Exploratory analysis

Barbie is a controversial toy, many think that the doll creates a stereotype for which many girls try to fit into resulting in poor body image and self conscious behavior. The intended audience is anyone who played with Barbie Dolls growing up or those that feel that the dolls reflect a bad image. The author is a young women who herself played with the Barbie Dolls, but later found them to be in bad taste. One of the constraints of the argument is the bias a reader may already have for or agaisnt the toy. Tradition is another large factor in this piece, the doll and its controversy have been around for decades, making it hard to sway a decision after all the publicity it has already gotten. It is a reoccuring debate between feminists and Barbie enthusiasts. The different positions of the argument are those that are for Barbie, those agaisnt Barbie, and those that are in the middle, neither loving nor hating the idea of the doll. Those that are for Barbie are those that seemingly grew up playing with and loving the doll. They are insistant that the doll urges imagination. Those against Barbie argue that she offers a body type that can never be achieved and her image centers around materials and not on education or individuality. There are those that are in the middle that see both positive and negative qualities associated with the doll. The author seems to favor the moderate position, stating that she played with the doll as a young child, but as an adult was concerned with the feminist side and did not like what Barbie stood for.