Pre-reading questions:
- How long do you know Barbie?
- What are the things you can say about Barbie?
Barbie is the iconic plastic doll that most girls grown up with all over the world. Mattel introduced Barbie on March 9, 1959 at New York Toy Fair. Mattel also stated that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold in 150 countries. Barbie has become a cultural icon over the years having appeared in books, paintings, and even renamed in a section of Times Square in New York for a week.
As Barbie celebrates her 58th birthday, the iconic doll received lots of criticism because of her unbelievable body shape. Many people said that the symbolic doll who has a body measurements of 18′ waist, 33′ hips, and 36′ bust don’t exactly depict the average female body. Last January, in an article in TIME, Mattel answered the issue and stated that they will start selling Barbie-dolls with different shapes and sizes.
Vocabulary:
iconic – [adjective] characteristic of an icon
renamed – [verb] give a new name to someone or something
criticism – [noun] the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on mistakes
depict – [verb] to represent by
average – [noun] a standard or level that is typical or usual
Comprehension Questions:
- Who created Barbie?
- When was the first appearance of the iconic doll?
- How many Barbie-dolls have been sold though out the years?
- When was Barbie born?
- What are the given body measurements of Barbie?
Express Your Opinion:
- If you will be given a chance to buy a toy, would you consider to buying a Barbie-doll? Please explain your answer.
- Do you agree that Barbie should have an almost perfect body shape? Why or why not?