A Barbie world?
Posted on April 27, 2008
Filed Under News |
NYT reported that Iran wanted to ban the likes of Barbie for not coinciding with Islamic beliefs of covering the body. Basically the Iranian govt. was half-right when it mentioned that it was “dangerous for the health of children.” Sara and Dara are the dolls Iranian Islamic fundamentalists are hoping will get popular and are hoping will parallel our Western Barbie and Ken. Sara and Dara look like this:
This just makes me think that dolls are a bad idea. To create a toy that intentionally sends the “right” message to a child makes me question what Barbie’s message was/is–
The fact that Barbie comes with 8 gajillion accessories obviously facilitates one more way for Western society to push consumerism–She has new outfits, new jobs to make cash, new cars, new hairstyles and hair products, etc. She also resembles the “feminist” impressions of women in fashion magazines in that, she can have any profession, as long as she’s Barbie and her foot always fits into those damn heels.
I recall being a wee lass and playing with Barbie. I always respected my Barbie dolls. Meanwhile, I had some friends who would cut the heads off of theirs, or chop off all of her hair to make them look deformed. The motives behind this confused me and still do. What does it mean that these young girls felt motivated to destroy a toy intended to mold them to society’s expectations? Was it their first refute or was it a disconnection to the toy itself?
If I had a country, I would market the voodoo doll. With high heels.
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[…] A Barbie world?Sara and Dara are the dolls Iranian Islamic fundamentalists are hoping will get popular and are hoping will parallel our Western Barbie and Ken. Sara and Dara look like this:. This just makes me think that dolls are a bad idea. …Untitled - http://sobsister.com/ […]