Klaus Barbie, and Other Dolls I'd Like to See

In Susan Jane Gilman's article, "Klaus Barbie, and Other Dolls I'd Like to See", consumer culture is portrayed as a system in which to fit in, you must look a certain way.  The Barbie doll image is upheld, and any diversion from the "torpedo-titted, open-mouthed, tippy-toed" (Gilman 1998) example is considered unworthy in the eyes of society.  If you don't look like Barbie, you don't look "right".   Visual aesthetics, not substance, is rewarded in social settings.  Barbie is the exception, not the norm.  Gilman offers suggestions with regards to realistic-looking dolls that are more reflective of today's culture.  Her examples include Blue Collar Barbie (equipped with traditional factory worker accessories, in addition to other outfits available, to represent the 2nd job, in order to make ends meet), and Our Barbies, Ourselves (which comes complete with anatomical correctness, for educational purposes, as well as other "accessories"). 

As Gilman states in her article, "..somewhere along the line, we stop believing in our own beauty and its dominion.  Subsequently, we also stop believing in the power of our minds and our bodies."




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