四級(jí)晨讀主題美文100篇 44

Barbie’s fate

‵Barbie, beware. The ‵iconic plastic doll|is ‵often mutilated|at the ‵hands of young girls, according to research published|by British academics.

“The ‵girls we survey|see Barbie torture|as a ‵legitimate play activity, and see the ‵torture as a| ‵‘cool’ activity,” said Agnes Nairn, one of the University|of Bath researchers. The ‵types of mutilation are ‵varied|and ‵creative, and ‵range from removing the hair|to decapitation, burning, breaking|and ‵even microwaving.

Researchers from the university’s ‵marketing|and ‵psychology departments|questioned ‵100 children|about their attitudes|to a ‵range of products|as part of a study|on ‵branding. They found| ‵Barbie provoked the ‵strongest reaction, with youngsters reporting|“‵rejection, ‵hatred and ‵violence”, Nairn said. “The ‵meaning of ‘Barbie’|went ‵beyond an expressed antipathy; ‵actual physical violence|and torture towards the doll|was ‵repeatedly reported.” she said.

While boys ‵often expressed nostalgia|and affection toward GI Joe, ‵renouncing Barbie|appeared to be a ‵rite of passage|for ‵many girls,① Nairn said.

“The ‵most readily expressed reason|for ‵rejecting Barbie|was that she was ‵babyish, and girls saw her|as representing their younger childhood| ‵out of which they felt|they had now grown,” she said.

Nairn said|many girls saw Barbie|as an ‵inanimate object| ‵rather than a treasured toy.

“Whilst for an ‵adult|the delight the child felt in ‵breaking, ‵mutilating|and ‵torturing their dolls|is ‵deeply disturbing, from the child's point of view|they were ‵simply being imaginative|in disposing of an ‵excessive commodity|in the ‵same way|as one might crush cans|for recycling,” she said.

Manufacturer Mattel, which sells 94 ‵million Barbies|a year worldwide, said the doll remained|the “‵No. 1 fashion doll brand”.

Mattel U.K. said|that despite the findings|of “this ‵very small group of children, we know|that there are ‵millions of girls in the U.K.|and ‵across the world|that love and enjoy playing with ‵Barbie|and will ‵continue to do so|in the future.”