BARBIE

The Barbie product line is the most successful in the history of the toy industry, having sold more than 1 billion Barbie dolls since 1959 (placed head-to-toe, the dolls would circle the earth more than seven times!!!). It is currently sold in more than 150 countries around the world and at a rate of 2 dolls every second. A regular American girl between the ages of 3 and 11 owns ten Barbie dolls and on average buys 2 or 3 more each year.

Barbie was introduced at a unique time in history: a time when the luxury of fashionable attire had become available to more women, when roles for women were beginning to change dramatically, when the term "teenager" had emerged as a definition of the distinct period between childhood and adult life, and when teenagers had been embraced by television and movie producers as a viable target market. Mattel capitalized on these trends in American culture when it introduced the Barbie doll in 1959 as a teenage fashion model.

Barbie homogenises the desires of teenage girls. It pretty much defines childhood for girls, allowing them to affiliate themselves to a certain class by the very fact that they possess a Barbie. Having a Barbie doll has become a must for girls. Barbie is deemed as aspirational for girls and studies have shown that playing with Barbie dolls can help enhance one’s self image.

Barbie symbolizes an idealized version of western beauty (i.e.blond, thin waisted, big breasted) and has since been a central figure in debates about women’s role in society, independence in workplace and dependence on men. It is thought to equate a woman’s worth with her beauty, hence raising questions about what defines a woman’s success. Obsession with Barbie’s physical appearance and lifestyle (knowned as the Barbie syndrom) has also been associated with pre-teen and adolescent females, leading up to cases of plastic surgery addiction and anorexia.

Barbie, a product of the west, is thought to embody individualism, freedom and narcissism. The Arab world sees Barbie as a threat, saying that “Barbie is more harmful than an American missile”. They have since came up with Fulla and Sara which have been a huge success in their local markets. They see this as a contest with America and is celebrating Full and Sara’s victory over Barbie.

Vivian