¶ … Barbies, Ourselves

Emily Prager's "Our Barbies, Ourselves" examines the impact that the Barbie doll has had on American culture, perceptions of gender, and heterosexual relationships. Prager begins by noting that Barbie was designed by a man, a fact that makes sense to Prager given the outrageous physical proportions of the doll. As she states, Barbie "looks like someone who got her start at the Playboy Mansion," (766). Barbie's body is completely out of proportion and unrealistic, even if she had breast augmentation surgery. In fact, Prager suggests that the current fad of breast enlargement might be related to the subconscious desire to look more like Barbie. Barbie, the author suggests, has influenced generations of women and programmed them to try to look a certain way.

In her analysis of the doll's cultural, social, and psychological implications, Prager investigates the potentially sinister motives behind the doll's creation, even if those motives were unconscious. For example, Barbie could have been used as a "weapon" against feminism in the 1960s (766). Barbie is also a hard and phallic doll, especially when compared to older doll models. Prager does note some of the more positive characteristics and traits of the doll too. For instance, she notes that Barbie was one of the first dolls not designed to be a baby girl or prissy young woman. Rather, Barbie is independent and unmarried and has her own home and car.

Prager then comments on the implications of Barbie's male partner doll Ken. Prager notes that Ken has no genitals. While his missing genetalia might have been a decision based on modesty, Prager notes that in conjunction with Barbie's huge breasts, Ken's asexuality hints at a growing loneliness in American culture. Barbie and Ken cannot have sexual relations and Ken cannot respond to Barbie, even though she is so typically attractive.

'Our Barbies, Ourselves" is thematically linked to the Croal and Hughes article "Lara Croft, the Bit Girl" because describe how an inanimate, toy or game female pop culture icon influences American society and its gender roles.

A potential area of research inspired by these two works could investigate the impact of male toys such as GI Joe and male video game heroes on gender roles in America.