Barbie, Sherazade and Alyssa in the imaginary. Analysis of gender representations in cultures

Abstract

The analysis of female icons, as a deconstruction factor of the imaginary related to gender, just like it has been built and declined by different cultures, represents the subjet of this article. Through a journey in the imaginary between East and West, an attempt will be made to identify female educational models in cultures, which can be deduced from the study of some significant icons.

Barbie, Sharazade, Alyssa are not only characters of stories, myths, legends or playful objects, but convey, through their own “specificity”, a model to follow, pointing to young girls and adolescents– but also to their male counterpart– their belonging not only of gender, but also of culture. What is the specificity of this belonging? What emerges from the comparison between such icons and models? The imaginary inherent in feminine icons reveals an “issue of identity” which allows us to grasp the deep meaning of gender belonging, as a product of one’s own culture, meaning that we can fully understand only through comparison with otherness.