American Culture Immortalized in Plastic

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

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People’s lives were more of what they wanted them to consist of as opposed to the reality they were faced with (535).

In nineteen seventy-four, 4,990 courses in women’s studies alone were offered in 995 higher learning institutions (167). She was dressed in a tight, mid-length sequined gown that was modeled after Whitney Houston (27). But besides major events such as that and their wedding in 1965 (48), events and details in Barbie and Ken’s relationship were kept somewhat vague and

up to the owner to decide upon since imagination was an increasingly popular characteristic in the sixties (Handler, 63). The craze for girls was now slumber parties, and Barbie’s outfits consisted of high-fashion sleep ensembles and outfits concerned with hygiene and homemaking (26). Forty one percent of women were working in 1970 as opposed to the mere 36% in 1960 (American Decades: 1960-1969 91). Because of this concern, “Great Shape Barbie” was introduced in 1979 (Westenhauser 115).

As far as society values were concerned, the beginning of the sixties mirrored values of the fifties with families living in suburban housing developments (American Decades: 1960-1969 325), as did Barbie. When Ken was introduced to her in 1963 (10), they represented the teenage couple; they went to the prom that year, and were crowned prom king and queen (Boy 43). This demonstrated the rising power of American women in the social and political worlds after deciding that they no longer wanted to be treated as housewives all the time (Rowbotham 510). She has become more then just a doll; Barbie is a sometimes-controversial icon,that has also been a role model for generations of young girls.

During this time while mothers were staying home, trying to imitate the images presented by these models, their daughters were stepping into the spotlight as society began to show a constant emphasis on America’s youth and culture in general (Rowbotham 329). With this, came the body suits that were made out of spandex, which came in neon colors worn by skaters (American Decades: 1970-1979 201). Within this good example still existed the innocent looking girl from the fifties (American Decades: 1960-1969 147), but she now had a new hairstyle. com 2), and on Hallmark Christmas tree ornaments (Augustniyak 108).

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Approximate Word count = 4119
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)

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