Since 1952, young girls around the world have been introduced to a doll named Barbie. However, Barbie is simply not the doll we all know & love. Ruth Handler (creator of Barbie) modeled Barbie after a German doll named Lilli which was a "3-D Pin-up Bombshell” for German men after WWII. Lilli was advertised as "the star of every little bar" and did sexually explicit things. This was exposed to young girls through Barbie, who in playing with her for so long would contemplate their own appearance and compare theirs to Barbie's.
Barbie is not realistic, in any way, shape, or form. A source says that Barbie would stand about 5’6”, weigh nearly 120 pounds, and have the measurements 38-18-34. 38 inches for her chest, 18 inches at her waist, 34 at her hips. If Barbie were human, she would not be able to menstruate due to the lack of body fat percentage, stand, or even walk.
Girls constantly have to look up to figure that is non realistic, which later may result in depression, low self esteem, and some even bulimia. Timesonline.com claims that eating disorders are linked to Barbie. “These ultra-thin images not only lowered young girls’ body esteem but also decreased their satisfaction with their actual body size, making them desire a thinner body.” Some of us may have the common sense to not risk our health, but many girls growing up with Barbies suffer from problems such as these.
Mattel & Barbie are the the only ones to blame when it comes to this problem. The other culprits are Bratz and Disney Princesses, but that's only naming the mainstream company's.
This is not what real women look like and this is not what little girls should be taught to resemble.
Sources:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1083049.ece
http://www.teen-beauty-tips.com/barbie-body-image.html
http://tween-trends.suite101.com/article.cfm/barbie_and_bratz_dolls
Excellent post! Barbie has been around since the 50's. Barbie is a manifestation of the ideals society puts in women, not the other way around. Eating disorders have been around since the 1800s, and many specialists believe that it is due to the fact that women are taught that their bodies are something to be admired and loooked at from a very young age. Think about your little sister, and how you, innocently, tell her how pretty she is all of the time. People don'te tell little boys how handsome they are all day long - they tell them they are smart and strong.
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