Day 3: Deconstructing Barbie (pages 187)

Similar to most girls, I grew up playing with Barbie dolls. In fact, I didn’t just play with Barbie dolls, I loved and obsessed over Barbie dolls. For birthdays and holidays, I often would ask for the newest Barbie play set. I spent hour after hour envisioning my future and playing that future out in my Barbie world.  I cherished my Barbie dolls because to me they represented not only a fun way to spend my time, but hope and unlimited possibilities of my future. To this day, I still have all of my old Barbie dolls saved and stored in my basement because I simply cannot part with them.

As a result of my fond childhood memories for Barbie, I decided to read "Deconstructing Barbie: Math and popular Culture." This chapter focused on how Barbie's physical proportions are not based in the realistic images of women. I believe I was more receptive to the author, Swapna Mukhopadhya, because I had been shown a similar image to this one as part of a college course on being a culturally responsive educator.  

Unrealistic Barbie Body

In this chapter, the author discusses how she used the unrealistic proportions of Barbie and how she has students in her class complete an activity to discover this concept on their own. She allows students to practice using the mathematical concepts of scale and measurement to figure out what Barbie would look like if she was made proportional to an average adult. She takes this further by having the class bring action figures to life as well.

I must admit that I did not think of the unrealistic scale of Barbie dolls when I was younger. However, in retrospect I do realize how I aimed my Barbie dolls to look pretty with neat hair, a fashionable outfit, and of course the famous Barbie high heels. I also remember growing up that a girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and straight hairs were seen as ideal and beautiful. I do not have blonde hair, blue eyes, or straight hair. Did my love for Barbie contribute to my longing for straight hair in middle school? I would absolutely agree it did. I must say it was not the only reason, but I would put partial blame on Barbie.

Although I believe Barbie dolls contributed to my ideals of beauty, I do not regretting playing with the dolls. Some of my most cherished memories consisted of me playing with the dolls. Instead, I wished that I were taught how to think about beauty in a different way. Unfortunately, I did receive the secret education of Barbie dolls because I did not have explicit instruction on how to think critically about the tools I was interacting with.

As an educator and as a future parent someday, I hope to educate children to think critically about the world around them. Although the world is evolving to resist the dominant culture of society, I believe that students will always need these skills to think critically because everything that is produced cannot be exempt completely of bias.

Evolving Barbie Image