Ken and the Headless Barbie

From: Abby

Childrens toys perpetuate gender stereotypes by creating a polarizing ridge between young kids. Toys are separated into two categories, toys for boys and toys for girls. I have seen firsthand that this remains true today, even though these are considered modern times. I have been babysitting since I was 13 years old, and this past year I became a fulltime nanny for a family in my neighborhood. I take care of a 6-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. They are fairly progressive children, as brother and sister they enjoy playing dress up, house, and doing crafts. However, when it comes to matters of their toys, the kids are completely tied to their gender categories. The little boy has Nerf guns, trucks, action figures, and a pretend axe throwing set. The little girl plays with her barbie dream house, dolls, and her stuffed animals. Even when they play together, the games always imitate real life and show their acknowledgement of gender roles.

Watching them play with their Barbie dolls and action figures inspired my picture. The picture shows the Barbie toy bin and the Superhero bin side by side. One particular time, they were just playing pretend and imitating a normal day. The boy got his Ken Doll from out of the Superhero bin, in his eyes Ken does not belong with the other Barbies but with his superhero collection. They set up a fake mall and had some girl Barbies go to the store, while they were “shopping” one girl got “robbed” and Ken had to come save all of the girls and catch the criminal. The young boy was insistent that Ken’s only role could be to save the girls, he wouldn’t shop or form relationships with the other Barbies, just save the day and leave. Both children were completely fine with this set up. When I suggested that one of the Barbies could save Ken, the little girl was all for it, but her brother wouldn’t hear of it. “Ken is a boy, and he has muscles which means that only he is strong enough to save people,” the boy insisted. I was not surprised by the way they were playing; they were simply acting out the world around them. Their dad is a man’s man who calls his son, “super-tough dude,” and his daughter, “little lady.” Their mom is a nice woman who runs her own business but is very soft spoken and passive. The children have been taught the gender codes by their parents and by the media around them. While they are very inclusive in conversation and talk about growing up to whatever makes them happy, they still follow gender roles and have set expectations for boys and girls.

Raising a child without enforcing gender norms on them is something that must be done purposefully and consciously. Gender neutral toys are hard to come by but is important to provide children with a way to express themselves without forcing them into a box. The story “X: A Fabulous Child’s Story,” by Lois Gould discussed the challenges that the parents of Baby X faced, including the fact that they struggled to find any gender-neutral toys. Gould illustrates that, “...Mr. Jones wandered helplessly up and down the aisles trying to find out what X needed. But everything in the store was piled up in sections marked "Boys" or "Girls". There were "Boy's' Pyjamas" and "Girls' Underwear" and "Boys' Fire Engines" and "Girl's Housekeeping Sets". (Gould, pg. 2) When they were forced to consult the manual, the parents were instructed to supply the child with “plenty of everything.” (Gould, pg. 2) Opening the avenue for choice is an opportunity that most children miss out on. Having the ability to make use of any toy will provide the child with much needed autonomy. The story of baby X shows that children are most often forced into their gender role based on what is provided based on their sex. Girls grow up liking dolls because those are the toys that they are given to play with, and boys grow up liking toy guns for the same reason.

 Female and male children experience life in completely different ways. This is due to the way that children are socialized, the rules that they are taught, the clothes they are dressed in, the toys they are given, and the way that people talk to them. Children are socialized according to their assigned sex. The reading, “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood,” by Laurie Rudman discussed the difference between the upbringing of boys and girls. The first section of the article is dedicated to exploring how activities and toys have been gendered and then effectively segregates children based on sex. The author included an experiment that was conducted by researchers who gave young boys a My Little Pony horse that had been transformed to fit their preferences. The researchers took the pony, shaved its cute hair, painted it an intimidating black color, and gave it super scary spiky teeth; the boys fell in love with the new boy toy and the girls didn’t recognize their beloved pony. (Rudman, pg.2) Toys aren’t defined by their name but by their appearance and how they directly correlate to the expected preferences of their intended audience. The pony became a boy toy when it was given a rough and tough makeover. (Rudman, pg.2) A normal pony would be considered soft, cute, and feminine and perfect for fragile little girls. After discussing the process of the My Little Pony experiment the article states, “Most likely, children have learned to avoid being seen playing with toys associated with the other gender... children not only segregate themselves by playing with same-sex peers but engage in different kinds of play within these groups.” (Rudman, pg.2) The toys that the kids I babysit play with are perfect examples of what how they view their genders. The boy loves his Avengers Action Figures because he thinks that it's cool that they have “guns and belly muscles (abs)”. He believes that boys make the best superheroes because they are the strongest and boys are allowed to get hurt. His idea of masculinity is a perfect immolation of what he has been taught by society. The little girl leans away from the action figures, she doesn’t like playing with them because they don’t create an image of what she likes. She prefers to play with the latest Barbie or doll, she likes to dress them up in fancy outfits and make them go pretend shopping. Her preferences match the ideal woman that the media has presented her with. She watches movies about girls who act like Barbie, they care about their looks and somehow always have the need to be saved by a man. They live in two totally different worlds; one being told to act out a tough guise and the other being told that she is a victim.

 In my photo, the foreground shows a headless and naked Barbie doll on the left and a clothed and distinguished Ken doll on the right. I made these two characters the center of attention in my photo to show the difference in how the media depicts men and women. Men are respected and shown in their best state, they are displayed as put together and stable figures, this is true for both children and adults. Young boys are told that they are natural leaders and that they inherently deserve positions of power. This telling is not only literate but implied through the media, boys are the heroes of children’s shows and movies, they are often the head of groups and make the decisions. For young girl’s the script is totally flipped. They are disrespected, never given the benefit of the doubt and are constantly undermined and victimized by society. Girls are told that they are prey, weak and helpless. Women are taught to live in fear of men because there is no possible way that they could ever evade the oppression of men. In children’s media, shows often depict girls as sidekicks, victims, or unimportant characters. The girl characters have no depth and are only shown as shallow accomplices. In photography, the foreground is what the viewer will focus on the most, their eyes will be drawn to the biggest and most attention-seeking aspect of the photo. I wanted to ensure that my audience would notice the difference between Ken and the naked headless Barbie, I sought to ensure that they would be captivated by the jarring contrast between the photos, especially since they are side by side.

The background of my photo is also very crucial in understanding the difference between the socialization between boys and girls. Backgrounds of photos can give the viewer an idea of the meaning of the photo and provides a secondary addition to the comprehensive purpose of the shot. My photo shows a side-by-side image of a Barbie bin and a Superhero bin. In the Barbie bin the dolls in the background are thrown in haphazardly and with no regard for their “safety”. The lack of organization is representative of how young girls are not taught that they have a meaningful place in society or that the way they are treated is worth considering. In contrast, the Superhero bin shows a group of Avengers who have been neatly stacked and well cared for. Their alignment is representative of how society values men and boys, teaching them that they are respected, deserve attention, and have a place as leaders. While girls are taught that their individual outward appearance is important, their inherent value as human beings is often disregarded. However, as history shows us, boys are the crown jewels of families and society, they are taught that the world would not function without them. Backgrounds of photos are often clueing to the deeper or continued meaning of an image. While they do not always draw attention, they are crucial when considering the message behind a shot.

Another important element of my photo pertains to the senses/ face. In my photo, Barbie is naked and headless while Ken is clothed and has access to all of his “senses”. This contrast symbolizes the power imbalance between males and females. I chose to highlight the headless Barbie to show that women and girls are robbed of their autonomy and are expected to fall blindly into line with no way to help themselves. We might as well be headless. In continuation, her nakedness symbolizes how women and girls are sexualized by the media, even when they are children. The media values the female body and appearance more than it does their talent or skill. Ken does not face any of these issues as a man. He is given control of his life and is free to pursue whatever he wants, with no fight. He has his head and his clothes because society allows him unlimited dignity no matter what. Senses and face are important elements of photo because it illustrates control and emotion.

In summation, boys and girls are socialized to live in two different worlds. Boys are taught that they can grow up to become CEO’s, firemen, doctors, or superheroes. Girls are taught that they are better off as stay at home moms, caregivers, or if they’re lucky they could be teachers and nurses, just like Barbie. Children are socialized not only through their interactions with the people around them but also through the toys that they are provided and the media that they consume. Toys model the expectations for each gender and encourages children to imitate the roles that they see their parents fulfill. Children of all genders and sexes deserve the opportunity to express their interests and have the power to decide the course of their lives.

Works Cited:

·      Gould, Lois. “X: A Fabulous Child's Story.” Ms., July 1972.

o   Rudman, Laurie A., et al. "The Two Cultures of Childhood." The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. The Guilford Press, 2015, 59-63.