The Barbie doll has been the center of controversy for some time, with many claiming that the doll pushes unrealistic body images onto young girls and later leads to low self-esteem.
Mattel, the company that makes the toy, has been working hard on changing the negative opinion of Barbie by releasing a doll modeled after actress Zendaya Coleman and releasing its new rebranded commercial. While these are both great steps towards giving Barbie a more positive and less superficial appeal, it still misses the mark on creating a more realistic beauty standards for young girls.
The commercial opens with the phrase “What happens when girls are free to imagine they can be anything?” and features adorable little girls lecturing a college class, talking about work on their phones at an airport, diagnosing pets in a veterinary office, whipping a soccer team into shape and leading a tour in a museum. It ends showing one of the little girls playing with her dolls and pretending to be a teacher and the words “When a girl plays with a Barbie, she imagines everything she can become,” appear on the screen.
After the commercial was released, multiple news outlets sang the praises of the new commercial stating that Barbie is becoming a better role model. This new ad campaign is branding the Barbie as an inspiration for young girls to be free to imagine she can be or do anything.
However, this message was carefully crafted for parents, not the children who will be actually playing with the dolls. If this message doesn’t reach the young girls, nothing has really changed about the doll or its unrealistic plastic waist. The only thing that changed was clever advertising.
So proud of @Mattel for taking a step in the right direction with their new Barbie commercial. it brought a single tear to my eye :')
— Brita The Virgo (@bee_romans) October 29, 2015
Mattel created a Barbie doll modeled after Coleman's 2015 Oscar red carpet after she fired back at a fashion police host Giuliana Rancic for making negative comments on her hair at the event. The doll came complete with a flowing, white gown and long, dark dreadlocks, breaking the chain of the blonde, blue-eyed dolls Mattel was famous for.
These are both very big steps towards Barbie becoming a better role model for young girls. Sadly, Barbie still has her tiny plastic waist and super skinny build, and no amount of good PR is going to change that. We seem to forget that this is the same Barbie that has unhealthy body proportions and causes negative body image in young girls.
If Mattel wants to make a real change, then it move towards creating a doll that proves that average, everyday women are beautiful and should inspire girls that no matter what size, shape or race they are; they can accomplish anything.
Related Links:
Zendaya’s Barbie doll heralds more diversity in girl’s toys
ASU professor expands gender standards
Reach the columnist at larober3@asu.edu or follow @lindsayaroberts on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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