The Barbie Doll and Female Beauty Standards - Essay Sample

Introduction

Socialization entails the internalization of norms and different ideologies of the society and its environs. Since socialization involves teaching learning and interaction with one's environment in the society, the relationship between socialization and doll 1 involves a beneficial interaction relationship. This can be seen from the picture itself when the doll is surrounded by markups such as headband and hair bands that bring out the beauty in her. There seem to exist a positive relationship between the doll and its environment since beauty complexion is what defines many women and girls in the society today (Orenstein, 2016).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Toys act as reference groups for gender by helping children to realize their gender identity at an earlier stage of life. Often, toys are regarded as mere playing things that are mainly created for children amusement and fun, but this is not always the case. Toys or dolls play an integral part in the society since they reflect gender ideologies, responsibilities and status which are enacted in children's adult life. Moreover, toys also reveal to the young generation why societal activities and norms are the way they are. Charles Horton asserts that "a child learns why societal program are what they are." He further reveals that for one to have a great identity in the society, both boys and girls must be brave enough and restrict themselves to societal norms and responsibilities (Cooley, 1983).

For instance, in the case of girls, Charles Horton explains that, after long interaction of female fashion. Girls will start emulating manner that attracts attention. He further reveals that, at the age of six months a girl having interacted with dolls will attempt to attract attention and manner. This is because she wants to exert social power in the society. She will start by tugging her mother's skirts. These actions always give young girls appearance of what is called affection and to be intrigued in the adulthood life. In summary, dolls act as reference groups for gender identity and responsibilities in the society.

Additionally, in the modern world, toys are gendered than they were in the last five decades. Girl's responsibilities involved homemaking chore while boys focused on industrial works in the economy (Peggy, 2006). However, this has changed, and gendered toys have returned in vengeance bringing in action heroes and princess available in the modern days.

Squishy, soft and obviously new, clutched firmly with long flair hair, pink floral dress trimmed with purple lace. The doll is actually intended for a young female generation. The doll intends to nature the young female generation in the society about how they should actually dress. The manner of children clothing was gendered ever since and before the onset of the First World War, babies wore a loose-fitting dress and long hair, and pink color was viewed as a masculine color and blue a feminine one. However, during the feminist movement, clothes became more gender neutral which entailed girls putting on similar clothing the same to boys but not the other way round (Cain, 2015).

The toy is meant to show how young female generation should cloth in the society since it is the most acceptable and reputable ways of long time clothing (Orenstein, 2006). This should start at an early stage for the girls so that any future dressing still should not be witnessed since it may be contrary to the social norms and culture. The lady at the long drugs tells the princes "I bet I know your favorite color" and she goes ahead to choose a pink balloon for the princess instead of letting her choose on her own. This is evident in doll one how the pink color is viewed in the society as women's favorite. In the modern world, today mothers tend to nature their daughters by putting for them pink headbands on their head. I can play with the doll in many ways. First, I would be my dolls mommy. This will be great fun to me and to the doll since besides being fun to me; I will be preparing me for a bigger role in the future of parenthood. Secondly, I will make sure my doll put on a variety of cloths that upholds girl's dignity in the society so that she can look much pretty and descent (Goffman, 1959) Lastly I will adventure will my doll in the real world and assume she is a living creature and play with it wherever I travel or go.

The theme that revolves around the doll is the theme of beauty. The doll symbolizes societal interpretation of beauty and decency. The doll is sending a clear message that society should put on in a decent way, specifically the female gender. This will eventually bring the beauty of them. The society is actually not obsessed with appearance but how an individual puts on is what brings the beauty in her (Goffman, 1959). The idea of beauty and how a woman should dress are clearly emulated in the doll. There exists an assumption that the subject's sexuality triggered by gender ideologies during childhood that girls should put on loose clothes and have long hair. My doll act and uphold this sexual ideology by putting on such clothing's and having long hair that is neatly combed (Goffman, 1959). The doll celebrates societal behavior of upholding descent dressing, and this can help young children to have positive behaviors in future in the society. No child ever wishes to become an outcast in the society hence it is every Childs dream to follow and uphold the existing positive norms of the society so as to become an acceptable and an upright society member.

Having long hair shows how young upcoming generation should emulate and having loose-fitting dress shows how female genders in the society should not put male like clothing's but instead uphold their dressing style and code that defines them in the society (Goffman, 1959). Given an opportunity to design a Barbie it could be a figure of a perfect woman having such qualities as tall flawless and skinny. This is because this look or appearance is obviously unachievable and it requires one to be creative enough to come up with. This would bring out women social status and roles in the society.

References

Charles Horton Cooley (1983), looking- Glass self. Part III producing social selves

Claire Cain Boys and Girls, Constrained by Toys and Costumes 2015. New York Times https://nyti.ms/1KKqARp Erving Goffman 1959. The presentation of self in Everyday Life. Doubleday Anchor Books, Doubleday & Company, INC, Carden City, New York

Peggy Orenstein 2006. What's wrong with Cinderella? http:// www.nytimes.com/206/12/24princess.t.htm.com . New York Times reprints

Shirley R. Steinberg. The bitch who has everything