However, the teenager Barbie does not have acne or hair on her legs and she does not gain weight and she does not have a period. I can see how in some ways, this could be helping girls learn that their body will change as they get older, but this, of course, only shows the seemingly positive effects of puberty: getting taller, growing a chest, and getting skinnier. Meanwhile, the Barbie with the younger body is seen as “cute” and “young.” This is problematic for several reasons despite the potentially good intentions. She also magically gets taller and skinnier when she becomes a teenager. The curves that Barbie gains are not curves from extra weight around the stomach or hips, which is common during puberty, but rather curves from gaining a large chest. The first is described as a “cute, little girl” while the other is a “tall, curvy teenager.” It feels weird to describe a teenager as tall and slim and curvy because for one, it seems like it sexualizes teenagers going through puberty. This Barbie doll is promoted as not just one Barbie but two Barbies in one doll. The piece by Lord mentioned this doll when she wrote, “Taste was not a big factor in devising the new dolls in 1975, Mattel came out with “Growing Up Skipper,” a preteen doll that, when you shoved its arm backward, spouted breasts.” I looked up the different dolls discussed in the reading, but this one seemed particularly interesting because of the messages it is sending. This is an image of the Growing Up Skipper Barbie doll.
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