Earlier this week in class we discussed Barbie and how Barbie has made a huge impact on the American culture. Basically, Barbie has set the beauty standard unrealistically high and as a result women are under an extreme amount of pressure trying to attain and keep the look of Barbie. Since the development of Barbie she has lead a life that a lot of women envy-that's right, women not children although the children that play with Barbie ultimately grow up.
Unfortunately, Lil Kim is a victim of this Barbie theory. She has changed her appearance by having multiply plastic surgery procedures in order to look more like Caucasian or "Barbie" like. She has had skin lightening, cheek and breast augmentation, rhinoplasty(nose job), and a brow and fore head lift all in the name of beauty. Barbie has crossed the culture line, at one time Black women embraced their natural beauty and was proud of it what happened? I believe that Lil Kim is a product of the White standard of beauty trend that African American women are now taking a part in. In my opinion Lil Kim is a prime example of how powerful it is, and to what measures people or "women" rather are willing to go to be accepted by mainstream. I don't but maybe her change in physical appearance is an attempt to bring a more positive image to her character Lil Kim. Maybe it is a desperate attempt to keep herself in the public eye? Whatever it is it is clear that celebrities are not exempt from the culture standards of society if anything they are the ones that exacerbate it.
(Check out the interview Lil Kim did with BET, I tried to put a link to it on the side bar but I was not successful at doing so but the second highlighted Lil Kim will link you to the article. It was pretty interesting when the reporter asked her about plastic surgery she immediatley hung up!)
I honestly do not understand how woman can drastically change their bodies for beauty. Although societies standards are high on what beauty is the lengths we will go as woman to be beautiful is outrageous. As a woman of high celebrity status Lil' Kim has not done a good representation of what a woman should be which is fore most important. Unfortunately people are shallow and we thrive off of looks not substance. I think that Lil' Kim has gone to such lengths with her actions and that her changing her looks will not make her reputation better but just Lil' Kim being badass Lil' Kim. I hope girls can see the light and realize that no matter how many lip injections you get, no matter how much weight you lose, or how many breat surgeries you get beauty will always be skin deep.
ReplyDeleteLil Kim seems to think of herself as a role model but I'm not too sure who would want to follow her foot steps. She really does seem like she is trying to be like Barbie and a white Barbie at that. The way she dresses in public is very ridiculous. We understand she has had plastic surgery but no one wants to see that. She sets a poor example for younger people in society today.
ReplyDeleteLil Kim is a perfect example of the impact that Barbie's standard has taken on todays society. People are going out and getting every kind of plastic surgery that they can just to fit the Barbie image. Trim waist, perfect hair, sloping nose, large breast. Dolly Parton would be an excellent example also away from the African American aspect of trying to look like Barbie. I love Dolly's music, but she has certainly turned herself into a real-life Barbie.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is terrible that women feel that they have to look a certain way. What is so amazing about humans is that we all look different. Why would anyone want to look the same as someone else? I think Barbie CAN influence the way a women looks at her body, but I don't think that Barbie is fully to blame. Barbie isn't as bad of an influence as runway models are because models are real people and Barbie is only a doll.
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