Feminist theory, case study of Barbie a famous fashion doll

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Feminist Theory

Part I

Barbie is a famous fashion doll that was designed and launched in 1959 by an American toy-company Mattel, Inc. The creator of the doll is thought to be American businesswoman Ruth Handler, who is believed to have used a German doll Bild Lilli for inspiration (Gerber). Bild Lilli had been manufactured between 1955 and 1964 to portray that acts and antics of the comic-strip character Lilli. Inevitably, Barbie has been a significant part of the fashion doll market for over half a century. In this period, the doll has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, owing to its characteristic parody and lifestyle (Gerber). Using both the liberal and socialist characteristics of Feminine Theory, this paper will demonstrate that Barbie is a social phenomenon that has impacted on the lives of both men and women in the fashion industry and the world at large.

Part II

Feminist theory as a whole can be defined as an extension of feminism into philosophical or theoretical discourse, with a goal to help better understand the nature of gender inequality in societies across the world (Macionis and Gerber 35). In its quest, Feminist theory examines women’s social roles, interests, politics and experiences in a variety of scholarly fields. The general assumption of the Feminist theory is that women are subjugated in society (Macionis and Gerber 35).

Feminist theory has characteristics that help explore how feminism interacts with other aspects of life. These characteristics include Liberal, Cultural and Socialist among other characteristics. Liberal feminists argue that all people are created equal and should not be denied equality of opportunity because of gender (Soc 1-3-49). In this respect, they agree with the existing social structure, but think it should be non-sexist, and seek association with men. On the other hand, Socialist feminism argues that sexism and capitalism are mutually supportive in molding a society with patriarchal capitalism (Soc 1-3-49). For instance, the unpaid labor of women in the home and their paid labor in a reserve labor force simultaneously serve patriarchy capitalism.

It is important to note that the first Barbie doll had an adult appearance and wore a white zebra striped swimsuit (Macionis and Gerber 35). This doll was marketed as a Teenage Fashion Model but her bosom, which had entire breasts, soon became a bone of contention between manufacturers and parents. Facing criticism mainly from male parents, Barbie’s appearance has been changed many times to conform to its attributes as socializing doll. Her breasts have been trimmed down and the characteristic demure sideways glance of the original model altered to a forward look to reduce its apparent sex appeal (Macionis and Gerber 35). However, the story that has been told by Barbie through over half a century of existence is that of female empowerment. Barbie is well educated and attends Willows High School. She has an on-and-off romantic relationship with her boyfriend Ken, who they broke u with in 2004 only to rekindle their relationship when Ken had a makeover in 2006 (Gerber). Barbie is also illustrated to grow into a successful woman who owns over 40 pets over the period of her existence, including Horses, panda, a lion cub and a Zebra. Additionally, she owns a wide range of expensive cars including pink Corvette convertibles and jeeps. She is a professional in many fields as she holds a pilot’s license and operates a commercial airliner apart from working as flight attendant (Gerber). Her careers are projected to empower women and define the various roles they could play in life, especially seen in her marketing under the titles Miss Astronaut Barbie, Doctor Barbie, and Nascar Barbie (Gerber), over the years.

It can be said, therefore, that Barbie’s being and career have been a social phenomenon that has increased the heat on debate regarding feminism. Her initial looks was met with sexist criticism despite her being just a doll. However, the manufacturers have centered her personality upon numerous careers that enable her to play various roles in the society, despite being a woman. This perception of feminism is appealing to Liberal feminists who believe in equality among genders and equal opportunities to pursue different roles in the society in spite of gender. Barbie’s life also attacks the loops in Socialist feminism. This is because it brings out how economic and emotional dependence hand in hand to wielder patriarchal capitalism in the society. By discarding her boyfriend to be free to pursue her numerous careers when he tries to wielder absolute power over her, Barbie breaks the cycle that causes most wives to confine their roles to domestic chores. It helps to declare that Capitalism needed to be eliminated and socialist principles adopted in both home and workplace. The rationale here is that Sexism and economic oppression are mutually reinforcing, so a socialist revolutionary agenda is needed (Soc1-414). Early socialization with Barbie would ultimately help achieve this kind of social setting in our societies.

Socialization is defined as “The social process through which children develop an awareness of social norms and values while achieving a distinct sense of self” (Soc1-1-331). Although this process is significant in infancy and childhood, it continues to influence an individual’s entire life. Because of this aspect of socialization, children interacting with Barbie quickly acknowledge and internalize the various careers and roles she plays in spite of being a woman. This helps to build a culture that is non-sexist and accords feminism a better chance of prosperity.

Part III

In part II above, feminism is analyzed based on patriarchal capitalism and economic aspects. In this part, the cultural aspect of societies will be explored to reveal how they impact on feminism. Culture and norms inevitably determine how people perceive the role of women in these societies. Cultural variations across the globe have, indeed, been the number one challenge in achieving universal empowerment of women. In most societies such as the Bengali of East India, women are expected to abide by all cultural norms, especially those regarding their matrimonial welfares. In Mira Nair’s film “The Namesake” based on the book with the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003), Moushumi, a Bengali woman and wife to Gogol, a Bengali Man, is shown to be having an affair outside of her marriage. This is despicable in Bengali culture as revealed in the conversation the two have to discuss he betrayal. Asked about the affair by her husband, Moushumi embarks on a long silence but admits nothing. She, however, betrays Bengali cultural expectations of their women when she admits, “I guess both of us being Bengali wasn’t enough.” He husband is quick to defend that that was not his sole reason for loving her. Although the couple lives in both India and United States, meaning they are exposed to different cultures, their original Bengali culture dictates everything in their marriage.

These aspects of feminism and socialization can best be understood using the following supportive theories. Ground theory, which is defined as “…the discovery of theory from data systematically obtained from social research” can help provide information regarding various social and socialization platforms that fuel or suppress sexism. Hegemony theory, which acknowledges, among others, the understanding that the problem of cultural hegemony was crucial to understanding the survival of capitalism. This theory thus helps to fuel need for socialist revolution to bring an end to patriarchal capitalism. Conflict/Feminist theory identifies the conflicts that exist between genders, races, and socioeconomic class. It insists that these aspects fuels victimization of women through sexual abuse, exploitation of unpaid labor at home, health impairment, domestic conflict between adult partners and conflict between adults an their children. All these are aspects that impact of social setups of societies and determine how women and men socialize. There is need to lead a revolution that favors both socialist and liberal feminism agenda if we harbor any hope of eliminating these facilitators of gender oppression in society.

Works Cited

Gerber, Robin. Barbie and Ruth: the story of the world’s most famous doll and the woman who created her. New York: Collins Business, 2009. Print.

Macionis, John and Gerber, Robin. Sociology 7th Canadian Ed. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada Inc., 2010; Pp. 35.

Soc 1-3-49. “Feminist Theory: a conflict paradigm” Introduction to Sociology: the Role of Culture and Socialization.

Soc1-1-331. Socialization

Soc1-414. Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Theory and the Presentation of Self in Everyday Socialized Life