Metamorphosis Of Ken And Barbie
Play dolls are staples in most little children’s toy boxes. Until Ken and Barbie were invented, most dolls were baby look-a-likes that gave young girls the chance to practice their mothering skills.
In the sixties Barbie dressed up in frilly formal wear, while Ken dressed up in suits and tuxedoes. During all of this, young girls dreamed of their first date. The dolls’ roles were rigid and unchanging. If Ken had an outfit having to do with a job, it was in a traditionally male field such as doctor, businessman, or prince. If Barbie had a job, it was usually in a female field such as princess, nurse teacher, mother, or housewife. There was nothing wrong with these chosen fields but it did influence how young girls saw the world and it had a tendency to help them with their choices. What ever was happening in the news happened to Ken and Barbie.
In the seventies when women were taking to the work force, Ken and Barbie went there too. Children could now try out all kinds of scenarios. Ken and Barbie both had all kinds of career outfits to try on for size. They could be doctors, nurses, lawyers whatever struck their fancy. When this happened, young girls began to dream not only of their first date, marriage, and motherhood; they began to dream of careers. Jobs women previously never dreamed of trying to aspire to opened up to women; and Ken and Barbie were jumping on the bandwagon.
After awhile, somewhere around the mid seventies, society had the idea that women needed men like a fish needed a bicycle. Following what society’s beliefs were at the time, Barbie started to have little use for Ken. She became almost like the mythical Amazonian women only needing men if she wanted children and even then the need for him was brief as possible so as to be able to go back to her career and social whirlwind.
Years passed, and it became evident Ken and Barbie were clearly going different directions. Ken was marketed as a gorgeous surfer with a golden tan while Barbie brought home the bacon, had a full social schedule and still managed to look as youthful as ever.
In the late nineties, the dolls underwent a makeover. They were given a variety of different facial features and skin tones and career costume options. As a result currently not only do little girls still play with Ken and Barbie but also little boys do too now. Furthermore, more children related to Ken and Barbie because the dolls looked more like them and their friends. There were new career options as well such as, computer programmer, firefighter, and soldier. Who knows what the future holds for Ken and Barbie? One thing’s for certain there will be generations of children who will still be playing with them long after we’re gone.
[…] Ken and Barbie have become timeless toys. They are inspiring generations of children, boys and girls, guiding them on how to lead lives. Though changes have been taking place over the years, these toys continue to fascinate the children. To know more about what lies behind, read the article “Metamorphosis Of Ken And Barbie“. […]