The Barbie dolls is 55-years-old this year and under more scrutiny than ever. The doll has long been criticized for its unrealistic appearance and negative body image impact on the developing minds of young girls. One woman even went as far as to have massive amounts of plastic surgery to look like Barbie. Craaaaazy.
A team of researchers who are obviously determined on stomping out fun have loaded another bullet into the gun pointed at Barbie and released data accusing the doll of having a negative impact on the careers of young girls. (Because as we all know, most people have their careers figured out at age 8. Just look at all the princesses and astronauts hanging out in any bar.)
According to Fast Co, the study called “Boys Can Be Anything: Effect of Barbie Play on Girls’ Career Cognitions” by esearchers Aurora Sherman of Oregon State University and Eileen Zurbriggen of the University of California, Santa Cruz, focused on 37 girls between ages 4 and 7. The girls were give a play time of five minutes with one of three toys: a Doctor Barbie, a Fashion Barbie, or a Mrs. Potato Head doll. The girls were then shown photographs of various professions and asked how many they thought they could do and how many they thought boys could do.
The girls who played with the Potato Head doll thought they could do just as many jobs as boys, while the girls who played with Barbies saw themselves having fewer career options. (The researchers only gave the girls a choice of 10 careers.)
Hmm, does anybody remember Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head even having a job? And the girls were given themed Barbies with specific jobs in their title. Gee, how ever did the researchers get the results they were looking for?
“Perhaps Barbie can ‘Be Anything’ as the advertising for this doll suggests, but girls who play with her may not apply these possibilities to themselves,” Sherman says.
Can the doll be anything? Because it sounds like the researchers picked Barbies that already came with job titles. Maybe pick a doll that doesn’t already have an exact job title next time, Sherman. If you give a boy a G.I. Joe action figure on Tuesday he’s going to be interested in the military. Give him a race car the following week and all of a sudden he wants to be a stock car driver.
Back to the Barbie doll having a negative influence on the careers of young girls, let’s see hands of how many grown women out there drive a pink convertible and live in Malibu. Anybody, anybody at all?