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S Unit 10: Beauty and fashion trends Listening–writing: Tattoos (B1+) a) Listen to a father and his daughter talking about tattoos. Take notes of the most important points. b) Put yourself in the position of the girl and write an e-mail to an agony aunt of a youth magazine and explain what your problem is. Include the following points: your plans concerning tattoos the arguments of your parents your arguments for OR against tattoos Reading–speaking: Barbie finally becomes a real woman (B1) a) Read the text below, highlight the main aspects and make a list of these points. America’s biggest toy company is changing the most famous body in the world 1 28 4.10 2 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 With her tiny waist, stick thin legs and petite frame, the Barbie doll has been accused of promoting an unhealthy body image for over ve decades. But now, in her biggest update since 1959, it’s out with the slim frame and thigh gap, and in with the curvy hips and thighs as the company has revealed three new body types for the dolls to reect a “broader view of beauty”. e company said the new range – which also boasts seven di erent skin tones – was designed to promote a healthy and realistic body image and would better reect the diversity of those who play with the dolls. Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice-president and Barbie’s global general manager, said, “We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand – these new dolls represent a line that is more reective of the world girls see around them – the variety in body type, skin tones and style allows girls to nd a doll that speaks to them. We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reect a broader view of beauty.” e company are hoping that the new range will help boost sales of the world’s most popular doll. Estimates say three Barbies are sold every second but sales gures show a steady drop in the global market. Since Barbie rst came onto the market, the doll has attracted criticism for giving young and impressionable girls an unrealistic idea of what the female body should look like. In 1963, the doll came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight, with instructions to not eat. e introduction of di erent body types was welcomed by several charities who champion healthy body image and assist those who struggle with eating disorders, which is oen related to exposure to unrealistic body types. In July 2015, research found that children in the UK as young as eight were reporting body dissatisfaction and that almost 40% of 14-year-old girls were admitting to regular dieting. Andrew Radford, the chief executive of eating disorder charity Beat , said he was delighted the company had introduced more diversity to the Barbie range. “For a long time Beat has campaigned against the constant portrayal of a very slender look as the only ideal for young people,” he said. “If a generation is to grow up with a robust sense of their self worth we must challenge this. To more truly reect the diversity of shapes, sizes and culture of mankind is a welcome initiative, especially in a range that generations of young girls have identied with since it rst appeared on the market.” Liam Preston, spokesman for the YMCA’s Be Real campaign, which works with schools and corporations, said it was about time that companies accepted responsibility for the images that they projected onto young girls and teenagers. “We know that children are a ected from a young age by the images around them. We have research that says girls as young as ve years old are worried about the way they look and their size. More so than ever, everywhere they go young people are bombarded with images of photoshopped women, who have shapes that are just not real and not healthy and that is a big issue for us. It’s so important that young people learn to enjoy diversity and feel happy with who they are, and the newly designed dolls could really help that. I hope this is the rst step for a change in the children’s market overall.” (Hannah Ellis-Petersen, The Guardian , 28 January 2016; adapted) b) Choose two points from the list from task 2a and summarise them in a statement about this development. 160 Semester self-checks Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv