Since she burst onto world stages in 1959, Barbie has been a symbol of many things. Her creator, Ruth Handler, introduced the doll in an attempt to make the future more accessible to young girls, and "recognized that experimenting with the future from a safe distance through pretend play was an important part of growing up." Handler was an entrepreneur and inspiration to women in and of herself, and brought Barbie into the world to corner "a product void."
In recent years, Barbie has continued to stand for many things. Unfortunately, it's mostly a problematic portrayal of body image ideals that are unrealistic for most young women that are subliminally instituted from a young age.
According to mirror mirror, an eating disorder resource website, "If Barbie was a real woman, she would be 5’6” and weigh 120 pounds. Her body fat percentage would be so low that she would not be able to menstruate. Her measurements would be 38-18-34. The average woman’s measurements, on the other hand, are about 41-34-43...only about one in 100,000 women actually match the Barbie body image..." Her body type, though problematic, unrealistic and unhealthy, was distributed as the ideal or even the norm to children ages five and up.
Barbie has been under this scrutiny for years, from feminist and media critics alike, she has proved to be substantially problematic in structure. (And that's without the problem of gender role socialization within her fashion and careers...)
Mattel has recently tried to finally respond to the body image issues surrounding Barbie by introducing a line of dolls with a more diverse range of body types and bodily features. The #DollEvolves movement will include categories such as curvy, tall, petite and original, and are currently on sale on the Barbie website, and will be out in retailers later in 2016.
"They'll all be called Barbie, but it's the curvy one — with meat on her thighs and a protruding tummy and behind — that marks the most startling change to the most infamous body in the world," Kenji Aoki of TIME said.
There will also be an increase in apparent racial and ethnic diversity in the Barbie line-up, including "seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, 24 hair styles and countless on-trend fashions and accessories." Mattel is attempting to prove that they do not have simply one model for beauty and they seem to finally be taking a step in that direction.
As noble as this movement is, it is impossible not to be wary about the actual implications of this change. For example, the curvy doll appears to only be slightly plus sized, if at all. In my opinion, these curvy dolls are just a more accurate representation of the average female body, and more could be done, at the very least, for the future of their consumers. (Again, this is without mention of the heteronormativity perpetuated by the franchise as a whole).
This revolution is a step in the right direction, but is it enough? The doll may have made drastic changes, but still has further to evolve.
