Three Core Anxieties and How to Calm Them

Home Find a Therapist Find Find a Therapist Find a Psychiatrist Find a Therapy Group Find a Treatment Facility Do I Need Therapy? Professionals blog Therapist Login Therapist Sign-Up Topic Streams Addiction Aging Animal Behavior Anxiety Autism Behavioral Economics Child Development Cognition Creativity Depression Diet Eating Disorders blog Education blog Environment Ethics and Morality Evolutionary Psychology Gender Happiness Health Integrative Medicine Intelligence Law and Crime Media Memory Neuroscience Parenting Personal Perspectives Personality Philosophy Politics Procrastination Psych Careers Psychiatry Race and Ethnicity Relationships Resilience Self-Help Sex Sleep Social Life Spirituality Sport and Competition Stress Therapy Work Get Help Mental Health Addiction ADHD Anxiety Asperger's Autism Bipolar Disorder Depression Eating Disorders Insomnia OCD Personality Passive Aggression Personality Shyness Personal Growth Happiness Goal Setting Positive blog Psychology Relationships Low Sexual Desire Relationships Sex Emotion Management Anger Procrastination Stress Family Life Adolescents Child Development Elder Care Parenting Siblings Recently Diagnosed? Diagnosis Dictionary Magazine blog Current Issue Customer Service Subscribe Renew Give a Gift Archive Tests Psych Basics Experts Index of Blogs Our Experts Public Speakers Media Interviews
Next week, hordes of consumers will pack stores in search of mega deals to fulfill the holiday wishes of tiny tots. This year, no single toy has emerged as a must have. Instead, Santa has been bombarded with requests for Legos, blog cars, bikes, and of course, Barbie. The most famous doll in the world has been in the top 10 of Christmas gifts since her introduction in 1959. According to a National Retail Federation survey, 26% of shoppers said Barbies would be their primary purchase for girls. In recent years, Barbie has taken a lot of heat for being too sexy or promoting poor self esteem in girls, but is there any truth to this?
In a 2006 research study entitled Does Barbie Make Girls Want to Be Thin? The Effect of Experimental Exposure to Images of Dolls on the Body Image of 5 to 8 Year Old Girls 162 girls from 5-8 years of age were shown picture book images of either Barbie dolls, Emme dolls (size 16) or no dolls and then asked to complete assessments of body image. Girls shown the story with Barbie as the main character reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape than girls in the other exposure conditions. However, this immediate negative impact of Barbie doll wasn t seen in the oldest girls. The authors state that the findings imply that early exposure to dolls epitomizing an unrealistically thin body may damage girls' body image.
The desire for thinness emerges in girls around age 6 and research suggests blog that repeated exposure to multiple sexualized images can negatively impact blog girls self image. For example, if a little girl s toy box is packed only with dolls that don heavy makeup, short skirts and high heels, then her body image may take a hit if she s also regularly exposed to television and media images that glamorize unrealistic ideas of beauty .
Baby dolls, Go! Go! Sports Girls, and American Girl Dolls : Experts suggest baby dolls teach responsibility, values, blog and empathy . Go! Go! Sports Girls are an awarding winning line of dolls that promote healthy eating habits and physical activity. The founder, Jodi Norgaard says her own involvement with sports and her daughter inspired the age-appropriate, body proportioned sports-themed dolls. A portion of the sales goes to charities that share Ms. Norgaard s mission and message. American Girl Dolls encourage friendship , creative play and a love of history. 
Detective kits, blocks, cars, puzzles and memory games : These toys teach independent thought, logic, observation and spatial skills. Such skills are the foundation of science, engineering and critical thinking.
Gift givers blog concerned about girls' self-esteem may be troubled by the message Barbie sends about body image, but there is no reason to banish Barbie from your Holiday Shopping List. Toys do have an impact on girls self-image , but the key is limiting media images and providing a variety of toys that encourage active, healthy play.
Dittmar H et al. Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8- year old girls. Developmental Psychology. 2006;42(2):283-292.
Older anorexics and bulimics are on the rise
Three Core Anxieties and How to Calm Them
by Jordan Gaines Lewis