Naked Barbies, Warrior Joes, and Other Forms of Visible Gender

In this folkloric examination of mass-produced material culture in the United States, Jeannie Banks Thomas examines the gendered sculptural forms that are among the most visible, including Barbie, Ken, and G. I. Joe dolls; yard figures (gnomes, geese, and golfers); and cemetery statuary (angels and figures of the Virgin Mary, soldiers, politicians, and sports-related images). Taken together, Thomas argues, these commonplace items elucidate a larger picture of gendered society than each is capable of doing alone. Images of females are often emphasized or sexualized, whereas those of the male body are clothed and armored in the trappings of action and aggression. Thomas locates these various objects of folk art within a discussion of the post-women's movement discourse on gender. In addition to the items themselves, Thomas explores the stories and behaviors they generate, including legends of the supernatural about cemetery statues, oral narratives of yard artists and accounts of pranks involving yard art, narratives about children's play with Barbie, Ken, and G. I. Joe, and the electronic folklore (or e-lore) about Barbie that circulates on the Internet.