Barbie loves makeovers, but over the past couple of days, Barbie has had a complete makeover and will now be sold in three other sizes: tall, petite, and curvy. Not only will Barbie come in different body shapes but also seven different skin tones and twenty-four different eye colors.
Since 1959, Mattel's successful creation the Barbie doll, has been a huge part of lives of girls all over the world.The iconic doll has been and remains as one of the best-selling dolls on the market. The original doll herself has an unrealistic body shape, with long legs, a very slim waist, and blonde hair.
People have been complaining for a while that Barbie's body image was giving off unachievable goals for young girls every where, making them feel bad about their bodies. Some even went on to say that if Barbie were a human she would be at a severely unhealthy weight making it hard to survive.
However, here is the catch—she's plastic.
I don't know about you, but when I was younger and played with Barbies, her body never bothered me, because I knew she was just a toy.
It is truly sad that we live in a world where girl's feel self conscious about their body shape. However, why should Barbie be everyone's role model? When did a piece of plastic become the standards for what a body should look like?
Barbie has been receiving all of this criticism for her body type as if the doll is a real person. Yes, the doll is a big part of the lives of little girls, but if a little girl begins to think that Barbie is a real person, or a realistic image of what they should look like, it is the job of the child's real life role models (their parents), to affirm to them that the doll is simply a piece of plastic.
This Barbie makeover has shown how dangerous it is that a piece of plastic has become such a big role model in the lives of girls around the world. It's time to have real life role models around the world that send the message to girls that everyone is beautiful; role models who let girls know that no matter what shape, size, or color, they are indeed a masterpiece made in the image of God.
