This is the fourth in a series of podcasts from the 2009 Cambridge Festival of Ideas.
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In the latest podcast, we ask: is Barbie the ultimate symbol of the commercialisation of "girliness" or is there a deeper reason for her powerful appeal to girls across cultures and decades?
We explore the pros and cons of female stereotypes and we ask whether plastic surgery allows women greater control, or just conforms to female stereotypes of beauty.
On the panel is evolutionary biologist Dr Helena Cronin, co-director of the Darwin Centre at the London School of Economics; Dr Becky Munford, lecturer in english literature at Cardiff University; and Professor Ruth Holliday, director of the centre for gender studies at Leeds University. The panel is chaired by Dr Jude Browne, diretor of the centre for gender studies at Cambridge University.
