The article, "Hetero Barbie" begins by focusing on how young girls center their attention on their image and bodies. Especially when a female enters into her teenage years, a heterosexual girl focuses her attention on a boy and eventually dating. Once a female reaches this stage in her life, the article describes how she will obsess over styling her hair and putting on make up. Barbie is the center and prime example for young girls to do this. Beauty stems from Barbie's image- her hair, makeup, and body is society's view of perfection. While Barbie is the center of beauty, she also goes against society's norms.
The article states that she "escapes" society's expectations of a woman in a relationship. Barbie is rather independent and occupies herself with travel and a diverse amount of careers. The article puts a different perspective on Barbie's image, stating that she may be a "drag queen." Her wardrobe, according to the article, is said to attract a gay audience. Lesbian and Bisexual sexualities are also part of the diverse audiences that can be associated with Barbie's image.
This article goes even further with the speculation of Barbie being asexual. Michael Osborne, a Barbie doll collector, has nearly 300 barbies. This is significant because its demonstrates how Barbie's image is so easily addicting and is desired to be obtained. Her image is attractive and idolized; Osborne even dressed as Barbie for Halloween. The way Mattel has designed Barbie enables her image to be interpreted in different ways with a diverse amount of sexualities. It is up to one's own interpretation of Barbie and the way they see her image.
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