blog




  • Essay / Time Magazine Cover Discussion of Barbie

    Final Rhetorical Analysis Since the early 1960s, Barbie has not changed much other than changing into more modern clothing and different materials. If Barbie were a real woman, she would be approximately five feet nine inches tall, weigh one hundred and ten pounds, with a waist of eighteen inches and a bust of thirty-nine inches. These are very unrealistic measurements of women in today's society. In any society, for that matter. When in 2015, Barbie was introduced with eight different skin tones, varied facial features, different hair and eye colors, people expected more from Mattel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original Essay On a recent TIME magazine cover, Curvy Barbie made her big debut as the “new and improved” Barbie. The goal of this dynamic change is that new Barbies with different body types and new skin/hair tones more naturally reflect the world of young owners. On this cover, you'll also notice the phrase almost as large as the magazine's title, "Now Can We Stop Talking About My Body?" Watching this, you may have felt empowered or proud of your unique body, because Barbie's body is now realistic. I felt the same way. I've always been proud of my athletic build and thicker legs. However, thinking about that phrase, I'm not sure they phrased it as well as they could have. It’s definitely a statement that grabs people’s attention and provokes deeper thinking. Through my own personal, deeper reflection, I began to get upset about that big, black, bold sentence on the cover. After a few minutes of thinking, I said to myself, "Well yeah, it's great that they were more adaptive and modern with this big change, but obviously we can't stop talking about Barbie's body!" ". Even when Barbie is curvy, people can't stop talking about her body! Even though the intentions are good, it still bothers me. We live in a world where women's bodies are sexualized and subjectified. For example; the media is obsessed with Kim Kardashian's butt and Angelina Jolie's latest plastic surgery and plump lips. Feminists are coming out of the shadows and people all over the world are offended by every little thing that comes out of someone's mouth. Ultimately, this is a step in the right direction. but why focus only on the body shape and physical nature of the beloved Barbie? Isn't that the point? To stop focusing on our appearances and love someone for who they are, rather than their size? Let's talk about Barbie's dreams and ambitions. Is it driven? Does she have a thriving career and is this her passion? Does she take care of her body as best she can? Does she feel good about herself? Looking at this cover, you wouldn't think Mattel cared about any of these factors, just Barbie's body. As members of society, we are not blind to the fact that women and men feel a lot of pressure from these false standards of “Originality.” Barbie.” As a girl who played with Barbies regularly until my teens, I never felt that kind of pressure from Barbie. I don't remember looking at Barbie and thinking of her as an object or a perfect body. I especially don't remember thinking bad things about myself in later years because I didn't look like Barbie. I considered my many Barbies to be friends. I think therehas a lot to say about growing up in a home where my mother worked and was a very confident and intelligent woman. I had no reason to feel inferior to my body when I was older. I've never been one hundred percent happy with my appearance, but I don't think Barbie plays that role in every girl's life. Statistically, it's possible, but I may be the exception to that. There are many other factors that come into play when it comes to being confident and feeling beautiful in your own skin, whether it's petite, quirky, curvy or tall. It's a foundation on which some girls can build their view of their body, especially in this day and age. Another part of this argument is that it is a business tactic. Mattel's sales fell 20% after the popular Frozen doll Elsa was named the number one toy for girls. As a result, someone had to come up with something so good that they would be on top again. So, here we are with Petite, Curvy, Original and Tall Barbie. After losing $500 million, you have to get creative to make up for such a damaging loss. Thinking of ways to introduce these names and new Barbies was no easy task. As mentioned above, the world we live in is becoming more and more sensitive. You have to walk on eggshells so as not to offend anyone or any group of people. The names of these Barbies are similar to the sections in a women's department, or the symbols and abbreviations next to the waistline on jeans. Just like department stores, you will need to choose and purchase specialized clothing for your new Barbies, as not all of them will fit the new body types. Since it's very realistic, I hope it sends a message like "different is good" rather than "I need to buy bigger clothes for my Barbie!" » The biggest drawback, in my opinion, of this coverage is that Barbies are always criticized on the size and shape of their bodies. The positive things this magazine offers are how different they actually are. This has never happened before! Barbie put some meat on her bones and showed off her short, curvy legs on the TIME magazine runway for the world to see. This isn't the only place she's done this, but people all over the world know this popular magazine, probably as well as they know Barbie. That being said, I don't think they needed to make a big deal out of it. . This just adds to the hype around women's bodies and puts it right back into the media, front pages and all. Just having a small part of TIME magazine (instead of four pages and the cover) or other national media might have been enough. Instead, the "new" Barbie was exploited on billboards, in national and local news, in magazines, and, I'm sure, on radio shows around the world. It just goes to show that people need the approval of their fellow citizens, their friends, and the world at large. By making a statement as big as this, it was treated the same as the latest celebrity sex tape released. I chose this coverage as media because it is something that is a hot topic right now in the media. I like to think this will help young girls who are bombarded by scales, magazine covers, advertisements, songs and models. Mattel's intentions, whether for business or a revolutionary change from the "same old Barbie", will hopefully allow young children who play with them to begin to develop a healthy body image and self-esteem. self.