Quem disse que boneca não fala?: um estudo sobre as representações sociais do feminino nas bonecas Susi (1966-2016)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the social representations of feminism reflected and reproduced by Susi Dolls from 1966 to 2016 looking to evidence if they propagated certain traditional representations of feminism or if they broke with these representations in search of new paradigms and economic interests. Therefore, different models of Susi were analyzed – taking as base Gilles Brougère’s proposition (2010) about the analysis of the toy according to the material aspect and its significations – and also some catalogues and packagings of diverse decades, paying significant attention to the shape of the body, color of the plastic skin, texture, length and color of the hair, eyes, make-up and outfit. The theoretical basis of this work found support in: the studies about childhood and toy of Ariès (1981) and Benjamin (2004, 1987); the considerations of Brougère (2010) about the doll as a source of social and cultural significances; the theory of social representations of Moscovici (1978) and Jodelet (2002); the contributions of Laqueur (2001) about the construction of the concept of feminine; the assumption of Foucault (1988, 1987, 1986) in reference to the power relations and the theoretical formulation about the enunciated notion of gender, especially de Beauvoir (1970, 1967), Friedan (1971), Ortner (2006, 1979), Rubin (2012, 1993), Scott (2011, 1995, 1992) and Butler (2006, 2003, 2002). This study concludes that the Estrela toy Factory brought up series of representations of the feminine and that many times these representations possessed, in fact, the objective of constructing a determined “mirror” of the woman in society, breaking or reiterating traditional standards to adapt to the market logic.