It’s not a good time to be a Barbie fan, according to researchers from Oregon State and UC- Santa Cruz.
This image provided by Sports Illustrated shows the cover of the magazine’s 50th anniversary annual swimsuit issue. (AP Photo/Sports Illustrated)
A new study finds girls who play with Barbie dolls see fewer career opportunities compared with boys, according to an OSU statement.
In an experiment, researchers randomly assigned the following dolls to girls, ages 4 to 7, for a few minutes of play:
— Fashion Barbie with dress and high heels
— Career Barbie with a doctor’s coat and stethoscope
— Mrs. Potato Head with accessories like purses and shoes
After playtime was over, the researchers asked if the girls could do any of 10 selected occupations when they grow up. They were also asked if boys could do those jobs.
Girls who played with fashion or career Barbie thought they could do fewer jobs than boys could, while those who played with Mrs. Potato Head saw an equal number of opportunities for boys and girls.
But hasn’t Barbie pursued nearly every wholesome career imaginable?
“Perhaps Barbie can ‘Be Anything’ as the advertising for this doll suggests, but girls who play with her may not apply these possibilities to themselves,” OSU psychology professor and co-author Aurora Sherman said in a statement.
Sherman believes more research is needed to understand how fashion dolls affect young girls. In the meantime, she suggests parents make sure their kids have a wider variety of toys to play with as a precaution.
Below is a gallery of Barbie as an average 19-year-old.
Business Insider: Barbie becomes the average 19-year-old
