American Culture Immortalized in Plastic
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a fad as "A custom, style, etc. that many people are interested in for a short period of time" (Webster 486). However, even though a fad generally lasts for a short while, few fads have lingered and become infamous characteristics of America itself. The Cabbage Patch doll differed from any other baby doll up until the 80's simply because you didn't just buy one, you adopted one. Each doll came with a birth certificate and adoption papers; and like children, no two Cabbage Patch dolls were alike, as the result of computer generated molds for each doll (Cabbage Patch Dolls 1). With this new take on dolls, little girls had a new sense of responsibility attached to their toy because it was officially theirs. Even though the Cabbage Patch doll craze only stuck around until the late 1980's (1), they were one of the millions of fads that America has seen. On the flip side of the coin, owning a Barbie didn't just give the owner a sense of increased responsibility; it opened up a new world to the eyes of little girls. A world where a woman could do anything, be anything or live her life in anyway she wanted to. This was something that was unheard of, especially in the early years of Barbie, when w
The bubble cut was introduced in 1961 to keep up with the changing times (Asakawa 43). com 2), and on Hallmark Christmas tree ornaments (Augustniyak 108). In 1974, the United States Department of Labor Chart had 99% of working women working as secretaries, 96% working as nurses, 28% as college teachers, and even 6% as policewomen or firewomen (proportionally speaking) (American Decades: 1970-1979 346). She came with a scale that was permanently set on 110 pounds and came with a book entitled, How to Lose Weight. "Disco Barbie," issued in 1974 (Lanzarini 20), fashioned flared, bell-bottomed pants suits (Boy 103) that mirrored John Travolta's disco-esque style in Saturday Night Fever (American Decades: 1970-1979 194). Barbie's "Lemon Kick" outfit of 1970 showed the longer shirts that go with pants suits and pleats, which were being seen more and more (Boy 104). Even though the fashions of roller disco didn't fade out as the eighties approached, the 70's fad of disco combined with roller skating yielded roller disco's that began popping up all over the place (Westenhauser 122). She came complete with three wigs, one for each style previously discussed, each of which suited an aspect of her fast-paced lifestyle (Asakawa 43). This focuses on the belief that the collective power of women as redeemers of the earth (514) needed to be recognized before there was a fight for equal rights. The models in these pageants reflected the style of Bettina, a Spanish model that every woman tried to conform too, including Barbie (Boy 15). Neutral colors that encouraged a connection with nature also became popular, but tie-dyed clothing was not forgotten. Barbie is presented in a black, glitter, strapless gown with a beaded necklace and a red rose accenting the tutu-styled bottom of her dress. Nineteen fifty-nine brought about the introduction of "glittering members of the fashion constellation" (Boy 15) including Givenchy, Cardin, and Balmain as well as the birth of an American icon by the name of Barbie Millicent Handler. People have seen Barbie as a sexually promiscuous icon that would never be able to exist in real life (197-198).
Common topics in this essay:
American Decades,
Barbie Ken,
Cabbage Patch,
Solo Spotlight,
Poncho Put-On,
Feminine Mystique,
Rickie Nelson,
Jackie Kennedy,
Organization Women,
Miss America,
american decades,
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cabbage patch,
american decades 1960-1969,
decades 1960-1969,
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cabbage patch dolls,
little girls,
27 barbie,
fad lasts short,
avocado colored appliances,
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Acceptance Essays
