Poster #201 - Does Playing with Barbies in Childhood Affect Later Body Image?

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Barbies are criticized for their unattainable body size and proportions. The likelihood of an average woman achieving the body size and shape of a Barbie is less than 1 in 100,000 (Norton et al., 1996). Furthermore, Barbies are often condemned as negatively affecting girls’ development, by encouraging a pursuit of thinness which results in body image dissatisfaction when such thinness cannot be attained. In order to become extremely thin, girls would have to engage in dieting, purging, or starvation (Stice et al., 2017).

Although Barbies are so heavily criticized, research focused on Barbies has been minimal, with a small number of studies examining actual Barbie dolls. Such research has demonstrated conflicting findings (e.g., Anschutz & Engels, 2010; Dittmar et al., 2006). Furthermore, there is only one known study to examine the long-lasting effects of playing with Barbies. In this study, Worobey (2009) found that age at first acquisition and number of Barbies owned did not predict women’s appearance dissatisfaction and dieting. In the present pilot study, we examined whether the following variables in childhood were associated with women’s later body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and dieting behaviors: frequency of play with Barbies, number of Barbies owned, enjoyment when playing with Barbies, and age at first play with Barbies.

Participants were 46 women between the ages of 18 and 25 (M = 20.39, SD = 2.01). They were primarily white (83%), heterosexual (83%), and single (72%). Participants’ average BMI was 24.30 (SD = 4.74), with a range from 17.43 to 37.12. Survey data was collected using items designed by the first author to determine frequency, number, enjoyment, and age at first play with Barbies. Subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory (Garner et al., 1983) and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (van Strien, et al., 1986) were used to assess drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and dieting behaviors.

A series of hierarchical regressions were conducted to determine if and how Barbie usage during childhood affected women’s drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and dieting behaviors as adults. BMI was included in Step 1 for each regression, in order to control for differences in weight/size among women. Although BMI was often associated with body image, no Barbie variable had any impact on body image after controlling for BMI. Frequency, number, enjoyment, and age at first play with Barbies were never significantly associated with drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, or dieting behaviors. See Table 1 for descriptive statistics and Table 2 for regression results.

The findings from our pilot study contradict stereotypical notions that playing with Barbies in childhood leads to long-lasting negative consequences for women. Although it is possible that, in the short-term, Barbies negatively affect girls’ self-perceptions (Dittmar et al., 2006), other factors such as the parent-child relationship and friendships may be more influential in shaping girls’ overall self-worth over time. However, we stress the importance of caregivers choosing appropriate toys that are not focused on appearance as well as engaging in communication during play to educate girls on unrealistic body types.

Authors

• Elizabeth H Blodgett Salafia, North Dakota State University
  Presenting Author

• Emma L Johnson, North Dakota State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kerrie Leonard, North Dakota State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maegan E Jones, North Dakota State University
  Non-Presenting Author