The theme of the story is to show how Barbie dolls are negatively influencing young girls and the drastic change they had on young girl’s observations of relationships, self-image, and childhood innocence. At a young age, these girls are creating stories of infidelity and aggression that mimic how relationships are viewed through the media. “Every time the same story. Your Barbie is roommates with my Barbie, and my Barbie’s boyfriend comes over and you steal him okay?” (Cisneros, pg 576) This is giving girls a distorted insight of what occurs in normal relationships. These stories, the young girls create using theses dolls, make it seem okay if these types of unhealthy relationships occur.
Young girls are becoming sexually exploited to layers of makeup. These girls are shown to look older than they actually are. Using the info from this source can really defend my own belief, on what I think child pageants really out come to. http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-1146-Seattle-Eastside-Parenting Examiners~y2009m1d25-Toddlers--Tiaras-TLC-sinks-to-a-new-low • “Government spending at its best: new bill proposed in North Carolina
Kahlil M. Barrett English 1102 Susan Laplant 24 April 2013 Pimping My Child When a person thinks of a little girl and everything that she is supposed to represent, the first thing that comes to mind is a joyful little child wearing pink overalls. Perhaps she even has a little tea set with stuffed animals and Barbie dolls. They can see her hair in pigtails or little braids with hair bows on the end. That’s a pretty cute and vivid picture right? Now what if little girls who are barely 5 years old could now wear high heels, cake on pounds of make-up, plaster on fake eyelashes, and wear the brightest shade of red lipstick as possible?
The setting being so life like can be a familiarity for so many women. “Yours, ‘Red Flair’, sophisticated A-line coatdress with a Jackie Kennedy pillbox hat, white gloves, handbag, and heels included.” Every child just cherishes each toy like it is their prized possession. As a child, everyone wants the latest trend just to keep up with their friends, unlike these girls in “Barbie-Q” aren’t fortunate enough to get new toys after each is released. These girls made do with what they had and made it work. “This and a dress invented from an old sock when we cut holes here and here and here, the cuff rolled over for the glamorous, fancy-free, off the shoulder look.” These girls just patiently wait until Christmas comes, not even for a new doll, but a new outfit.
We get insight to the girls growing up years. When she gets older you see that she starts to care about what everyone thinks. “She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity,” (7-9). She possessed so many qualities that would have driven her to great things in the world. All of these positive things about her, and yet one negative thing is said and of course that is what is going to stick in her mind.
It is okay to help teach your daughter proper behaviors for when in public (Saying “Yes ma’am, no ma’am”, Being aware of surroundings, not talking with mouth full, dress accordingly etc.) and encourage them to be a little bit competitive. Toddlers and Tiaras is a perfect example of what happens when mothers do not do this, or take it to the extreme. There are 5 year old girls up on stage in provocative outfits meant for women over their twenties. Research show most mothers enter their daughter into this pageant for bragging rights.
After that, she can only view herself as a big nose and fat thighs. In a society which places such high expectations on appearance, women are quick to accept the careless comments of others as truth and take drastic actions in order to conform to society's unrealistic image of beauty. At an early age, a little girl’s mind is tainted with the idealistic images and expectations of what a woman should be. In the poem, the girl is “presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” Piercy paints an image of a little girl playing with dolls, a stove, and makeup. The girl’s parents have already instilled a visualization of what the perfect woman is like.
Parents teach their girls the proper way ladies are expected to behave from crossing their legs when they sit to not getting dirty while they play. Young girls are exposed to playing with dolls and playhouses that are preparing them for society’s idea of women’s duties. As young girls age the media influences enforces what the parents have already taught. Not only do the media encourage girls to except their gender role as women it also influences what society wants women to look like. Television shows, movies, and commercials express the idea body as thin, clear skinned, and large breasted.
The parents of these young pageant girls force them to wear pounds of makeup, spray them with fake tanning spray, buy fake teeth to cover up their baby teeth, wax their eyebrows, and encourage them to eat very little so they can be as thin as possible. Children learn very early on to categorize themselves by gender which is a social construct created by society. Girls are taught to act feminine, perform feminine tasks, and to present themselves as objects to be viewed. Boys are expected to be masculine, tough, and athletic. Learning plays a huge role in assuming gender differences.
Also what little girl doesn’t like to dress up, wear mummy’s make-up and look just like a princess? I’m sure many girls would like to be made up and look pretty for an audience. Bulimia, anorexia, depression are very common in teenagers who started beauty pageants at a young age. This is because