Barbie dolls with realistic proportions, with Down syndrome, who use a wheelchair and of course of all possible ethnic origins and conditions. In recent years, the iconic Mattel figure has faced criticism for instilling unrealistic expectations in girls for decades to embrace the diversity. To the point of sending dolls for free to schools in the United Kingdom that request it as part of a program for “educate in empathy“, and that specialists denounce as “hidden marketing”.
According to an article published by the prestigious medical journal The BMJ and signed by the researcher Hristio Boytchev, the initiative ‘Barbie School of Friendship’ (‘Barbie School of Friendship’) is already active in 700 British schools, and has been able to involve 150,000 students. The centers receive a batch of twelve dolls of both sexes, of a diverse representation of races and appearancesincluding figures with disabilities. Attached is a guide to practice role plays that reproduce social situations, but also advertising brand products.
According to the toy company, sponsorship of the program is justified by the “great benefits” for child development that the symbolic game with dolls However, the specialists included in the article denounce the lack of rigor in the design of the program, which could have counterproductive effects such as the perpetuation of “gender stereotypes”. They also describe as “worrying” that a commercial company freely infiltrates its product into the educational curriculum.
[La enfermedad mental que te convierte en una Barbie real: “Es más común de lo que pensamos”]
“This project makes me suspect that it may be a exploitation“, affirms the psychotherapist Philippa Perry, specializing in early childhood education. “I find it slightly repulsive“. Mark Petticrew, Professor of Public Health Evaluation at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, calls the initiative simply “alarming“. His partner May van Schalkwyk denounces the “enormous” brand presence to which students are being exposed. “Commercial entities are not specialized in health or education, but in maximizing profits.”
Schools that have signed up for the scheme, such as Lord Blyton Primary School in Tyne and Wear (near Newcastle), claim that the company has provided free resources. “Considering lack of school fundsis always positive”, they emphasize from the center. In addition, the program contributes studies derived from a five-year collaboration between the company and Cardiff University. These highlight that playing with Barbie dolls encourages increased brain activity and a use of language to describe emotions superior compared to playing video games.
However, the own principal investigator behind both publications, Dr. Sarah Gerson, nuances the relevance of your collaboration. Although he calls the results “interesting,” he finds stating that “playing with dolls like Barbie offers great benefits” as Mattel does to parents is “a bit strong.” Consulted by BMJ as a reviewer of the studies, psychologist Franziska Korb from the Dresden University of Technology confirmed that the study’s methodology was “correct”, but invalid to determine behavioral and long-term development.
[La inyección ‘Barbie Malibú’: el bronceador ilegal que arrasa en TikTok y puede causar melanoma]
Asked by Boytchev, the UK Department for Education declined to confirm whether they had previously reviewed the programme, arguing that British schools have “autonomy to introduce any educational material they deem appropriate.” For her part, the Mattel spokesperson sent The BMJ and clipping with anonymous testimonials from teachers praising the diversity of body types, skin tones and the overall diversity of the dolls. So much, says the company, that they are considering expanding the project to other markets.
Follow the topics that interest you
2023-07-22 01:53:34
#Barbies #school #educate #empathy #project #outrages #psychologists #United #Kingdom
