Barbie Releases Ad About ‘Dream Gap’
In honor of the International Day of the Girl, Barbie’s marketing team released an ad about young girls developing a ‘dream gap.’ The dream gap is that they are less likely to be raised with the belief they can be presidents, CEOs, scientists or other jobs that are typically associated with men. The ad states since Barbie’s creation, it “has worked to create a world where girls see unlimited possibilities.” The ad is part of Barbie’s Dream Gap Project which is working to educate about the gender biases girls deal with from a young age and to study their impact on young girl’s self-esteem.
The ad faced a lot of criticism from columnists, who saw the ad as trying to market a feminist message when Barbie’s products themselves are not inclusive and represent unrealistic standards for women. One columnist at Jezebel referred to the ad as “commodification of feminism” and stated it is a marketing ploy to help Barbie’s image.
I found the ad interesting since Barbie for years has promoted unrealistic beauty standards for women and has only recently begun to make a few dolls that have different skin tones and body types. Barbie for years has been decried as being part of the culture that manufactures gender constructions that represent the ideal women. The fact that Barbie has only chosen to cash in now on feminism, when it has become much more popular rather than mocked and trivialized as it has been in the past, shows its message is more about capitalism than empowering girls.
I definitely see your point about how Barbie is now a product of capitalism. It is so frustrating that brands and companies use these products and advertising promoting feminism or girl power messages. They know there audiences are changing and society is changing so they want to make a profit.
ReplyDeleteI 100% also think this is about capitalism more than anything. But if Barbie implements this campaign in the right way, considering their major capital and name, I think it has the potential to create some real impact. Hopefully they have a diverse staff and objectives to implement their dream gap initiatives
ReplyDeleteThe commodification of capitalism is an interesting issue. I think this has been prevalent in other recent Barbie ads. I remember one specifically about a year ago that was about a girl who played with Barbie's dressed up like scientists, doctors, etc. and made some comment at the end about women in STEM. The ads can be powerful, but I think you're right that the product doesn't align. I do think Barbie seems to have been making steps in their advertising and products towards diversity, inclusion, and empowering women, but the brand certainly has a long way to go.
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