Earlier this week the makers of Barbie, Mattel, released new Barbies with multiple body types. The iconic doll has been receiving criticism over the past decade for the unrealistic shape and look of Barbie. Arguments have been made that barbie can be damaging to the children that play with her because she sets a standard for beauty that realistically cannot be attained.
The new dolls come in petite, curvy, and tall body types. They are also available in multiple skin tones, eye color and facial structure. Barbie now appeals to multiple demographics and every child that wants one can find one that resembles them in some way. Barbie now is a more of a normal woman. Little girls and boys that play with Barbie will no longer think it's normal to have a pencil-thin waist and legs for days.
So what's the problem with Barbie changing her looks? Barbie is simply a toy. Between her creation in 1959 and 2016, somehow a doll has become a role model. As a child, I never once thought that I needed to look like Barbie when I grew up. Maybe it's due to the fact that I was not inundated with media and technology like kids are today. Nevertheless, I knew Barbie was only something to play with. I do 100 percent believe that society does put too much emphasis on looks, especially with women.
Barbie never looked like me growing up, she was tiny, blonde and blue eyed. I was tall, brown-haired, and brown-eyed, and I still wanted to play with her. I could make her whatever I wanted her to be, and that was the beauty of it. Sometime in the last 20 years, the media has put so much emphasis on little girls and their appearance that a company felt the need to change its iconic doll to be more realistic. Children are not born thinking that they are not beautiful or handsome, it is an idea that is ingrained in their heads by everything they see around them. Instead of focusing on what a doll looks like, we should be focusing our attention on changing the attitude of the media. Little girls should look up to powerful women, not a lifeless doll made of plastic.
