Have you ever owned a Barbie? What did she look like? Did she look like you? I remember when I was younger I struggled to find Barbie dolls that looked like me. When Barbie dolls were first introduced in 1959 they all looked the same. With her porcelain white skin, the first ever Barbie doll wore a black and white zebra striped swimsuit, had signature topknot ponytail, and was available as either a blonde or a brunette.

Since then Barbie, has gone through many changes. Mattel, the company that manufactures Barbie, has faced harsh criticism in regards to Barbie and her link to female body image. One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for young women, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to imitate her will become anorexic and bulimic. A standard Barbie doll is 11.5 inches tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches at 1/6 scale. Barbie's vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate. Basically, Barbie couldn’t possibly be a real woman in any way because of the unrealistic nature of her body measurements.

Barbie’s size was one thing that remained constant. Even as her outfits, hair, and skin color changed, she was always that same size. Other manufacturers tried to make their own “Barbie” dolls that were realistic and promoted positive body image, like the Lammily Doll. The Lammily doll is similar to Barbie dolls but has an average woman’s proportions and also has stretch marks, acne, bruises and scars. It was meant to be realistic. But even with Lammily dolls being sold they still cannot compete with Barbie (unrealistic body image and all). On January 28, 2016, Mattel finally got something right. They created a whole new line of Barbie dolls with three new, more realistic body types, and with 30 hair colors, 22 eye colors and seven skin tones. They even have different hair textures as well. Barbie’s new tagline is “When a girl plays with Barbie, she can imagine everything she can become.” The feminist in me loves this. Not only are Barbie’s more diverse in appearance but they also have more diverse careers. Barbie’s can now be more than just a fairy princess or baker. They can be game designers, doctors, athletes, and even president. Barbie has definitely turned a new leaf and I am glad that I have lived to see that change. Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, says “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” That entire statement is sheer perfection. A woman can choose what she wants to pursue and now our children and grandchildren will see that they have options and that no role is specifically for only one gender. Bravo, Barbie!