Barbie a Feature by vanessa ( ) Despite her inability to stand if she were real, Barbie is positioned as an icon for women. (submitted by vanessa.) ëBarbie is the only magazine targeting girls aged 5-12í says the press release for Barbie the new magazine for girls. The magazine was launched in Australia in June, 1996, and according to its publishers, it fulfills the needs of young girls who enjoy reading glossy magazines but are too young to comprehend the sex-oriented editorial of magazines aimed at the teenage and adult market. Ironically enough, the magazineís editor is Nicole Hodson who edited Girlfriend in 1995, a magazine full of sex tips for teenage girls. Barbieís editorial content is an oh-so-revolutionary and stimulating mix of ëcelebrity interviews, the latest in cool fashion looks, beauty, fun news and reviews, whatís hot, great ideas for fun in the kitchen, things to make and create, environmental updates and much, much moreí. While sex is not mentioned, the magazine is set up in exactly the same way as magazines such as Dolly, Cleo, Cosmopolitan et al. Thereís the ëwhatís hotí pages, full of fun and exciting things to do like buy zoo animal bath bubbles to make bath time fun, only 60c each from David Jones, or Ikea fuzzy alligator bumbags. In the same way that McDonalds deliberately targets children, Barbie is training young consumers to buy, buy, buy. Then you flick over to the mail order page where a blond blue-eyed girl wearing lipstick shows you just how good youíll look in a Barbie magazine t-shirt. Youíll also find a ëwhen I grow upí section , a ësearch for a starí competition entry form (aka covergirl contest) and a ëDear Barbieí section where a Barbie answers all your problems. Fashion spreads where 10 year old girls are trying to look relaxed and friendly yet slightly flirtatious are essential, as is the ëme and my Barbieí section where readers can send in photos of themselves with their Barbie collection (by the looks of it anyone with less than 10 is just not going to make it). Finally youíve got the ëyummy treatsí bit where you can get mum to help you make delicious dinners for the family and the ëyour planetí section just to make sure all those girls stay environmentally aware. As Nicole Hodson states, íThe editorial content talks to them in their own language, treating them like the little woman they are, rather than talking down to themí. And little women they are. Everything about the magazine is to do with training girls to become women who read glossy magazines and who therefore in some way buy into the ideal of the modern woman that these magazines present. Sex, beauty and fashion are the staples of these magazines, Barbie magazine has simply taken out the first part. It is no wonder that the magazine is named after the Barbie doll, the doll that has ëthe unique ability to inspire confidence, glamour and a sense of adventure in all who love herí. Before the advent of the Barbie doll in 1959, dolls were always babies or toddlers and playing with dolls was seen as playing at being a mother. Playing with Barbie, however, is about playing at being grown up in a way that does not necessarily involve motherhood. While this may be heralded as a positive and revolutionary thing (and it may have been back in the 50s) the fact is that Barbie comes with a catch: her focus is her appearance. One of the press releases opens with: ëBarbie doll, that original dream girl, is making her 37th anniversary in 1996. And, as always, all 29.2 stylish centimeters of the worldís most popular doll will be turned out in the fashionable best for which she has been known since 1959í. Measurements and appearance are the major part of Barbieís promotion. her clothes and outfits make up the bulk of her selling point despite Mattelís (her manufacturers) claims that she has been a role model to women through her roles as astronaut, college graduate, surgeon, business executive and presidential candidate. Similarly, Barbieís blue eyes and blond hair remain the beauty norm despite the ëDolls of The Worldí collection. ëIn Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, Barbie doll is marketed with the looks, fashions and accessories that mirror the taste of children world-wideí claims a press release. This statement does not allow for the fact that Mattel has the money to market whatever taste it wants and that making Barbieís skin colour darker does not change her Caucasian features. This is particularly pertinent in the line that follows: ëBarbie doll proudly serves as an Ambassador of Good Willí to almost every country in the world!í. How very American. Barbie magazine is produced under license to Mattel. The entire thing is just one huge promotion gimmick for Barbie dolls, with both editorial and advertising content focused on Barbie and her associates. The magazine and press release even include a copy of Barbieís family tree on which I counted 54 humans (my favorite being MC Hammer, celebrity friend) and 25 pets. On this family tree, pets had their description written in brackets next to them (such as horse, Arabian, stallion or kitty), while only family members of different races had this privilege (eg Cara (black) or Nia (American Indian)). Apparently, nearly 90% of Australian girls own at least one Barbie doll. Hence the editors of the magazine see the relevance of a magazine specifically designed to promote one thing. By playing with Barbie dolls, girls can pretend to be the glamorous grown up woman that Barbie represents. Now that Barbie magazine is out, girls can go one step further at pretending to be grown up; they can have their own beauty and fashion magazine to help Barbie teach them how to be a woman who, if she was real, couldnít even stand up. Vanessa Sowerwine. Created on Tue, 13 Jan 1998 and last modified on Tue, 13 Jan 1998.

LOUDonline - http://www.loud.net.au - Fri, 10 Apr 1998