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December 19th, 2005, 4:13:41 PM
Girls enjoy torturing Barbie dolls, study finds
Dec. 19, 2005. 03:32 PM
JILL LAWLESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Barbie, beware.
The iconic plastic doll suffers mutilation and "torture" at the hands of some young girls, according to research published Monday by British academics.
"The girls we spoke to see Barbie torture as a legitimate play activity, and see the torture as a `cool' activity in contrast to other forms of play with the doll," said Agnes Nairn, one of the University of Bath researchers.
"The types of mutilation are varied and creative, and range from removing the hair to decapitation, burning, breaking and even microwaving."
Researchers from the university's marketing and psychology departments questioned 100 primary school children about their attitudes to a range of products as part of a study on branding. They found the Barbie provoked the strongest reaction, with youngsters reporting "rejection, hatred and violence," Nairn said.
"The meaning of `Barbie' went beyond an expressed antipathy; actual physical violence and torture towards the doll was repeatedly reported, quite gleefully, across age, school and gender."
While boys often expressed nostalgia and affection toward Action Man, the British equivalent of GI Joe, renouncing Barbie appeared to be a rite of passage for many girls.
"The most readily expressed reason for rejecting Barbie was that she was babyish, and girls saw her as representing their younger childhood out of which they felt they had now grown," Nairn said.
"It's as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past."
Story (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1134990756579&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News)
Dec. 19, 2005. 03:32 PM
JILL LAWLESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Barbie, beware.
The iconic plastic doll suffers mutilation and "torture" at the hands of some young girls, according to research published Monday by British academics.
"The girls we spoke to see Barbie torture as a legitimate play activity, and see the torture as a `cool' activity in contrast to other forms of play with the doll," said Agnes Nairn, one of the University of Bath researchers.
"The types of mutilation are varied and creative, and range from removing the hair to decapitation, burning, breaking and even microwaving."
Researchers from the university's marketing and psychology departments questioned 100 primary school children about their attitudes to a range of products as part of a study on branding. They found the Barbie provoked the strongest reaction, with youngsters reporting "rejection, hatred and violence," Nairn said.
"The meaning of `Barbie' went beyond an expressed antipathy; actual physical violence and torture towards the doll was repeatedly reported, quite gleefully, across age, school and gender."
While boys often expressed nostalgia and affection toward Action Man, the British equivalent of GI Joe, renouncing Barbie appeared to be a rite of passage for many girls.
"The most readily expressed reason for rejecting Barbie was that she was babyish, and girls saw her as representing their younger childhood out of which they felt they had now grown," Nairn said.
"It's as though disavowing Barbie is a rite of passage and a rejection of their past."
Story (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1134990756579&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News)