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Barbie dolls - pink plastic toys?

2024; Springer Nature; Volume: 236; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/s41415-024-7076-6

1476-5373

Paul Hellyer,

Fashion and Cultural Textiles

…or role models?'We girls can do anything' states the former motto of the Barbie brand.Production of her different guises indicate that she has so many university degrees -PhD, MD, DDS, MSc, MBA -that the strapline could be true.As a role model, Barbie is more than a pink doll.She has come to symbolise the careers to which girls may aspire.Studying Barbie (n = 92) and her other brand clones (n = 65) having medical or scientific roles, the author visually analysed whether the dolls' hair, clothing and accessories met appropriate safety standards and noted their specialisms.Most of the doctor and dentist dolls were female and worked with children.Dentists came with toothbrush, toothpaste and a lab coat.Doctors came with a stethoscope but wore open-toed, high-heeled shoes, did not have their hair tied back and had uncovered legs, in contravention of real life clinical dress codes.The manufacturers have a responsibility to portray roles correctly and future dolls should come with proper PPE.Career aspirations should be expanded beyond paediatrics to more male-dominated specialities.