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Barbie Effects On Children

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Barbie Effects On Children
Do you ever catch yourself looking in a mirror wishing you were as skinny and beautiful as Barbie? Children go through a stage in their life when they are constantly worrying about what they look like, how much they weigh compared to others. Barbie helped sustain this negative attitude with the boys and girls. Young girls look up to the barbie doll wanting to be her when they were older and not realizing that she is not a realistic image. The children suffering or who has suffered down this path could be avoiding this path. You don't need barbie as a toy at any point of your life. You can find other toys that are more realistic looking who can help you to maintain a positive and healthy lifestyle. By portraying extreme beauty expectations, …show more content…
The price of beauty is more than you’re willing to pay. Barbie does not have a realistic body image. Young girls have a theory that since Barbie is so beautiful they must look like her. "Playing with Barbie has an effect on girls’ ideas about their place in the world" (Sherman). Playing with Barbie has an effect on girls’ ideas about their place in the world. It creates these young girls to believe that when they grow they have to look like Barbie and only barbie. "Childhood development is complicated, and playing with one toy isn’t likely to adapt a child’s career aspirations" (Sherman). Toys such as dolls or action figures can influence children's ideas about their future. Children are influenced by the toys they play with. Toys are given to young children part for play and part as a tool for real life practice. "That’s why we have housekeeping toys, toy doctor kits, toy pots and pans, baby dolls and so on". Through play, children learn about the world and their place in it. Barbie teaches children that it is alluring to be very thin. They teach children to strive for an unrealistic body image. These young women most likely played with Barbie dolls when they were younger before they discovered theirs eating disorders. By portraying extreme beauty expectations, barbie sets up a standard for young children who are willing to harm themselves trying to achieve an unrealistic body

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