The self image women hold has always been a hot topic. The ideas of where the images come from have been up for debate. Many people will say that a girl's ideal body image will develop at a young age, so where are they getting the idea of perfect? Maybe little girls are getting the idea of beauty from a plastic doll who drives a pink convertible. The doll is Barbie.
A large amount of children grew up playing with Barbie. I relate Barbie to her fabulous houses, awesome car, the best clothes, a perfect smile, and her living a fantastic fantasy life. Barbie was stereotypical blonde, with pink lips, sparkling eyes, and a lot of boob. That is how Barbie was, now she has evolved.
Barbie made the cover of Time Magazine, because her look and image will be changing and Barbie took to Twitter in response. The account is making note that this is going to be a "powerful moment" and they used the hashtag #TheDollsEvolve.
So what will Barbie's powerful new look be? Anything, in effort to show that anything and everything can be beautiful. The dolls will now come in different body shapes, which include petite, curvy, and tall. She will have different hair colors (even blues and purples). The dolls will also include seven different skin tones and 22 different eye tones.
Barbie has been making moves and attempting to keep up with a society that is now looking for different forms of beauty, after seeing that what system has deemed beautiful is not always what is best for society.
When I first saw this the #TheDollsEvolve movement I thought it was an amazing step in the right direction. Another thought I had upon seeing the hashtag was American Girl Dolls. I went through the phase of wanting every expensive doll they sold and everything they had in life. Even though they were over-priced, those dolls were ahead of their time. Even though I never managed to convince my parents I needed one, they had customizable dolls. They had dolls one could customize to look exactly like them as far as skin, hair, and eyes. When you're that little, that means to you the doll is your twin.
Barbie creating dolls that will look more like each little girl will show them that they, too, are beautiful and can be like a Barbie.
In my personal opinion, this is a great step by the popular toy company, but self-esteem and self-image also need to be built up in other realms of children's lives. Maybe Barbie is a step in the right direction for young girls that need an outlet and that look to the doll for something more than a toy.
Barbie is standing up and showing that the old standards of beauty are not going to cut it anymore.
Along with the doll's new looks, Barbie is showing that not only are we changing our look, but our image, too. The commercial that was recently released has really hit some with all the feels.
If a plastic toy can make a move, make such an impact on the life of young girls, then it is well worth paying attention to the fantastic steps Barbie is making.
