Toys were probably my tools for expressing my role models....or some such psychological nonsense...but as far as I know, role models are usually people. If our society is resorting to relying on toys to fill the place of role models, then we have a bigger problem than just what kind of doll kids play with.
I agree to an extent. Dolls are not really role models. They are toys, and toys are a tool for our children to express themselves creatively. I believe the children who play with Barbies and exhibit the behaviors associated with Barbie are not modeling Barbie, but rather what they are being shown in other areas of their lives. I, personally, did not like playing with Barbies, either. My youngest sister, on the other hand, did. Role playing with dolls was agonizing to me. Sometimes, I enjoyed trying different outfits on Barbie, but other than that, she held no interest for me. My favorite doll was actually a Dorothy Hamill doll. I loved figure skating, and Dorothy Hamill was the ultimate figure skater when I was around 7 years old. Another role model for me as a child was Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci (a TV biopic aired some time in the '80s), Flo Jo, and the women on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team. I looked up to the strong, confident, athletic women I saw on TV, and in magazines, not the unrealistic dolls that people thought were pretty.
defnetually a girl will choose a doll over a truck try it
I don't really think dools are bad. I mean, they've been around forever. Our parents all played with Barbie dolls. Did they really harm them? I don't believe so. It helps a child's imagination to grow.
I deffinatly agree with you.
I think people read too much into this stuff. Dolls are toys just like anything else.
I played with dolls. My fav was little Ms. Hysterectomy . She was free of the curse and never had to worry about child rearing interfering with her sex life, drinking, and travel. I think its helped me become more assertive with men.
Dolls are just toys to little girls, it helps promotes imagination. Same thing with action figures to little boys. Are little boys who play with action figures any more violent than little boys that don't? They all just run around and play fight and what not with each other regardless. Same with little girls and dolls, they're just playing with dates and playing with families. It's just what they do. I think kids not doing this stuff would be more psychologically effecting than kids playing with what they naturally play with.
I remember playing like 'mom' when I was little with my doll... it wasn' the doll that was the role-model at all... it was the person I was impersonating. Of course, I was more of a cabbage-patch kid than a Barbie-type.
I remember hearing about this when I took Psychology. I also just think toys are toys. When I was little I never thought of dolls being role models. In fact some of my make-believe games got pretty scandalous and were really either wish fulfillment (I was always the doll that got straight A's, was well-liked, joined a band, owned a private jet, had billions of dollars, etc.) or reacting to something I'd see in real life or on TV (bullies, extramarital affairs) but I never looked to any doll and wondered what they would do in a given situation.
I also would be really interested in seeing a link to these studies or something. Did they have the same girl play with all three dolls, or three separate girls play with one doll?