The Symbolic Significance of Toys
In his book, Mythologies, a collection of semiotic analyses, Roland Barthes has an essay entitled, “Toys.” In it, he argues that what toys really do is to socialize girls and boys into their gendered adult roles. For example, when I was a girl, one of the gifts I was given was a child-size iron and ironing board; I also received an EasyBake oven. Here’s a commercial that seeks to sell a toy lawn mower to small boys. Notice how the Dad is interacting with his son as he initiates him into a traditional male role:
Fisher-Price Bubble Mower Commercial
Fisher-Price Bubble Mower Commercial
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In this essay, Barthes also looks at the significance of toys being made out of hard plastic as opposed to more natural materials such as wood. With wood, he argues, children eventually wear the material down to leave their own imprint on it, as opposed to the unyielding hardness of plastic.
When I think of toys from my childhood, they also left more space for creativity. We played with blocks, lincoln logs, etc … Our legos didn’t come in a kit; we had to create designs from scratch.
Another difference that I’ve noticed is the greater emphasis on technology, even with toys that would have been kid-powered in the past. I once saw a small boy in an electric car with a straining engine that was on the verge of breaking down; in contrast, when I was a child, we moved our Big Wheels, etc… by pedaling them furiously. Outdoor toys have been replaced with indoor ones, and toys have become noisier because that’s what helps them to stand out at the store. These changes in toys tell us a lot about some of the corresponding changes that have taken place in society.
You can’t discuss toys without looking at the Barbie doll. We’re most familiar with feminist critiques of her seemingly unattainable proportions. Here’s what the BBC had to say about those on the 50th anniversary of the doll:
“Serious research on the subject has drawn certain conclusions. Academics from the University of South Australia suggest the likelihood of a woman having Barbie’s body shape is one in 100,000. So not impossible, but extremely rare. Researchers at Finland’s University Central Hospital in Helsinki say if Barbie were life size she would lack the 17 to 22% body fat required for a woman to menstruate. So again, not an unachievable figure, but certainly not a healthy one. . .
Do the maths
So, one trip to the toy shop and one measuring session with “Tricky Triplets Barbie” later, these are the vital statistics the Magazine was left with:
bust 4.6ins (11.6cm)
waist 3.5ins (8.9cm), and
hips 5ins (12.7cm)
Next, step forward our real life model, Libby, aged 27 – who is a slim, but unremarkable size 10/12. [Note: A British size 10 corresponds to an American size 6.] Applying Barbie’s proportions to Libby’s body yields some interesting results.
If Libby’s waist size of 28ins (71.1cm) were to remain unchanged, then applying Barbie’s proportions to her would mean Libby shoots up in height, to an Amazonian at 7ft 6ins (2.28m) tall. That’s just two inches shorter than the world’s tallest woman, Yao Defen. She would also have hips measuring 40ins (101.6cm) and a bust of 37ins (83.9cm).
But what if, instead, Libby’s height of 5ft 6ins (1.68m) was to remain unchanged. Doing the maths, Libby would have an extraordinarily tight waist of just 20ins (50.8cm), while her bust would be 27ins (68.5cm) and her hips 29ins (73.6cm). Even the famously slight Victoria Beckham reportedly only has a 23ins (58.4cm) waist. But neither are they unheard of – Brigitte Bardot was famous for her 20ins (50.8cm) waist.”
Here’s a link to a Time magazine cover story about Barbie and how Mattel came out with new doll silhouettes in response to consumer critiques and flagging sales. Link
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In “Barbie: Queen of Dolls and Consumerism,” Amy Lin, a student at UCLA, writes a critique of Barbie that focuses instead on the unhealthy messages about materialism that the doll sends. Here’s her thesis statement: Barbie dolls foster materialism in young females through both their overwhelmingly large selection and their ability to create a financially carefree world for children, sending the message that excessive consumption is acceptable. This consequently perpetuates the misassumption that the American economy [is] an endlessly fertile continent whose boundaries never need be reached (Shames 81) among the American youth” (35).
DIRECTIONS: Read her essay (pp. 35-41 in Signs of Life). Then answer the homework questions below, and submit your answers to this assignment page by Tuesday, June 15th.
Here are some of the key points she brings up:
Barbie products new but unnecessary.
Evidence of plethora of Barbie paraphernalia
exorbitant costs/Profit motive
Little originality
Similarity and tradition
Increasingly ridiculous
Little educational value
Commodification of culture (37)
Lack of ethnic diversity
Barbie brand goods reflect current fads
Enchant children. Use them to nag parents. Ex. Lets dance Genevieve doll (38).
Increases childrens materialistic tendencies
Doesnt shed stereotypes; creates new oneshopaholic.
Abundance creates unhappiness
Homework Questions on “Barbie: Queen of Dolls and Consumerism”
Answer any four of the five questions below.
Lin opens her essay with an anecdote about her own interactions with Barbie dolls. What is the purpose of beginning the essay this way? (Notice also that she circles back to this initial idea as she concludes the essay.)
Besides the impossible standards of beauty that Barbie represents, the lack of ethnic diversity of these dolls, and the rampant consumerism that Lin mentions, are there any other negative messages that Barbie conveys? What about positive messages? Or, if you’d rather, you can expand on the negative messages mentioned above.
What about Barbie’s competitors, such as Bratz or Monster High? How are these toys marketed? Do they send different messages?
To help you answer the next question, here’s a clip from Jackson Katz’s video Tough Guise. Start the clip at 1:38 and watch to 2:39 to listen to his discussion of how boys’ action figures have grown more muscular, just as pro-wrestlers and actors playing superheroes also have in recent years.
tough guise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyK4bpWZm
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4. Compare/contrast the messages sent by Barbie with those conveyed by boys action figures, like GI Joe.
Real Life Ken and Barbie Hate Each Other
Real Life Ken and Barbie Hate Each Other
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5. What is it about Ken and Barbie that would lead real people to seek to transform themselves into living versions of these dolls, including surgically altering their faces (the key visual manifestation of identity)?
