Today’s story of the 50th anniversary of Barbie (can I point out here that Barbie is officially older than me), is being celebrated by the launch of the Angela Merkel Barbie.
One the one hand it can be noted that if Mattel are going to insist on producing anatomically improbable dolls, then a nod towards aspiring to political power is a positive message for girls. On the other hand, the message is likely to be drowned out by the overwhelming din of the patriarchy telling girls that only their looks count, especially as the Merkel Barbie has made no concessions to the real life body of a mature woman.
This study is important in making the links between Barbie dolls and girls’ body-image.
http://science.uwe.ac.uk/research/uploads/dittmar,%20halliwell%20&%20ive%20(2006).pdf
I’m going to take a positive view of the Merkel Barbie as an indicator of some progress in Barbie’s 50 year existence as I can’t imagine that their 25th celebrations would have been marked by the production of a Thatcher Barbie.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/06/angela-merkel-barbie-doll
One the one hand it can be noted that if Mattel are going to insist on producing anatomically improbable dolls, then a nod towards aspiring to political power is a positive message for girls. On the other hand, the message is likely to be drowned out by the overwhelming din of the patriarchy telling girls that only their looks count, especially as the Merkel Barbie has made no concessions to the real life body of a mature woman.
This study is important in making the links between Barbie dolls and girls’ body-image.
http://science.uwe.ac.uk/research/uploads/dittmar,%20halliwell%20&%20ive%20(2006).pdf
I’m going to take a positive view of the Merkel Barbie as an indicator of some progress in Barbie’s 50 year existence as I can’t imagine that their 25th celebrations would have been marked by the production of a Thatcher Barbie.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/06/angela-merkel-barbie-doll
6 comments:
The Guardian article was corrected "This article was amended on Saturday 7 February 2009. The Angela Merkel Barbie doll is one of a kind and will not go on sale for €20 (£17.50)." If I understand this correctly (and I'm not sure that I do), then it's a one-off and they're not being sold as toys.
Which is a pity; it would be nice to see some powerful women as Barbies. Maybe some counterweight to the body-shape problems.
Drat, I should have realised it was a move too far towards female empowerment!
Is it too early for a Tzipi Livni barbie?
What can I say? You are refering to the woman whose efforts to out-hardline the other extremists of the rightwing parties in Israel as an electioneering strategy, added to Palestinian women and children's horrific experiences.
So, no I can't hope for a Barbie of that particular politician. Just because she is a woman in a position of power does not mean we should support her.
I was reading yesterday that she is "doveish", which either gives a new meaning to the word, or means "hawkish" is almost unimaginable. But for Israeli politicians, maybe she can be described that way, relatively speaking, in which case she is probably a Good Thing.
I also think that (no, I mean hope that) her rhetoric is for internal consumption, and that she may truly be 'doveish', and will click nicely with Obama.
Still, she is a babe. Much the most babesome political leader since Turkey's Tansu Çiller.
Strangely, I'm not convinced that her political motives are founded on hoping to attract votes from those who think she is a 'babe'. Rather, I'd imagine she, like all female politicians expects to be judged on her abilities not her looks, and preferably not infantilised by that or similar shallow observations.
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