In the first Barbie commercial made in 1959 the audience is positioned to view the construction of childhood to be very structured and perfect as the commercial describes the ‘perfect’ adult life. The commercial describes adult life as owning a broad range of clothes, focusing on physical beauty and attending fancy parties. The lyrics describe the product as flawless and which young girls would admire. “Someday i’m gonna be exactly like you, till then I know just what I’ll do. Barbie, beautiful Barbie...”. Therefore throughout the 1950’s the commercial positions the audience to view the construction of a girls childhood as a time to focus on beauty and appearance.
The second Barbie commercial which was made in 2010 positions the audience to view the construction of childhood as a time to focus on future career choices rather than appearance. Throughout the commercial the product offers a variety of occupations which young girls can explore. “Barbie I can be, anything I wanna be, what do I want to be?” The audience is viewed to position the construction of childhood as a time to consider any occupation for the future through playing, may it be realistic or a dream career.
