Barbie and Action man
March 16, 2010
The design of Barbie and Action man illustrates how gender is portrayed to younger children. Both dolls have changed significantly over time and always gave children a physical role model or something that they want to look like when they get older. I remember when I was younger I always wanted the pretty dresses that Barbie wore or be just like the gymnast Barbie that came out when I was around 8 years old. What is funny however, is that Barbie was always about dressing her in the perfect dresses and highest heals. It was never about what she could do or what she portrayed; they were all the same and it was all about looking pretty and happy. Her knees kind of bended an her waist slightly rotated, her arms could move just a little bit and you could move her head from side to side. However, she never aged over the years; she still has the blond hair, bright blue (I think?) eyes, long skinny legs, and a busty torso. Unfortunately this all evolved over time making these characteristics even more noticeable.
Action man (who by the way is the complete opposite of Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken), however, is very muscular and is supposed to look tough; he doesn’t really smile or bend. He looks as if he has been fighting a lot, a very masculine image. Boys look up to action man and want to act just like him; violent and strong. As the movie “Tough Guise” mentioned, men wear masks; they aren’t supposed to act vulnerable, instead they should be tough, strong, and independent because that is what makes one a real man.
The images of Barbie and Action man reflect gender expectations because those toys are everywhere; every child owned or has played with one which somehow ended up influencing this child’s life by the way those dolls are portrayed. Girls aren’t supposed to play with an action man because those are for boys and the same goes for boys, they cannot play with Barbie dolls because that will make the boy act or look feminine.
What is interesting however is that today those dolls are transformed into Bratz for girls and transformers type figures for boys. Bratz today portray a doll with a rather large head, big eyes, big hair, and barely any clothing. Transformers however show even more masculinity; it does not show any emotion and although there is no muscle shown it still portrays acting strong and tough.
These toys are changing over time, however, Barbie and action man are still recognized and almost everyone will know what one is talking about when mentioning them. They portrayed a image that children looked up to. As those dolls evolve over time they still represent the same gender image and making children believe that boys and girls have to act and look a certain way.
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