Exposure to Barbie: Effects on thin-ideal internalisation, body esteem, and body dissatisfaction among young girls

Rice, Karlie; Prichard, Ivanka; Tiggemann, Marika; Slater, Amy

Abstract

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Barbie doll ownership is high among girls in early primary school. It has been suggested that exposure to Barbie impacts negatively on body image. The present study sought to investigate the effect of exposure to Barbie on young girls’ thin-ideal internalisation, body esteem, and body dissatisfaction. Participants were 160 girls (aged 5–8 years) from Adelaide, South Australia. They were randomly allocated one of three Barbie conditions (physical engagement, physical observation, print observation) or to a control toy. Results indicated that exposure to Barbie, irrespective of format, led to higher thin-ideal internalisation than exposure to the control, but had no impact on body esteem or body dissatisfaction. This suggests that interacting with Barbie may encourage girls in early primary school to adopt a preference for a thin body, but with no immediate effect on body image. The long-term impact of Barbie exposure on body image remains unknown.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 9, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2016
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Sep 20, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 30, 2018
• Journal: Body Image
• Print ISSN: 1740-1445
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Pages: 142-149
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.09.005
• Keywords: body image, young girls, Barbie doll, thin-ideal internalisation, body esteem, body dissatisfaction, Barbie
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/922646
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.09.005
• Contract Date: Sep 20, 2016