Johnny Phillips
English 101
Summary Response
October 6, 2016
A Barbie for Every Body
Barbie’s creators have received a plethora of negative comments on their toy affecting body image; taking those comments seriously, they created a new line of toys. Elaina Dockterman writes that sales for Barbie dropped drastically. Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, expanded the brand to movies, television, and apparel to try and save the business. The change was expected to increase sales of Barbie. Dockterman states not only did it increase sales, but it also increased the hecklers. The creators of Barbie constantly receive horrid hate-mail for their toy not promoting diversity or success, saying that she only represents ridiculous beauty standards. According to Dockterman, “Mattel has long claimed that Barbie has no influence on girls’ body image, pointing to whisper-thin models and even moms as the source…” (Dockterman par. 12). To combat the lowering sales and hate-mail, Mattel began to make a new line of toys including the following silhouettes: petite, tall, and curvy. Dockterman points out that this is a risk for the Barbie creators because the varying body types cause the clothing to not fit the different Barbies correctly. This is an issue for Mattel, but they say that manufacture of the varying Barbie types will continue. While the ‘ideal’ body type has evolved to a more busty, curvy woman, female activists are still fighting for equal body acceptance and many believe Mattel should continue to fight with the activists.
English 101
Summary Response
October 6, 2016
A Barbie for Every Body
Barbie’s creators have received a plethora of negative comments on their toy affecting body image; taking those comments seriously, they created a new line of toys. Elaina Dockterman writes that sales for Barbie dropped drastically. Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, expanded the brand to movies, television, and apparel to try and save the business. The change was expected to increase sales of Barbie. Dockterman states not only did it increase sales, but it also increased the hecklers. The creators of Barbie constantly receive horrid hate-mail for their toy not promoting diversity or success, saying that she only represents ridiculous beauty standards. According to Dockterman, “Mattel has long claimed that Barbie has no influence on girls’ body image, pointing to whisper-thin models and even moms as the source…” (Dockterman par. 12). To combat the lowering sales and hate-mail, Mattel began to make a new line of toys including the following silhouettes: petite, tall, and curvy. Dockterman points out that this is a risk for the Barbie creators because the varying body types cause the clothing to not fit the different Barbies correctly. This is an issue for Mattel, but they say that manufacture of the varying Barbie types will continue. While the ‘ideal’ body type has evolved to a more busty, curvy woman, female activists are still fighting for equal body acceptance and many believe Mattel should continue to fight with the activists.
Works Cited
Dockterman, Eliana. "Barbie's Got a New Body." Time. Time, 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
Dockterman, Eliana. "Barbie's Got a New Body." Time. Time, 8 Feb. 2016. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.