| Barbie Culture Contributor(s): Rogers, Mary F. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0761958886 ISBN-13: 9780761958888 Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd OUR PRICE: $82.65 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 1999 Annotation: How are images of the body mediated through cultural signs? How does sexual stereotyping work? In what way are these themes bound up in modern consumerism? This book uses one of the most popular accessories of girlhood, the Barbie doll, to explain key aspects of cultural meaning. Some readings would see Barbie as reproducing ethnicity and gender in a particularly coarse and damaging way - a cultural icon of racism and sexism. Rogers develops a broader, more challenging picture. She shows how the cultural meaning of Barbie is more ambiguous than the narrow, appearance-dominated model that is attributed to the doll. For a start, Barbie??'s sexual identity is not clear-cut. Similarly her class situation is ambiguous. But all interpretations agree that, with her enormous range of lifestyle accessories', Barbie exists to consume. Her infinitely plastic body mirrors an infinitely plastic self that resonates with postmodern notions of fluidity, multiplicity and localised meanings. Barbie is a hugely versatile cultural icon who helps crystallize for the reader, whether researcher or student, the range and texture of core themes in contemporary society. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Popular Culture |
| Dewey: 306.4 |
| LCCN: 98-61735 |
| Series: Cultural Icons (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.46" H x 5.62" W x 8.56" (0.56 lbs) 192 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book uses one of the most popular accessories of childhood, the Barbie doll, to explain key aspects of cultural meaning. Some readings would see Barbie as reproducing ethnicity and gender in a particularly coarse and damaging way - a cultural icon of racism and sexism. Rogers develops a broader, more challenging picture. She shows how the cultural meaning of Barbie is more ambiguous than the narrow, appearance-dominated model that is attributed to the doll. For a start, Barbie′s sexual identity is not clear-cut. Similarly her class situation is ambiguous. But all interpretations agree that, with her enormous range of lifestyle accessories′, Barbie exists to consume. Her body is the perfect metaphor of modern times: plastic, st |
Contributor Bio(s): Rogers, Mary F.: - Mary Rogers is Professor of Sociology at the University of West Florida |