“Nadie looks like Barbie, except Barbie”. This sentence, uttered by the ghost of Ruth Handler, the creator of the famous Mattel doll, Barbie (Margot Robbie), in the film directed by Greta Gerwig, could serve as a response to the various studies that analyze what a woman of color and body type would be like in Barbie. body of spoiler: This would be inconsistent as the measurement of the wrist is completely unrealistic. According to a study published in 2013 by Rehabs.com, a platform for locating mental health treatment centers in the United States, a real Barbie would measure over 40 cm at the waist, 8 cm at her wrist and 15 cm at her toes. . Furthermore, these impossible measures would prevent him from walking on two legs, requiring him to walk on all fours to support his body. In fact, Nadi can look like a barbie.
Barbie has maintained her unchanged appearance for decades, until in 2016 Mattel introduced the first variation on the controversial wrist morph and tried to embrace its diversity with three types of Barbie: tall (tall and slim) Beautiful (menu) and Shapely (Shapely). An initiative aimed at reversing the negative sales trend at a time body positive Began to define marketing strategies. The cover of the magazine reads, “Can we stop talking about my body?” Team January 2016, dedicated to this landmark change in Muneca’s anatomy, with a picture of the new Barbie in profile.
‘Time’ cover dedicated to Barbie’s anatomy.
¿Por que no se hubla de un he-man de carne y hueso?
It is clear that since its inception, Barbie has represented a very limited view of women and has tried to evolve itself over the years, breaking stereotypes with the aim of inspiring thousands of girls. is who they want to be. The studios confirm that its presence has affected the smallest of people in a negative way. But, doesn’t the same thing happen, theoretically, with other muñecos designed for male children’s audiences? Hypermuscular He-Man, another successful Juggernaut from Mattel, has never been debatable for abandoning reality and the body associated with the action hero ideal. Would the existence of a flesh-and-blood He-Man be viable? It seems complicated that his disembodied body could have fit into the real world. In the opinion of Mara Marino (@meetingmara), author, publicist and journalist specializing in sex, there is a twofold reason that explains this difference in the perception of one woman and another. “The fantasy of a barbie de carne y hueso is the result of two social inequalities: first, the aesthetic control of women, which at the time went hand in hand with capitalism, forcing us to look perfect in eternal wars with our bodies. Achieving the impossible to measure and buy sharp knives, cosmetics, creams, colors, etc. Secondly, the concept of woman as a consumer is good through coding that women only want to please, be liked, desired. Being, in short, is meant to ‘make beautiful'”, he explains.
Of fanatics, a single debate
If the constraints of the body cult begin to spread and affect men as well, there is not so much pressure on physical appearance among the male gender, much less during the childhood years. Laura Treviño Cabrera, professor at the University of Málaga and expert in literacy critical feminist, believes that the aspect of Los Juguetas set for children has expressed a lack of debate. The idea that you have to be the perfect man. Perhaps it was planned for Alo Nadi to be what He-Man would be like in real life. “It is clear that more and more men are being subjected to masculinity based on being tall, muscular and having attractive hair. Esto genera horas en el gymnácio y c tienón indicas de alopecia, resort los capillary grafts. Pero los niños pueden ser personajes de videojuegos, or Shawn hombres o inanimate beings. a los ninos no se les presenta un muneco con el moto you can be who you want to beBecause it doesn’t matter that Queens have no problem, but Queens have no problem for Queen’s Ser.
Marino has been abundant in expressing the view that “when we talk about Action Muñocos this aspect goes into the background. So, no matter how much you play with them over the years, don’t fall into the idea that you must have that physique (as there is also a social pressure that makes it as strong as it is for women). She added that “society is much more liberal in terms of the appearance of men, if there is any word.” father b o d To refer to less physical bodies like Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Sandler or Pierce Brosnan! If women feel a change in their bodies when they become mothers, then we don’t have one either. mother bodIt is clear that the pressure exists and on whom”.
Following this logic, it can be concluded that less attention is paid to the physical appearance displayed by children’s toys such as He-Man, endowed with extremely tough and almost impossible muscles, than to the aspect experienced by the male public. Relates to low pressure. To be successful, one doesn’t have to look like He-Man, but in the case of women, the exterior is influential. The inclusion of hair color has certain connotations. In this sense, the teacher Trivino points to “a poorly studied phenomenon” and recalls that “some mothers did not consider Barbie appropriate for their children. If you presented her as a mujerona sexy enough to break the innocence of girls; And if they came more in favor of the Spanish Muneca Chabel, more Aninada, then Aunque followed the same principle of beauty, blue-eyed, ruby, slender and white. What’s more, the color of the fur is very important in the construction of the theory of beauty that was created by the Chabel Senissienta dolls: La Senissienta works with brown hair and the Senissienta princess with red hair.
The debate over Barbie’s body on the ground is expressed, at least in part, in relation to the possible existence of Matel Muñeca in flesh and blood. Barbie has been on the market for more than 64 years and models love the controversial Barbie grow up captainShaking hands whose breast size increases, Han steps in to female teachers, veterinarians or doctors whose aim is to encourage children to become what they want to be. However, it seems that the image of female perfection overshadows her professional achievements. “Playing with slim and voluptuous wrists prompts girls to think more about their appearance and less about their aspirations”, remember the Atlantic A study on the subject was mentioned in an article published in 2015 that discussed how playing with Barbie can affect children’s future. In this direction, Trevino points to the assertion that “Barbie represents the aspirational desire to be who you want to be, but if you want to be, it is a fundamental basis for being physically perfect.” takes as”. The debate appears set to end and the success of the new film about Muneca, A Planetary Tequila, doesn’t have to, opening new questions about how Barbie is perceived in 2023.
