Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought. Both originated in envy, thrived in insecurity, and ended in disillusion.” This quote ties in all the themes of the Bluest Eyes, love, beauty, and an un-escapable fall into despair while chasing the first two. The image of Shirley Temple and white baby dolls are central to the meaning of the novel. Adults don’t try to undermine the power that Shirley Temple has on the girls of this novel. Instead they show praise towards her and her whiteness by buying white baby dolls, even for black girls.
Members of the South Shore Eating Disorder Collaboration (SSEDC) came up with a movement against Barbie known as “Get Real Barbie.” A member of this association mad a life size paper mache of Barbies measurements. The doll couldn't stand up. This means that Barbies real life measurements are so disproportionate that if she were real, she would have to walk on all fours. Considering that the age bracket aimed for Barbie is ages four to twelve, Barbie is creating high expectations for children, as well as adults, to look like her to be considered beautiful. In the late 1960's Mattel, Barbies maker, came out with 'Slumber Party Barbie.” This barbie came with an entire bathroom set including a scale set to 110 pounds.
Barbie Doll clearly displays a strong sense of feminism. It specifically attacks the modern day pressures that women are faced with as far as appearance goes. The author seems to have the opinion that women are pushed to make themselves perfect in the eyes of society. I think this is why this poem has a very negative and almost angry tone to it. Barbie Doll has a few main themes that can be easily recognized; the main ones that Piercy addresses are the pressures of being a female and the desperate attempts to please others.
How much more should we take the criticism of superficiality? For centuries women have been portrayed as weak and submissive. In experts about Barbie and military women there is a distraction on the point of view towards women. In an apology for the life of Ms. Barbie D. Doll, Rita Isakson is criticizing an article of Barbie’s that Marilyn Ferris Motz wrote. Isakson is proving Motz that he is wrong that Barbie’s do not harm young girls mind.
‘Beauty and the Bloke’ is a light hearted, argumentative article, by Cosmo Landesman. It attempts to convince the audience that men and woman are breaking free of old fashioned stereotypes. The author’s opening line ‘perfume, waxing, cosmetic surgery’ is deliberately misleading as one automatically thinks he is referring to women. He then shocks us by stating ‘nineties man is being forced to go all the way to improve his body image’. It is clear the article is aimed at males as uses the term ‘we’ regularly, ‘in the past all we could do was surrender...’ and refers to males throughout the article ‘sooner or later, every man...’ ‘...I took it like a man’ ‘It’s a brave new world in which man can have what he wants...’ Landesman also states ‘we fortysomethings’ indicating the article is aimed at like minded 40 year old males like himself.
The Power of Lara Croft: Feminist Figure or Sex Object? “Lara is everything that is bad about representations of women in culture, and everything good…” (182). This is ultimately the response that Maja Mikula gives in her essay Gender and Videogames: the Political Valency of Lara Croft to the question pertaining Lara Croft being either a feminist icon or sexist fantasy in the video game Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. An answer similar to what her creator, Toby Gard, held in his interview with The Face magazine: “Neither and a bit of both.” For the feminists, Lara has potential to project a positive image and a role model aura; yet she is limited to being a sex symbol. It is a question that is often reduced to trying to decide whether she is a positive role model for young girls or just a perfect and artificial embodiment of a male sexual fantasy for the boys.
While skepticals sever holds with women from the centerfold My breath is cold – timid, and I let her go; she’s so music. within four days, your entire attires used as foreplay for a girl who's gourmet in a world you'd sure trade, stock was plenty now ya closets empty and force fades; the doll confesses her love n dresses you up like you’re made, and go figure, now you're the one who feels like gore may, be the solution to pollution in and out of your brain. So you naturally forgave, not long after the storm came It rapidly poured rain like a song the floor played. It’s like the fluid of cupid shootin’ arrows at the humans On the blueprint it’s not stupid, it actually has uses But in reality it’s a nuisance, factually it’s useless The fact is we, attack these things just to add to bruises Attitudes shift, were up then down then back – too quick That dude spits? So what you deepthroat, swallow, and gag too bitch.
First debuting in 1959, Barbie has mislead girls since their youth of what society perceives the perfect woman to look like. The average girl from ages 3-11 owns at least ten Barbie dolls and each hour spent playing with them, the more influence it has on them (Bennett, Saren). Yet, this is not a positive influence. Barbie is not the perfect role model for all girls. It is bad that Barbie, a 6 foot tall, 100 pound, size 0, infertile doll is possibly believed to be realistic and perfect (Bennett, Saren).
Child Beauty Pageants Should Be Banned When you were younger, you probably played dress up, for fun and games. Well, some irresponsible mothers in the United States are taking the concept of dressing up and turning it up several levels, and transforming their children into replicas Barbie dolls. The young pageant model is adorned with fake tans, hair extensions, 50 layers of make-up and fake teeth. After being put in extravagant, often inappropriate costumes, being fed health derogatory substances such as sugar packets and mixtures of high-energy drinks that even children twice their ages don’t even drink and performing tantrums of her reluctance to do her pageant, the juvenile Prima Donna is ready to go. Plastering on an over-exercised smile, the six year old walks on stage, cheered on by the joyful screams of her most-likely overweight mother.
In the article, “Controlling your reality” Paige Pfleger states “Reality television can also preserve old fashioned notions about sexual stereotyping. Women are encouraged to fulfill roles as “the slut” and are simultaneously devalued by doing so” sadly these are the types of stereotypes young girls and women grow up with (3). Little girls are told to act a certain way only for society to reject and humiliate them for it. In The Hunger Games Collins makes a point by sexually objectifying Glimmer, a career tribute, because she looks like the stereotype of sexy. In the novel Collins writes, “The girl tribute from District 1, looking provocative in a see-through gold gown…With that flowing blonde hair, emerald green eyes, her body tall and lush… she’s sexy all the way”(125).Collins makes it clear that society has a very specific image of what sexy should look like.