Description

Barbie has been accused of a lot over the last 7 decades, but her most enduring criticism is that she sets unrealistic beauty standards for young girls. Ben talks Rich through the curious history of Barbie as a toy and a “role model”, the sometimes-warped world of body image research, and a creepy life-size doll that walks on all fours.   

Anschutz, Doeschka J., and Rutger CME Engels (2010). "The effects of playing with thin dolls on body image and food intake in young girls." Sex Roles 63, 621-630. 

[Video] CNN: Woman Makes Life-Size Barbie Look-Alike 

Blood, S. K. (2004). Body Work: The Social Construction of Women's Body Image, Routledge. 

Brownell, Kelly D., and Melissa A. Napolitano (1995). "Distorting reality for children: Body size proportions of Barbie and Ken dolls." International Journal of Eating Disorders 18.3, 295-298. 

Dittmar, Helga, Emma Halliwell, and Suzanne Ive (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. 

Dockterman, Eliana (2016) ‘Barbie’s Got a New Body’, Time 

Driscoll, Catherine. (2002). Girls: Feminine Adolescence in Popular Culture and Cultural Theory. Columbia University Press. 

‘Get Real Barbie Fact Sheet’ 

Henfield, M. (1990) ‘The Anorexics Aged Eight’, Daily Mail. 

[Video] Mattel Barbie Commercial (1959) 

Pearson, Marlys, and Paul R. Mullins (1999). "Domesticating Barbie: An archaeology of Barbie material culture and domestic ideology." International Journal of Historical Archaeology 3, 225-259. 

Rand, Erica. (1995). Barbie's Queer Accessories. Duke University Press. 

Note: Journal articles are often behind paywalls. If you don't have institutional access but would like a copy of these papers please email Illeffectspod@gmail.com and we will happily send you a copy

Hosts – Rich McCulloch and Ben Litherland  

Music by -  Brutalust (Colin Frank and Maria Sappho), recorded and mixed by Joe Christman 

Creative producer – Rachel Wood 

Technical producer – Caroline Pringle 

Technical production – Colin Frank