BARBIE - HER INFLUENCE ON WOMEN

She is the epitome of beauty, perfection, and success and plays one of the key roles in the developing age of a girl. She is the first icon that a girl familiarise her self with and Barbie has, and continues to make a cosmic impact on a woman’s life. The Barbie doll is one of the most successful toys of the 20th century and, arguably, the icon of female beauty and the American dream. According to its manufacturer, Mattel.Inc, every three seconds a Barbie doll is being purchased. Not many people would want to admit how influenced they are by this iconic doll but I still remember my first Barbie, and the blissful contentment I had by receiving her in the tender age of five years.  The toy doll has since made a significant impression in my life and career as a designer, and she’s is one of the key ‘people’ I give credit to, for the success I have achieved through my profession.

The reason I consider Barbie as a person is because she’s not just a plastic doll to play with, she’s a dream, a vision, a star, and a remarkable character, a lifestyle, that motivates a little girl to achieve her goals and to be a success as a ‘woman’.

But after seeing Barbie being blamed for so many things I decided to write an article about the doll that had made a significant impression for the past 50 years and still continues to do so, and why people shouldn't blame "her" for the self-image problems of girls and women.

The controversy against Barbie

It is evident that during recent times the media, educators, parents and feminists have blamed the doll for various reasons. If every time anyone writes or speaks about the issues of young women’s unhealthy obsession to achieve the perfect body, it doesn’t take long for the name ‘Barbie’ to be mentioned.

Some claim that the toy represents the paradigm of adult female beauty to which young girls learn to aspire. It has been argued that Barbie dolls reflect a highly sexualized image and restrict girls' play by emphasizing prescribed roles. The media say that some people fear that by dramatizing stereotypical feminine roles during play, girls will internalize and later embody such roles. There continues to be disagreement over the messages the Barbie doll sends and the toy's place in the lives of young girls. Despite all these controversy and the demand to change the image of the doll, Mattel.Inc have been largely – I’d say completely – unresponsive to those concerns and the toy remains to be the best selling toy in the world.

The positive influence of Barbie

Barbie is a powerful, intelligent, skilled and someone who will always be linked to the color pink. She represents’ women of all colors, nationalities, occupations and in her own way, also represents a little girl.

Independence & Creativity

Since the introduction of Barbie in 1959, she was an adult and had a career, which represented her independence and power during a time when little girls in the world were playing with baby dolls and taking care of them like mothers. ‘Independence’ was the first and the key impact the doll made in a girls mind and I believe this greatly develops intellect to regulate a goal-driven attitude in a child. When looking at how people played with the Barbie and their stories, I really appreciate the wonderful creativity that builds in a child’s mind. The genius of Barbie is that the doll can be anyone in the mind of a young girl and assist her to project possibilities and to mirror or to extend their own lives.

Barbie is a single woman - she's not necessarily married or with children - and I think it's a good thing that young girls play withBarbies and have narratives where women have the freedom to be themselves, hang out with girlfriends, have careers, go backpacking and climb Mount Everest or simply be a super housewife and have kids. Barbie allows the imagination to take wings. It is also essential to keep in mind the fact that young girls have the ability to distinguish between fantasy and the real world.

The Beauty

No matter what negative remarks the doll receives, Barbie is beautiful inside and out. She is not an action hero who beats up or shoots up anyone who opposes her - She’s got wholesomeness - She’s a hard worker and is liked by all her friends. She hurts nobody and yet she is like so many women who live in abusive environments where they are blamed for things that aren't their fault, treated with suspicion, resented, used as punching bags when someone has had a bad day, and brutalized. This pretty little doll, with her miniature accessories and the ability to capture the imaginations of little girls (and not so little girls) everywhere isn't really guilty of anything other than being perfect and perfectly feminine.

Barbie will always represent perfection, which something a human being cannot achieve, yet she stands as a benchmark in a girls life to accomplish her dream of becoming the best, to be beautiful, to be classy, and to be loved by all.

LADY GAGA - HAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE WORLD’S BIGGEST POP STAR

No wonder Lady Gaga is now probably the biggest star in the world. She’s got something. Something everyone secretly wants, secretly loves to fear and secretly wants to see.

During the past two years, Lady Gaga and her image has transformed the entertainment business, inspired the fashion industry, topped music charts and won over and influenced the ears of everyone! She represents the best in new thinking; digital-savviness and business smarts that will redefine the music industry.

Just like Famous sportsmen have a lot to teach us about physical training and Fashion icons show us how to possess Individuality in style, popular pop icons can teach us significant lessons about branding, segment targeting and viral marketing. Likewise there’s a lot to learn from this quirky glam rock star – from her calculated, well-orchestrated image and her clever market positioning to approach your career in a way that leads to unjustifiable success.

§  Don’t be afraid of Risks

Go against the grain. Take risks, lots of them, but in a safe manner by framing them in time capsules with alternatives if they don't work out.

Lady Gaga took a risk and was the subject of nasty criticism about her avant-garde image, but she kept people talking. And after everyone got used to seeing her performances, everyone settled down a bit and appreciated that she had the guts to stand out and give us something new.

If you’re confident in your abilities, understand that it’s okay to go a less conventional route to achieve your goals.  Lady Gaga shows us; if you already have a specific vision, just go for it.

§  Remain open to inspiration

Carefully select role models, studying them for what you need to learn about your line of work. Even if you think your image is much different than those who’ve come before you, accept inspiration from all types of people and experiences. The more well-rounded and educated you are about your industry, the more successful your business will be.

The challenge is not to become so impressed by masters in your field that you imitate and don't find your own imprint but to create your own identity.

§  Branding is everything

You are your brand. Lady Gaga is continually mastering at personal branding, she is a genius at marketing, and her crazy looks are just a part of the whole Gaga package.

In today’s world, having a trademark is essential. And she sure has. Every little aspect seems original and surprising about her. She is always ready to seek the limelight. She strives to have the best and will stop at nothing to popularize her brand.

If you’re able to create an instantly recognizable image, your brand and your message will speak for itself and will travel much more quickly and effectively than cumbersome explanations. Basically what Lady Gaga says is that, it’s ok to be different. It doesn’t matter how different you are. It’s about your liberty and your desire to endorse who you are.

§  Aim big. Experiment within your field.

Explore opportunities for expanding your career. Lady Gaga has made her goal to revolutionize pop music. She states that failure is okay. In fact, putting disasters in play is increasingly considered a necessary routine of passage to success.

As mentioned already, Lady Gaga’s image is clearly defined and easily recognizable. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t experiment. She loves challenging herself. Lady Gaga recognizes that music is a broad field in and of itself, and she doesn’t limit herself to one performance type or genre. Just as you should keep learning about your field and business, continue to experiment well even after you’ve found success.

§  Be authentic. Commit to your image 100%

Lady Gaga is 100% committed to her image, It doesn’t matter how much time and effort it takes to dress up like that probably because she recognizes that it’s her appearance that connects her to her fans.

She teaches us never to stray from your core values and not to be afraid of being yourself. Gaga has unabashedly maintained her core values, many of which involve giving back to the community that has impelled her to fame. She inspires us never to give up on our most basic mission and the values and to be authentic.

§  Keep Learning

Lady Gaga finds inspiration from various sources and she loves the fashion industry. The best example for her acuteness to learn is that, She has requested an internship at the milliner Philip Treacy’s studio so that she could learn how to design hats. Gaga has even submitted a resume, impressing many in the industry who respected her humble and seemingly sincere move to learn something new.

What we can learn from Gaga on this is that, you shouldn’t settle for what you’re already good at and what the public knows you for: keep stretching yourself by going back to school, collaborating with new partners, or finding a new niche to conquer.

Finally, while she is one of the most exhibitionist, extravagant, visual and provocative artist today; she is yet very humble and modest. Everything is communicated through her art and when she takes home awards she is as down to earth as one can be. In a world where marketing agencies, social media consultants, and search engine optimizers try to construct tools and methods to drive traffic, Lady Gaga represents the axiom that “content is king”.