Eating Disorders In Ruth Marianna Handler's The Slumber Party

Food is an important aspect of our life that we thrive off of. But what happens when one doesn’t have a good relationship with food? Eating disorders affect 720 million people worldwide (or 9% of the population) There is not as much awareness about eating disorders compared to other mental illnesses even though eating disorders are the second deadliest mental illness. Eating disorders are a deadly disease that need to be brought more awareness to.

More specifically she represents the embodiment of the mainstream beauty standard (Klein). She became a very significant role in gender socialization among young girls and woman. In the first Barbie commercial ever, if you carefully scrutinize the lyrics, it says “…someday I’m going to be exactly like you, until then I know just what I’ll do, Barbie beautiful Barbie I’ll make believe I am you” these lyrics informs us that Barbie represents a dream to every little girl, how their future should look like. Barbie was able to remain popular in the conservative times of the 50’s by captivating the attention of little girls, they all aspired to look just like her. Barbie was able to uphold some of the messages that dominated that era by represents the gender roles that belong to woman, in the first Barbie commercial, you can see Barbie wearing a wedding dress, symbolizing that every girl/woman desires to become a

In Marge Piercy’s poem, Barbie Doll, she reminds young adults that the must have childhood toy was a Barbie Doll. Barbie, at one point, became so popular that every little girl was dying to have one. One main points of the short poem was asking the reader to examine what comes to mind when you think of a Barbie doll? Most will say a toy from a previous childhood. The overall view of this poem is about a girl who was born not like everyone else and she never gets a chance to make her own decisions in life.

“Barbie Doll”, a hyperbolic poem about the dangers of body dysmorphia, depicts a young female confronted with a

The story tells the reader about how two girls, each owns a Barbie doll with their one outfit piece and they made a dress out of worn socks for the dolls. One Sunday, they both went to the flea market on Maxwell Street, where the dolls of the other characters in Barbie were sold with lower price as a big toy warehouse was destroyed by fire. They did not mind to buy the dolls at the flea market even though the dolls were flawed, soaked with water and smelled like ashes. Barbie is widely pictured as a successful girl, who is perfect in every way; with her beautiful face, a slim body, nice house, secured job and a handsome boyfriend which is the fancy of every girl. The story tells the reader of the expectancy for women to have this immaculate figure, ignoring the fact that each person has different body fat percentage and body mass index which may affect their sizes and weights.

The freedom of being able to change Barbie’s clothes into her various wardrobes sold gives the young children playing with her the sense of individuality. Although Barbie has brought a lot of controversy to the table within the years it has been on the shelf, her portrayal has not changed because after all she is just a doll,

I think that the poem "Barbie Doll" was a very telling poem that really helped to sort of paint a picture of the way that standards on appearance and beauty are in our society. Piercy builds the outrage by saying that women are looked at upon to be coy, but also to be cheerful and jovial when coming onto others. Her choice of words leads to the conclusion that the women of our society are boxed in on how they should look and act. The imagery that the title "Barbie Doll" shows is that of a sense of normality; since Barbie Dolls are the norm for girls today. So many women are told what to wear, how to behave, what their weight should be that it degrades them.

Whether a journalist, a doctor, a professional dancer or even a professional speed racer Barbie, you have an abundance of roles to play with. If you imagined it, there’s a Barbie for it. In Defense of Barbie is another article that feels as equally as I do pertaining to Barbie’s success and scrutiny. “With new ads in Times Square showcasing a new slogan: Be you, be bold, Be Unapologetic” Barbie is more of a positive role model for society instead of what the world makes her out to be. What other doll influences children and women to pursue their dreams?

An example of theses descriptions is, “Yours is the one with mean eyes and a ponytail. Striped swimsuit, stilettos, sunglasses, and gold hoop earrings” (Cisneros 1). These features seem to be describing the generic Barbie and the accessories that you can get with her though it is never explained. The narrator then goes on to talk about the Barbie’s as if they are alive. She says, “Your Barbie is roommates with my Barbie, and my Barbie’s boyfriend comes over and your Barbie steals him, okay?

Barbie dolls extend girls an invitation to a ‘‘plastic society’’ that doesn't accept the genuineness each of us possesses. They present a role model impossible to accomplish. The characters didn't have names, they could hold a symbolic representation of society’s judgment. The girls had the first dolls just like they wanted, but they desired to cover all of the imperfections on the dolls damaged in the fire with new clothes such as the ‘‘Prom Pink outfit’’ (Cisneros). Thereupon, no one would notice the

With the constant fear of ridicule and discrimination, we still try and define ourselves, though we are always under the society’s scope. Marge Piercy, in her poem “Barbie Doll”, gives us a look at the influence of our surroundings and how something as innocent as a doll can trigger these insecurities. Our strive for acceptance and “perfection” can cause major emotional damage on anyone who identifies as a woman. Young girls look at these depictions of “perfect” bodies, such as a barbie doll for example, and compare themselves. In the poem “Barbie Doll”, Piercy talks about a young girl who she described as “...healthy, tested and intelligent...” (247) but, she was picked on by peers who said she had “a great big nose and fat legs.”

Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” takes a sarcastic approach to backlash at society and send the reader a message about what beauty really is. In “Barbie Doll”, A Barbie doll is used to show and symbolize what society views as what a female should aspire to become “perfect”. “Barbie's unrealistic body type…busty with a tiny waist, thin thighs and long legs…is reflective of our culture's feminine ideal. Yet less than two percent of American women can ever hope to achieve such dreamy measurements.”

Every year more Barbies are being sold than babies are born. Have you ever wondered who created the dolls that have their own shows, movies, and is a little child’s favorite toy? Ruth Handler did many impressive things throughout her lifetime. Ruth created Barbie, became the co-owner of her husband’s company “Mattel”, all while taking down breast cancer, which resulted in the creation of “Nearly Me.” One of Ruth Handlers biggest accomplishments was creating Barbie.

Although Barbie has conveyed many beliefs through the clothes and jobs she has had, the most controversial belief has been body image. Since first being brought out into the world, Barbie has had an unreasonably shaped body, with a small waist and large breasts. All of Barbie’s body features have impacted the way society expects women to look. But in 2016, Barbie had a dramatic makeover, she was released in different heights and body shapes, making her more suitable to the way women actually look. Barbie’s new look has made a positive impact on young girls and potentially society’s unrealistic expectations of

But where did it all start and how did you get to this position? You’re five years old when you receive your first Barbie doll. Your innocent mind looks at the plastic figure as just a symbol of inspiration or a relatable toy used on the playground