Barbie is a good role model for young children as the doll encourages use of their creativity and imagination, whilst also promoting the message that children should chase their dreams and have any career that they desire. The Barbie motto is that ‘you can be anything’ – which is boldly placed on the front of any Barbie box that is purchased. The Barbie website also emphasises how they celebrate all role models, they claim that ‘Barbie is committed to shining a light on empowering role models past and present in an effort to inspire more girls.’ This commitment is certainly demonstrated in their range of dolls in various careers, for example there is Doctor Barbie / marine biologist Barbie / astronaut Barbie. Their most recent release features inspirational women in sport, such as diving champion, Wu Minxia. Therefore, Barbie provides a range of good role models for young children whilst encouraging them to be smart, powerful and kind. In the modern day, Barbie dolls are made in differing races and sizes, this proving that everyone is equally beautiful. It also teaches young children the importance of diversity and exposure to people who look dissimilar from themselves. The recent release of role models in sport also includes paralysed athletes, there is a doll of Manasi Joshi (para-badminton world champion) whose Barbie doll has a prosthetic leg; there is also a doll of Madison De Rozario who is in a wheelchair. Barbie teaches young children to embrace our differences and the importance of a diverse society. Barbie dolls also helps young children (specifically ages 4 – 8) to develop their empathetic capacity. It has been proven that doll play ‘triggers brain activation that develops empathy’. Empathy is an essential trait as it helps nurture conflict resolution skills and have a greater understanding for other people’s opinions / viewpoints. Barbie quite simply helps children develop necessary life skills (which in turn clearly makes her a valuable role model). Barbie should be viewed as a feminist icon and a good role model. She teaches children that they can be beautiful whilst also being clever, strong and resilient. https://barbie.mattel.com/en-us/about.html?icid=all_header_top-nav_our-purpose_p4

Barbie is a terrible role model to children. An experiment on the link between the exposure of 5- to 8-year-old girls and their body image revealed girls exposed to Barbie had lower self esteem and a desire to look as thin as the doll. [1] The Barbie Doll is a negative role model due to her unobtainable beauty standards. The lack of representation (until recently) of races besides White Caucasian, blonde haired, thin girls, caused many girls to strive for the impossible. Once these children realise they do not look like this beauty standard, their confidence and self- esteem are inevitably shattered. Barbie may be becoming a more positive role model in recent years with more representations of races, body shapes, etc. However, it cannot be argued Barbie has come close to being a positive role model until very recently. References - [1] Dittmar, H., Halliwell, E., & Ive, S. (2006). Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year-old girls. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 283–292. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.283