Mutilating Femininity

Jill Lawless’ December 19 AP article, “Researchers Find Barbie is Often Mutilated,” reports a University of Bath study of the role of brands among children. 100 seven to eleven year olds were queried about their attitudes toward a range of products. The study found that girls often mutilated Barbie. The girls’ torture methods included breaking, burning, decapitation and microwaving. The article does not refer to the torture of Barbies in any context such as playing war or acting out stories or movie roles. Violence toward Barbie doesn’t appear to be part of a game. It is the game. Such torture of a toy implies that the girls’ hostility is directed at something greater than Barbie.

Many girls questioned in the study explained their behavior by saying Barbie was “babyish.” The researchers concluded that torturing Barbies was a creative way of disposing of excess toys. That would be a logical conclusion if the children did the same with Cabbage Patch Dolls, teddy bears and other outgrown toys. However, the AP story implied that Barbie was the only toy subjected to such abuse. In fact, boys questioned in the survey “often expressed nostalgia and affection toward Action Man_the British equivalent of GI Joe.”

Many girls questioned in the study reported having boxes of Barbies. This led one University of Bath researcher, Dr. Agnes Nairn, to the conclusion that Barbie was a symbol of excess. It is logical that spoiled children would be careless with toys. Children who own many toys seem more likely to lose or accidentally break toys than those who own fewer toys. Displaying sadism toward a toy indicates something deeper than seeing the toy as extra. Wouldn’t children normally relegate outgrown or excess toys to attics and the backs of closets to eventually be donated to charity or thrown away?

Mutilation of Barbie seems like a rejection of traditional femininity. Ruth Handler’s inspiration for Barbie was the German Lilli fashion doll first made in 1955. Lilli was based on a cartoon character from the West German newsletter Bild. She was meant to be sexy. Lilli dolls were sometimes offered to women by boyfriends as an indication that they wanted their relationships to become intimate. Ruth Handler gave Barbie a more wholesome image and placed the emphasis on fashion.

Feminists objected to Barbie on the grounds that the doll emphasized fashion and beauty over intellect and career aspirations. Barbie is a doll: Whether or not Barbie represents a career-oriented character depends on the child who plays with her. In response to Barbie’s image problem with feminists, Mattel created some career Barbies such as “Veterinarian Barbie.” Feminists also objected to Barbie on the grounds that it drives girls to aspire to a physical standard that is impossible to meet. Tall, blonde, buxom, wasp-waisted, curvy-hipped Barbie is an idealized image. Children eventually learn humans’ looks and abilities can’t be based on artificial creations: Boys learn that they can’t fly like Superman and girls learn they can’t look like Barbie. Images created by toys and the media can influence how females will perceive their bodies when they grow up. Yet, no matter which images are presented, as long as physical appearance is a factor in attracting and keeping a man, women will worry about their looks. As male physical appearance became a greater factor in attracting women, men became more concerned about their looks and the metrosexual came into being.

The Barbie doll’s image is one of relatively modest femininity. While Barbie is tortured by British youngsters, her Syrian counterpart, Fulla, is adored by Middle Eastern girls. NewBoy Design Studio’s Fulla is sold wearing either a long coat with a white headscarf or a black abaya. Both Fulla dolls wear fashionable western dresses under the traditional garb. The Fulla doll reflects the values of traditional Middle Eastern society. Does Barbie still reflect those of Western society?

Sales of Bratz dolls, (introduced in 2000), are catching up to sales of Barbie, (introduced in 1959). Bratz are pouting, scantily clad dolls that bear a creepy resemblance to the alien depicted on the cover of the 1987 book, Communion. Bratz are fashion dolls, so a wardrobe of skanky, slutty, hookerish outfits is available. In an attempt to compete with Bratz, Mattel made Barbie the “My Scene Bling, Bling Barbie” who sported heavy make-up, a halter-top, hot pants and fake fur. Bratz, (the 6th biggest license in the UK in 2003), were not mentioned in the University of Bath study. Only Barbie seemed to be singled out for abuse.

Do Bratz reflect our present values? Sadly, they just might. The torture of Barbie dolls by young girls may reflect a visceral hatred of a feminine ideal of girl-next-door prettiness in favor of a feminine ideal of sleaziness. In an age when college girls seem to equate power with aggressive sexuality, the prettiness and relative modesty of Barbie may be seen as weakness. Barbie is a remnant of a time when many men placed women on a pedestal. Bratz are symbolic of a time when many women place themselves in the gutter.

Copyright Eva Ellsworth, 12/27/05, all rights reserved