Will Entrepreneur Barbie Really Make Women's Future in Business Brighter?

"However, this message was undermined by research earlier this year from the Oregon State University, which found that girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career options for themselves than for boys." - Oregon State University Study

As a boy in the 1960s I played with GI Joe and Johnny West. Not once did I ever look at either as a role model for a future career, nor did I use them as a reference point in terms of defining my perception of the male ideal. They were just simply one of the many toys with which I played.

This is perhaps the reason why I have always found it difficult to fully grasp the criticism surrounding Barbie, and the purported negative influence this "toy" has had on the development of a young girl's self image.

However, and in light of the above referenced study, there seems to be proof that this is indeed the case.

Based on Oregon State University's findings, "Playing with Barbie has an effect on girls' ideas about their place in the world," in that it "creates a limit on what is possible for their future."

Perhaps this is the reason why Mattel - with much fanfare - launched a career-oriented version of the notoriously ubiquitous brand.

Dubbed as Entrepreneur Barbie, the toymaker even created a Linkedin page that lists 150 careers including “Dream Incubator,” a job in which Barbie helps girls “play out their imagination, try on different careers, and explore the world around them.”

The question beyond the obvious why are girls' self-image and future careers influenced by toys in the first place, is simply this; will Entrepreneur Barbie have the desired positive effect to the same extent that its earlier version had a negative effect?

If you apply the same logic that was used to identify the ill-effects of the earlier version of the doll, then the answer would have to be yes . . . wouldn't it?

After all, doesn't this newer can do, the sky's the limit image portrayed by Entrepreneur Barbie encourage the kind of realistic thinking that is necessary for women to ultimately succeed in both business and in life?

Maybe another study is in order?

As for me, even though I never learned to deftly swirl my trusty sixshooter around my index finger, before effortlessly placing it back in my holster, I have somehow never felt that this has limited my career options.


Indhira Limardo Guerra

Outside/Inside/Remote Sales Professional

9y

Barbie has been an entrepreneur for a long time already! She was a cowgirl, a cosmonaut, a store owner, fashion designer, etc...

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Judith Reymond

Instructional Designer/Adjunct Professor at Tallahassee Community College, Office of Distance Learning

9y

There have been Service Barbies, and Veterinarian Barbies - a Barbie, RN too, I believe. There are more women in the service and more women veterinarians - causal or coincidental, I don't know. Looks like Barbie is still going to have problems with her feet, though, from those cruel shoes,

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It is refreshing to see Barbie choosing the Entrepreneurial path. Our dolls are representatives of life - and more and more women are choosing to be their own person, and achieve their full potential. This is evolutionary and so Barbie is a reflection of this. Barbie is not saying "if I had my time again, I would have ..." She is doing it now and I for one think that is wonderful!

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Cindy Burreson

Chief Executive Officer at Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

9y

As a Collector of Barbies since I was a little girl, my Barbies were ALWAYS entrepreneurial. She ran the McDonalds, drove the Camper, Owned the Shops, was a mom and a wife. I understood that Barbie was a toy, not a role model. But, I also remember thinking that Barbie could be an Astronaut, a Beauty Queen, a Race Car Driver or anything else Mattel deemed appropriate at the time. AND , 'she' was put together all the while. For little girls without role models, at least it gives them an avenue to "act out" with Barbie in a role they may otherwise not have thought of. I think that too many people use "Barbie" as a sorry example of exploiting women but the same can be said for the plethora of exotic Hot Wheels, toy guns and army gear, Strawberry Shortcake Dolls (what the heck does that mean?) and the like. Ultimately, it is the parents' responsibility to teach their children that they can be anything they want to be and foster positive relationships and values and instill the concept of hard work in them.

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