Barbie and Self Esteem: What’s so Bad about Barbie?

Barbie and Self Esteem

If you had a child, would you trust a controversial doll to take care of your child’s self-esteem?. This is the ongoing issue right now when it comes to the issue of Barbie and self-esteem in the United Kingdom, a country that is a patron of the American brand of lifestyle dolls. A theater group in the U. K. is offering a program on self-esteem which is based on one of the dolls animated films.

Over the years, the Barbie brand has been associated with a number of issues, including the issue on lowering a child’s self esteem and the effect of giving a child a poor perception of their body image. This makes it bad news for some parents and guardians who would want nothing but to give a young girl a chance to lead a normal life free from scrutiny while seeing a positive image of herself.

But before you can throw the idea of the Barbie and self esteem program out of the window, you have to see the two sides of the story and decide for yourself whether the program works well for your child. To understand the controversy behind the Barbie brand, it is important to note who Barbie is and what this means for a child who may want to have a fun time with her favorite doll.

A Profile on Barbie

For over 50 years since it was first released, Barbie has been the center of controversy and scrutiny from a number of people, most especially from women who believe that the doll does not do well as an inspiration for a number of children.

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Based on the stories made to depict Barbie, it seems that she doesn’t have anything wrong with her. She is an independent woman whose career made her a very wealthy doll. With her long-time boyfriend and her animal friends, it seems that Barbie is an image of a strong and confident woman someone who can be admired in real life.

However, Barbie has also received numerous controversial feedbacks because of the way her body looks like. It is too big on some areas like the chest and the hips, while are quite small in certain areas like the waist and legs. It seems that this woman who can be admired in real life may not be able to stand for herself, as her body is quite disproportion ed.

 The Barbie and self esteem Program

Now, Barbie is yet again thrown in hot water because a theatre program in the U. K. is offering a Barbie and self esteem program that features the controversial brand of dolls. The Barbie Pop star Academy is a program offered for young girls to promote a positive image that any young woman can do what her heart desires.

This Barbie and self esteem program is based on a yet to be released direct to DVD animated film called Barbie: Barbie: The Princess & The Popstar
, a film based on the story of the Princess and the Pauper and features songs from 80s pop star Cyndi Lauper. Though the idea behind the film does not sound very original, this academy may be the first of its kind to be launched so far in the country.

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Razzamataz, the theatre school offering the program defends their concept, noting that the program being offered is no based on being a Barbie but instead looks at how a girl can have fun while improving their communication skills through a sing and dance program format.

On the other side of the Barbie and self esteem issue are the ones who believe that the program does not work well for children, saying that 4 to 8 year old girls should not be aimed for a program of its kind. People who are against the program also note that the Barbie brand has been sexualized and does not promote self esteem, instead focusing on looks and trivial things that young girls of a certain age should not be exposed to.

The Verdict

Because the issue of the objectification of women will not go away, it seems that the Barbie and self esteem program will not be launched in silence. However, it will still go on as a program that is aimed for the young girls to enjoy.

As the Barbie and self esteem program will be funded by the production company behind the film, the Barbie Pop star Academy will be offered to young girls for free on a first come, first serve basis. This gives parents and guardians a chance to decide whether they would want to be enrolled, at no cost to them. However by the end of the day, it seems that a young girl would want to be part of the program with no malice should not be held off away from it either.

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