Talkin' About Gender

I had a song called "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" stuck in my head while I worked on the first blog entry (in case you were wondering). I thought it would be cute to use a picture of Barbie as a magician to tie in with the theme. I have attached the closest picture I could find--Barbie as a magician's assistant. I was disappointed, but realized that this photo could be an interesting segue to discuss gender as it relates to Barbie and Barbie Girls, the virtual world I have joined.

People have been manipulating Barbie dolls since they were introduced to the world over 50 years ago. Barbie has been given haircuts and indelible crayon marks and has even lost her head at the hands of little girls who want to reinvent her image. These days it is easy to find images where Barbie has modified by adults as a reflection of modern society. I don't think it is a coincidence that Barbie has not yet broken into the male-dominated field of magic, but instead has to settle for being a passive assistant who looks like she could be asleep. It was easy for me to find images of her being a "bad girl." I found a Barbie "tramp stamp" and a Barbie making naughty copies while sitting on a copy machine. These images support the current hegemony related to gender in much the same way the Girls Gone Wild phenomenon does.










Earlier this evening (06/30/10) I had difficulty accessing Barbie Girls because the program was running very slowly. In fact, my session timed out and I had to log in again before I could play games. I think this was probably during a heavy usage period for the website. I tried again later and played around on the site for about an hour and a half. I went to my room and decided to decorate. I found that I could only add five pieces of furniture (a bed is standard) and they did not really match IMO. I went to add accessories to the room, but found that I could not do so because I am not a VIP member. I was frustrated and sad. I can't invite people to my room since I am not a VIP so I was a little lonely walking around the room. I tried inviting my classmates to be friends with me, but none of them were online at the same time. In fact, none of my Barbie friends were online so I was pretty lonely tonight. I decided to play some games. I played Jammin' Hamster, a game that is similar to Rocket Mania, one of my favorite online games. I remembered that I wanted to get some glasses so I went to change my look. And once again, that purse that I can't get due to my non-VIP status was calling my name. I thought I could expand my profile by clicking on the Fab Facts link and once again got shut out because I am not a VIP. Dang, this is frustrating and I am about ready to plunk down the $6 to see what this whole VIP thing is about. It must be difficult to be a little girl who can't afford to be a VIP or access the website if she has friends who think this is really cool.

Here are some of the messages that I have received about gender through my time on Barbie.com:

1. Being a Barbie girl means that you must like pink. A lot. Now, I must explain that my bathroom is painted Pepto Pink, but there is only so much blush and bashful (see Steel Magnolias) I can take.
2. A Barbie girl must be thin. I could not choose a body type that matches mine when I created my avatar.
3. Clothes, accessories, makeup and accessories are important to create my look. Clothing and shoes must be gender appropriate.
4. Barbie girls like to shop and decorate. I tried to go to the rec center as directed on the Barbie.com page, but was unable to find it.
5. I can be anything! There is a page on Barbie.com that lets me know I can be a pet vet, a rocker or a ballerina. But all the drawings of Barbie in her work clothes show her dressed in the most up-to-date stylish clothes that make it look like she is in a fashion show instead of going to a job.

Here is my question for the class:

Are there other messages that girls and boys learn about gender through their exposure to Barbie dolls and the Barbie Girl virtual world? Do these messages attempt to support or deconstruct the current hegemonic gender structure? What kinds of messages would you want to discuss with your child or nieces/nephews about gender when they play with Barbie dolls?