Sexuality

I figured sexuality would be a difficult topic to discuss when it comes to virtual Barbie, which is why I saved it for last. Turns out, Barbie is all sexed up. The more I started paying attention to Barbie world and the activities that went on, the more I noticed all of the over-sexualized dolls running around. It was pretty funny/scary.

I have talked a lot about the physical characteristics of the Barbies a lot in my posts because that is what stands out the most. Barbie Girls is very stereotypical and shows a complete lack of diversity. But when looking for sexuality aspects of this virtual world, I have to go a little deeper than just clothes. Obviously, there are very clear issues with the wardrobes that young girls are using for their Barbies. From the knee high boots to the mini-skirts, tube tops and clown-like make-up, anyone over the age of 15 can tell Barbie is ready for the night life. Not only are these young girls learning that dressing provocatively is appropriate, but it is even promoted. Through the “Buzz and Goss” option, girls can vote on the “latest fave girl”. This interested me because I wanted to see exactly what these girls idolized and wanted to look like. After clicking on the option and praying that I didn’t have to be a VIP member to see her, this sexed up Barbie doll appeared on my screen in leather boots, a plaid mini skirt that is often seen as sexy in the media (it was a little raunchier looking than Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” music video) and a tight black tube top complete with a seductive look in her eyes. I was like “holy crap, this is Angelina Jolie”.. And we all know the impression she leaves.

The next shocking event was the fact that one of the options in Barbie Girls is to invite other Barbies to your room and visit other Barbie’s rooms. When you get to the rooms, you don’t really do anything there. You just chat and hang out. It is really very awkward, considering I do not typically go to someone’s bed room to hang out. I suppose it could be equivalent to a sleep over or something of the sort, although these girls have hair salons and modern Ikea-type furniture in their rooms. This made me think about sexuality because there are anywhere from 2 to 10 young girls sprawled across a bed at any given time. They do walk around and talk, but it is a weird setting to have a party in your bedroom.

I can only think that Barbie Girls gives teens, and younger girls, a chance to run freely without realizing how they are presenting themselves and expressing their sexuality. If their parents knew what their dolls looked like, I highly doubt they would approve. But the girls obviously see it as a chance to look “cool” and wear what they see promoted in the media, because that is who they look up to. Girls are becoming more familiar with celebrities, media and fashion at younger ages now than they were many years ago. This allows the media to leave an impression on these girls which can impact the way they express themselves in the future, which can be negative.

Do you think virtual Barbie gives young girls a chance to express their actual self without consequences, as we discussed in class, or do you think the girls dress provocatively because it is what they see in the media and how they are “supposed” to dress?

Identity

Identity in Barbie World is not difficult to determine, because everything seems to be based on appearance in the virtual world. There are no activities to allow someone to show off their athletic skills, intelligence level or anything else that makes up a person. Who you are in virtual Barbie comes solely from how your doll looks. And how your doll looks comes from how much money the owner has.
When I walked around and noticed all of the Barbies, it was shocking and weird how awkwardly similar they all are. Does this generation of girls (or creepy men, or UC students) really all share the same taste in clothes, hairstyles, shoes and accessories? Probably not. Either everyone is conforming to the social ideology that all girls should wear pink dresses, which means people are having a serious identity crisis, or they do not have the money to hold “VIP” status in virtual Barbie and do not have the chance to go to the actual mall. The first time I went to the mall I became very angry because I was allowed to try on clothes, pick out accessories and get my hair done. Once I had finally perfected my Barbie look, I went to leave the mall. But I was told I could only wear these fantastic, stylish articles of clothing if I was VIP. So I pouted and left. Yes, I know, very immature, but this is my point- Barbie is enticing, mesmerizing and leads girls in the direction they want them to go, then tells them they can only be pretty, popular and hang out with the cool people if they pay the money to hold a higher status level. It reminded me very much of society.
After I continued to walk around in my boring clothes, the same ones that many girls had on, I quickly noticed who was in the free clothes and who was in the expensive, prettier clothes. I couldn’t help but be embarrassed that I didn’t have that. I thought to myself “this isn’t me.. I am being identified as a lower class citizen because I cannot afford the fun stuff.” The original, free clothes had an instant connotation of poverty. I think it is safe to assume that many other young girls feel the same way as they wonder around this virtual world. They get discouraged and at such a young age realize their level in society. As a kid, aren’t you supposed to be worry free and have fun? These girls enter a world to be careless and enjoy themselves, and instead they unknowingly are tempted with the beauties of society, such as dangling a carrot in front of a horse, and learn very quickly, and too early, that they are either above others because of their wealth, or are below normal class citizens because they cannot pay the $5 for an internet game.
After noticing whether the dolls were high or low class citizens, I began looking at the actual articles of clothing they girls had picked out for Barbie. One girl had on a mini skirt, crop top and boots. I thought “Is she trying to identify herself as a hooker?” Then I saw a conservative looking Barbie, complete with jeans, a t-shirt and gym shoes. I instantly thought “Ew, you couldn’t pick something out better than THAT?” Knowing your identity and being able to determine others is such a catch-22. The girl with the hooker look could have just really liked those 3 articles of clothing and put them on without thinking what her doll would look like. The girl with the jeans could be putting the same clothes on her doll as she does herself each morning. Who says that girls ages 6-15 must have fashion sense and be able to determine what people will think of them based on their outfit each day? But this is what society does- it continuously puts people in categories according to identity. The minute you walk out the door, people automatically see you as your race, your clothing style, the car you drive, and how you present yourself. Without looking any deeper, people can judge who you are before they have time to blink. Do you think that categorizing people according to identity, as society usually does, creates a greater division amongst the population or instead allows certain groups of people to actually come together?

Race

After previously posting about gender, I could not help but think about race. Any variety in the two categories seemed almost non-existent in Barbie World. What caught me the most off guard was the over-abundance of Caucasian girls walking around the Shop-A-Mallic shopping center. Throughout my excursions, I came across plenty of white females who I friended and chatted with. But this became boring, so I began the journey to find some African and Asian Barbies. It is clear that Barbie supports the hegemonic system of society because of the automatic settings of Barbie Girl, the lack of cultural diversity and the acceptance that this creates among the participants of virtual Barbie. I believe that Barbie World most represents Gramsci’s definition of hegemony because of the popularity surrounding Barbie and the power that this allows them to hold when it comes to persuading others to believe their ideas are accepted and are the norm.

As I said in my gender post, when I entered virtual Barbie I had the option to change my appearance. I was automatically set as white and blonde. There were 4 shades of white that I could have been, or chosen one of the 2 darker tones. None of the colors were very accurate, unless I was either pale white or a light-skinned African American. I was shocked and a little offended, even though I am white, that I was set as the “typical-looking” person. How is each person supposed to be themselves in the virtual world when they set your doll in such a generic way? There is no way to change face or feature shape, which is a major part in the distinction between races. Simply changing color is not an accurate way to portray someone from any race. This is part of the hegemony of society- the dominant group is Caucasian, therefore each person is expected to alter their appearance to look more like the power group.

On my journey to find some cultural diversity in the virtual world, I was disappointed. I found one African American Barbie, and when I went to talk to her and be her friend I found out that she was fake.. What the heck! I felt a little embarrassed that I tried to have a conversation with someone who was not responding back, but then I realized that she was permanently placed in Barbie Girl just to give out information to other dolls when they’re not sure what to do. So now I am irritated, because I suppose Barbie has assumed that they have fulfilled their cultural responsibility by placing one black girl in the game, not to mention she was painting a wall. A little stereotypical for a black person to be spray painting a brick wall, don’t you think?

As girls scurry through Barbie World, shopping and getting glammed up, I can’t help but wonder if any of these Caucasian dolls are actually young girls of another race who are afraid to share who they really are, for fear of being excluded. I suppose that is the same way that I felt when joining Barbie Girl, and the same reason I chose to wear a skirt- I was fearful of not being accepted. I have realized that the hegemonic system of society is completely dominating, and it is clearly portrayed through the minor exposure anyone has to a virtual world. If it is that powerful for me to acknowledge right away through this experience, I think about how larger media outlets can affect society. Do you think that my virtual experience, which has a complete lack of cultural diversity, is an accurate portrayal of most media outlets, or is Barbie just really more popular to Caucasian females in general?

Gender

I must admit that I was quite intimidated by Barbie at first. I logged on a few times this past week, changed my outfit, walked around my room for a few minutes, and left without interacting with another Barbie girl. I am 21 years old and my biggest fear for the last 6 days was not belonging in the world of young girls, virtual shopping malls and chat sessions. My fears were confirmed each time I logged on and had zero friend requests. But today, I logged on once again and changed my outfit, walked around my room, and-fortunately- accidentally stumbled upon the entire Barbie world. To my surprise, there were other girls walking around interacting with each other! So here I am, 2 hours later, ready to discuss the role that gender played in my virtual experience today.
I have to say, it’s a girl’s world. The whole virtual Barbie experience revolves around shopping and having money. The more games that you play, lost pets that you find, and trivia questions that you answer correctly, the more Barbie dollars you win to go shopping with at the mall. That’s it. The goal of my virtual existence is to make as many purchases as possible so that I can have wardrobe changes between the puppy park and the café. Barbie World is completely one-sided when it comes to gender and is clearly geared toward females only. It supports the dominant ideology of society’s image of what it means to be a female by offering a limited selection of wardrobe choices, allowing users to participate in typical “girl” activities and using feminine titles.
Upon entering Barbie World, I had the option to create my own look. I got to pick the color and style of my hair and facial features, and pick out an outfit. The wardrobe selection was very limited and included many dresses, skirts, tank tops, high heels, and accessories such as jewelry and purses. Not to mention I had no option to become a male character, such as Ken. The most masculine outfit I could have chosen would be a small tee shirt (fitted) and bell bottom jeans. The clothing options that I could choose from fit the mold of society’s ideal, and old-fashioned, image of a woman. When I left the mall and began walking around, I found zero Barbie girls wearing jeans. Each one had different accessories and hair styles to match their pink skirts and dresses. All of these young girls have already learned their expectations in the world- to look pretty and feminine. I saw one male character that was an automatic part of virtual Barbie because he was the “Genie Boy” who could grant wishes. I did not get to experience Genie Boy because he was only a part of the VIP Barbie, which cost extra to participate in. And with the lack of funds in my bank account at the moment, I could not justify purchasing this special membership.
As I was enjoying my free virtual Barbie experience in the land of sparkles and pink, I became completely enthralled at the activities offered to me. I could shop, purchase pets, go to the beauty salon, and visit the Rec Center. However, the Rec Center is not what I would usually think of- the most athletic option I had there was to paint. I was shocked at the lack of activities I could participate in, and every single one was a typical “girl” activity. There were no sports or video games, or any other activity seen as “masculine” that girls can just as easily participate in. it is extremely typical for society to shun women who wish to do “male” things. The young girls participating in Barbie World are learning far too young what they are expected to do for the rest of their lives- shop, play with animals, and do non-confrontational, easy things.
Every title in Barbie World had an appealing, girly sound to it. Words such as dazzling, fab, glam and charm were used all over the place; words that society would never allow any heterosexual male to use. It seems as though women are expected to constantly be glamorous, put together, and perhaps even unintelligent or flaky by being easily drawn to “pretty” words. Society expects that when putting something shiny, pink and pretty in front of a woman, she will be instantly drawn to it.
Barbie World supports the dominant ideology of society’s image of what it means to be a female by offering a limited selection of wardrobe choices, allowing users to participate in typical “girl” activities and using feminine titles. Do I enjoy it? Yes, very much so. But I suspect that’s the point of it. I have been drawn in to this sparkly, fun world and I will definitely visit tomorrow to see if I have made any new friends. While I have realized the motives of Barbie World and been able to recognize the dominant ideologies it is supporting, many younger girls participating in this virtual world will not. With all of these young girls idolizing a virtual experience that shows them exactly what they should do, how will the next generation find their own voice and refrain from regressing back to society’s expectations that were originally formed early in history?

I did it!

I joined the virtual world today! I am now a Barbie Girl. I chose this virtual experience because I figured I would enter this world with baby steps. I enjoy the color pink, shopping and designing things, which is what it seems like Barbie is all about! I am excited to explore this world and try to understand how identity, gender, race and sexuality all fit into virtual Barbie. My user name is lindseyl, so if you chose to be a virtual barbie then hit me up so I can have money to buy things!!