...In A Barbie World! A culture that is saturated by consumerism can be referred to as a consumer culture. Barbie can be used as a tool for consumer culture because she is perceived to be the perfect woman, an unattainable achievement. Barbie has the perfect man, Ken; she has her dream house, and car, and even a dream closet. There are life size Barbies bouncing around in T.V. and print media ads that personify this image. Barbie produces a systematic reproduction of consistency; she doesn't evolve but rather promotes change around her. Barbie’s face or body structure hasn’t significantly changed since her creation. The different nationalities that Barbie is produced in are careful not to lend themselves to stereotypes too heavily. Most importantly, the concept of Barbie hasn’t changed throughout the years. Ultimately, she is still a toy. Barbie promotes change by attaching herself to current trends and issues, such as Presidential Barbie, Olympic Barbie, and Sponge Bob Barbie. By presenting current trends in Barbie form, Mattel successfully promotes these trends to parents and children. The perception of perfection that surrounds Barbie is unattainable; however, consumers consistently find satisfaction or happiness in reaching for these goals. We have a car that works perfectly fine, but we want a new one. Our house has more then enough space, but we want a bigger one. Those shoes match absolutely nothing in my closet, but they're new and in style, so I just have to have them...
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...What makes a great song? Well, depending on the genre, audiences usually listen to the beat of the song and the voice of the singer, however the meaning behind the song is the most important. Barbie Girl is a song by a band called Aqua and it meritoriously demonstrates human foolishness within society through the use of textual elements such as tone, diction, repetition, as well as visual features. This song is a feminist satire cunningly disguised in a childish, friendly pop hit targeted to young adults and teenagers as it mocks the way a majority of them may think and act as she ridicules how they are desperately trying to resemble Barbie. Aqua uses a sarcastic tone to help send across the purpose of the text. Moreover, the tone throughout the song is understood through Aqua’s use of diction, repetition and visual features. The purpose of the song is to reveal messages of sex and the roles that men and women play in a sexual relationship. Since most listeners of this song do not cautiously pay attention to the lyrics, the sarcastic tone, mixed with the childish, high pitched voice of the lead singer would give the impression that this is fun and cheerful record, exposing the mood. The fake cheeriness and high-pitched voice is used to support audiences understand the mockery that links to the message which is human recklessness within society. The strong use of wording throughout the text demonstrates the superiority of men over women and develops the tone of the song...
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...Meet Polly Pocket, My Nemesis Polly Pocket was inflicted upon uncoordinated adults in 1989 by a British toy company called Bluebird Toys. (Thanks Bluebird!) Mattel and Bluebird held the distribution rights in the early 1990s. Chris Wiggs came up with the Polly Pocket doll for his daughter. Mattel and Bluebird developed his idea into a very popular toy line. Polly is a small doll--approximately 3 and 3/4 inch tall. She is plastic with jointed legs and arms. She comes with all sorts of miniature accessories and playsets to spark a child's imagination. But, it was the clothes that did me in. Polly Pocket is a line of miniature toy dolls and dollhouses that many little girls find intriguing. When planning a Polly Pocket social event or birthday party for a girl, you can create a few activities to keep the girls entertained. Activities and games give the girls a chance to win or make their own Polly Pocket creations to take home as a memento of the gathering. 1. Activities o Hide several Polly Pocket accessories, clothes, pets and toys around the play area. Give each guest a plastic Polly Pocket-themed bag and have her hunt for the items. After the players find all of the items, give each one a small Polly Pocket doll to go with all her accessories from the hunt. For an added bonus, have the girls count their accessories. Award a large Polly Pocket doll to the girl who finds the most accessories. For another activity, divide the girls into two teams. Have the teams take...
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...but they represent the history of women before our time, and they reveal to the modern society that the things which are important to us like appearance, fame, and fortune actually do not matter; but that the important thing is to protect one’s family and survive against all odds. Now- a-days it is the complete opposite. Instead of dolls that look like the Venus de Willendorf Doll, we have Barbie Dolls. The problem with this is the fact that Barbie Dolls have created a lot of problems for children. Barbie Dolls infused in young girls unrealistic expectations for life; it made girls think they had to look, live, and act in a certain way which is acceptable to the society. Barbie Dolls were made to be teen fashion dolls but little did the manufacturers know that they would change the society forever. Barbie Dolls changed society in many ways. First of all, it infused in the minds of young girls unrealistic expectations about what they were supposed to look like further in life. Instead of modeling the dolls as representation of actual people the makers made them superficial. The reason Barbie Dolls instigated such unrealistic expectations regarding appearance is...
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...Do you think you’re beautiful? Do you think that you fit in the society’s patterns of beauty? Most people will answer a “no” for both. I feel there’s an enormous pressure on young girls o girls to be called perfect. Society has built an image of what beauty is, and we all keep looking for something that will never be reached, because it’s not even real. How does society expect us to feel comfortable when looking ourselves in the mirror, when stores don't carry a bigger size that L (large), and most models weighs >100 pounds. It’s so awful to think that the only way to achieve it is by having the faultless face, being skinny and with curves; but you should not have acne in your whole life, be skeletal and not have too big curves. People should...
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...Societal expectations for acceptance. The way individuals choose to carry themselves in everyday life is affected by societal expectations. These societal expectations are sort of an unofficial guideline by which individuals live their lives. Whether it’s gender roles or just wanting to be accepted by others, people feel the need to “live” according to these guidelines. As time progresses so do the “guidelines” and if the individuals cannot keep up with these norms, they can be left behind or deemed as an outcast. Gender roles seem to be the most common. From the day a child is born societal norms are placed on them. For example a young boy’s room will be probably be blue and filled with sports items, while a young girls room will be pink and be filled with dolls and a play kitchen set. These small details, along with expectations, begin to shape their role in society. “Barbie Q” by Sandra Cisneros is a perfect example of societal expectations. In this short story Cisneros introduces two young girls who are playing with their Barbie dolls. The girls go into great detail when describing their dolls and the outfits the dolls are wearing. One can conclude that the girls are poor when the main character tells the reader that they only have one outfit for their dolls. They even had to make a dress from a sock because they could not afford other outfits. This is further illustrated when the girls begin describing how they will play with the dolls. Everyday...
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...they see the world around them; and often the adult in their lives don’t worry about how much their child’s favorite can affect them, now and in their futures. With Barbie being a popular child’s toy for decades, and with her in a world that has become increasingly filled with ways the media can reach children, one can wonder, how much of an impact does a seemingly docile doll have on children? Barbie caused quite a stir when she was first introduced in 1959. Many adults were outraged claiming she had too much of an adult figure to be a toy for children. Soon after Barbie’s introduction to toy shelves though, women realized that Barbie could be used as a teaching tool...
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...company's major brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Fisher-Price, and American Girl. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. In 1945, Ruth and Elliot Handler and Harold "Matt Matson develop this new company out of their garage workshop located in Southern California. Although the first products they create are simply picture frames, Elliot takes the left over pieces of these frames and put them to use to make dollhouse furniture. These dollhouse furniture pieces were just a side business for Elliot though. Harold Matson soon sells out his partner, and, being confident from the success of the dollhouse furniture, the Handler's decide to turn the companies' emphasis on toys. In the year 1947, the "Uke-A-Doodle is the first, in a line if musical toys. In 1948, Mattel is incorporated in Hawthorne, California. During the year 1955, Mattel becomes involved with "Mickey Mouse Club . This very popular show soon become the major spot of advertising for Mattel, which revolutionized they way the toys were marketed. It also introduced they another great product, the "Burp Gun , and automatic cap gun. During the late 1950's, well, 1959 to be exact, the most sot after doll, "Barbie makes her first appearance. This doll was named after a girl Barbie, short for Barbara, created by her mother Ruth Handler. When Barbie was a young child, Ruth would often...
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...The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, discusses how people think that beauty is the most important thing. As a child grows up, society brainwashes them into thinking that looks are more important than anything else. Every little girl has had a Barbie doll, and that Barbie is always beautiful with an hour glass figure and this is where it all starts. When a child becomes a teenager, their body starts to change and develop into ways that society may not improve of. Then when adulthood is reached, some spend a lot of money to change their appearance just to feel excepted. Sometimes they make it off of the operation table, sometimes they don’t. The Barbie doll has become the ideal way that girls are supposed to look like when they get older. The title is not about just a toy, it’s more about an image of perfection. In the first stanza of the poem, Piercy gives an example of metonymy by illustrating that “This girlchild was born as usual/ and presented dolls that did pee-pee”( Doherty 1 ). She lets the readers know that the child is being compared to a doll. This also describes that the child was given small toys that seemed like real life. The toys gave her the wrong image of what life really is. In the last two lines of the first stanza, Piercy states “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said/ you have a great big nose and fat legs.” In that line of the poem, the child is turning into a teenager and she doesn’t like the ways she looks. Other kids make fun of her because...
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...Practicing International Management Case: Psychology of Global Marketing 1. Put yourself in the position of Stephan Loerke of the World Federation of Advertisers. First, make an argument for why the EU should not enact more strict advertising laws. Second, make a case for why advertisers operating in the EU should initiate "voluntary" limits. Third, make a case for why current laws need no modification whatsoever. Which case do you agree with? Which case do you think is the strongest? The European Union should not enact more strict advertising laws because it would simply be a waste of their time. In the article, it says, “But the problem for the Swedes (and others with more restrictive bans) is that they can only enforce their laws on programs originating from within their country. They have no power of enforcement over programs broadcast from other nations or from satellite transmissions.” Therefore, they can try and implement regulations that should be followed, but there are still ways that advertisers will be able to get around them. Advertisers operating in the European Union should initiate “voluntary” limits because those countries like Sweden can try and enforce what they believe in, whereas others do not have to. Current laws need no modification whatsoever because no matter what is put in place advertisers will still be able to get their product or ad seen regardless of whether it be through social media, television, or word of mouth...
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...Better Barbie By Jesse K., Grand Ledge, MI I don’t have any alumni ties to Brown, though it’s possible I could be the long-lost granddaughter of James S. Miller. Never have I sailed the Pacific Ocean on the back of a humpback whale, nor can I wrap sushi with the skill of former Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. I haven’t done much research regarding podiatry, and chances are I will never win the Michigan Mega-Millions lottery. I am, however, the proud owner of a Little Mermaid Edition Barbie. At some point in almost every little girl’s life, she becomes engrossed in the Pepto-Bismol-pink world of Barbies, a place I entered at the age of seven. My sister, Hannah, and I decided to take our collection of 11-inch plastic friends for a dip in the pool one sweltering summer day. Hours of giggling resulted from tossing the Barbies as high as we could into the air and watching them dive gracefully into the waves. Three … two … one, I launched my Little Mermaid doll in the same fashion as Apollo 11. We watched her rocket into the sky. I glanced at my sister, who was scrambling through her scorecards to make sure she had the well-deserved “10” ready. My eyes returned upward, anticipating the gymnastic stunts Barbie would undoubtedly deliver to her enraptured audience. Where was she? The crowd was growing restless. Had she landed on the moon? Utterly bewildered, we combed through the freshly mown grass and woods, but unfortunately, our search bore no fruit. After a moment of sorrow...
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... When you look in the mirror in the morning how do you view yourself? Most people are not comfortable with their body and the way they look because society has corrupted their minds, with the perfect image Jean Kilbourne the author of “Killing Us Softly”, gives insight to how most people will view themselves based on what society has to offer. Christ Godsey the author of “Cro-Magnon Karma: One Dude and his Body Image Issues” shares how men are dealing with identity issues just as much as women. In today’s society no one thinks that men have self esteem issues, but in all reality men deal with issues just like women, in fact they are not comfortable in their own skin. Emily Prager author of “Our Barbies, Ourselves” talked about how Barbie can give a false sense of beauty and identity. As a society and as individuals it is up to us to want to be okay with ourselves, we are given our body for a reason, why change that? Most people do not have the confidence in themselves anymore, because the media has taken that away from them. Kilbourne, makes a point that “most women are not able to be themselves, and need to seek approval from the men”. Some women think that having the latest clothes and shoes will be the way to get approval. In reality though, the style of clothes and shoes that we see in the magazines and on television are not actually true to face. Majority of the models cannot even fit into that certain clothing. In turn Godsey, goes back to that men are suffering...
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...customer’s needs and wants. Delivering what the customer needs and wants can be segregated into two broad categories: First, product development: According to the case, Mattel’s product development ensures that its portfolio never stagnates. Unfortunately, Mattel has failed to adapt to the evolving demands of children, as they are becoming increasingly technologically savvy and are therefore interested in electronic and interactive rather than traditional toys such as Barbie or Hot Wheels at a younger age. This is evident, for example, from the demise of the ‘ELLO’ building toys for young girls1.The product development disparity between customers’ needs and Mattel’s production is further demonstrated by their lack of attention to their global market, which, according to the text, account for 46% of gross sales. This is evident in the Malaysian Consumers Association having attempted to ban the Barbie brand, one of Mattel’s core products, because of her non-Asian appearance and the lack of intellectual stimulation that Barbie provides; and many other countries are following suit. According to the text, Asian sales account for a mere 11% of Mattel’s gross revenues. Second, Corporate and Social Responsibility: A strong product is no longer enough; customers increasingly demand corporate social responsibility2. With increasing concerns with regards to internet privacy, and the risks associated for children surfing the internet3, Mattel’s move into the virtual realm comes with increased...
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...children think about their body. For example, in “Fat Is an Advertising Issue” by Susie Orbach talks about how “fat” can be used an advertisement. A person of all shapes, sizes, color and breed can be a part of product advertisement freely; well at least that is what Dove was trying to put out there to all ladies. Here’s one that a lot of people should know about, famous rapper Nicki Minaj. A lot of young girls and teenagers look up to her. She calls herself a Barbie. Along with calling herself that, she had plastic surgery on certain parts of her body to look like one. Since she does this, these young females think it is okay for them to do it too! In “What If Barbie Was an Actual Person? A Flash Movie” by John Riviello, this may come to mind while you’re reading it. In the reading they used an example where an image of an original Barbie doll was on one side and on the other side was an image of supermodel Laetita Casta. They had started making changes to the supermodel’s body to make her look similar to the Barbie doll on the opposite side. At the end of the experiment, Laetita Casta didn’t oh so pretty. People shouldn’t change their bodies to look like something that isn’t...
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...Guerline Donisvitch “Introduction to Literature” Ann Rasmussen April 23, 2009 Barbie Doll The poem begins in a fairy-tale vein, the archaic term “girl-child” being used to underscore the mythic quality of the story. The dolls, stove, iron and lipstick are all traditional play things for young girls, but they are also markers of an identity in the making, the things that young girls grow to identify with their own social roles. The doll presents an idealized image of the body, and stove and irons tell them what kind of work is expected of them as adults. The lipstick perhaps is the most sexualized cosmetic for women, signals to young girls that they will be valued for their physical appearance. The “magic of puberty” introduces the theme of growth. It is a magical time because the body changes rapidly. She also refers to the pain that comes with puberty. When girls are growing older they are really cruel to each other. The “girl child” is told she has “a great big nose and fat legs” even though she is smart, healthy and strong. The girl was made to feel guilty for who she was, for her intelligence and abilities, and also for not being slim and “beautiful.” She apologized to everyone for not being the person they wanted her to be, but all they could see was her body and how it did not match their idea of what a woman should look like. They tried to help her be more of an idealized woman by suggesting how to compensate for her unfeminine qualities. “girl-child”...
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