Barbie’s Careers
Last semester, during our Barbie discussion, a student mentioned how inspirational Barbie has been for young girls. The student’s main point - if I recall correctly - was that Barbie has taught girls that they can be whatever they want. So…I decided to do a bit of research into Barbie’s careers. Does she demonstrate that girls can really be WHATEVER they want? You decide:
Barbie’s had approximately 60 careers
- Education (about 8): elementary school teacher (5 different times); aerobics instructor (2xs); sign language teacher; swim teacher (2xs)
- Medicine (about 5): doctor (3xs); nurse (1961); surgeon (1973); veterinarian
- Military (about 6): AF jet pilot; USMC officer; Army officer (2xs); Naval officer
- Political (about 4): Presidential candidate (‘92, ‘04, ‘08); President (2000); Ambassador for world peace
- Public Service (about 4): lifeguard; police officer; firefighter; Canadian Mountie (for our Canadian friends)
- Science & Engineering (3): astronaut (3xs); computer engineer (2010); paleontologist (1997) - we decided that this career was popular b/c of Jurassic Park. It was released that year.
- Transportation (4): NASCAR driver (2x…is this really transportation?); stewardess (‘61-64 & ‘66); flight attendant (‘73-75 & ‘89); pilot (1990)
- Miscellaneous (goo-gobs): cheerleader (3xs); business executive (‘60, ‘78, ‘85, ‘99); secretary (2007);
- Long lasting Barbies: ballerina (‘61-present); fashion model (‘59-present); princess (‘90-present)
Vote for Barbie’s new career here:
- Winners for 2010: news anchor & computer engineer
