Why Barbie Does Not Equal Beautiful

 

I remember my first Barbie doll. That's what it was called, “My First Barbie”. I was about five and I got it for my birthday. She was blonde and tanned, just like all of the Barbies my sister had and all of the Barbies my friends had. It's not that they didn't have Barbies of other ethnicities (for instance, the first Black Barbie came out in 1980), but they weren't something you could find in a whole lot of stores where I lived. It's interesting that the whole 'franchise' started in 1959, and yet many of us never saw dark-haired or other Barbies when we were little. Since Barbie was held up as the epitome of female beauty, I used to dream that I would wake up one morning and be blonde and blue-eyed like her, so I would be beautiful. Never happened.

I never developed a complex about my looks as a result of it, but other girls aren't so lucky. I'm not going to blame Barbie exclusively for the bad body images many of American women and girls have, but it would really be nice if we could see a Barbie doll or supermodel that looked more like a 'real' woman would. For instance-

• If Barbie were real, she would stand about 5'9” and her measurements would be about 39-18-33. In contrast, the average American woman is about 5'3” with measurements of 40-34-43.
• The average American woman weighs in the 140-150 pound range. The 'full figured' Barbies are usually described as weighing about 110 pounds. If someone were 110 pounds at 5'9” with these proportions, she would be considered anorexic!
• If a 'real woman' had Barbie's proportions, she would probably have to have a breast reduction because of the strain such a disproportionate size would put on her back and shoulders. Plus, oversized breasts are a cancer risk because they are much harder to self-examine than 'regular-sized' breasts.
• Her feet would be a child's size 3. Wearing high heels all the time like she does can cause excess pressure on the back and neck. It can also cause the tendons to shorten and tighten, making it extremely painful to flatten your feet.

As you can see, pushing yourself (or your daughter pushing herself) to be a mirror-image of Barbie is downright unhealthy, and in more than one way! The healthy thing to do is to follow your doctor's directions (if any) on what is a healthy weight for you. Everyone's body is different, so your healthy weight and Body Mass Index might not be the same as mine. Also, please give yourself (or teach your daughter to give herself) the benefit of the doubt. Seek out different examples of beauty that are more attainable. Look at Catherine Zeta-Jones or Beyonce Knowles-they're gorgeous, and they don't look like they've missed too many meals! Also, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12 dress rather than the size 2 Barbie might be in! There are plenty more, trust me.

If you want to know what a real woman would look like if she were to have Barbie's proportions, the BBC has that covered-What A 'Real-Life' Barbie Would Look Like. Also, My Body Gallery helps women see their bodies as they really are and what other people actually see. The pictures are submitted by other users, so you're not looking at models. I think this is good because seeing a woman with your proportions that you find beautiful can remind you that your shape is beautiful too.