Real Life Barbie – right
Recently I read an infographic about Barbie. It was created by a rehab company for eating disorders. Basically what they had done was taken the measurements of Barbie as a doll and blew her up into a life-size proportion. They reported that if a real life Barbie existed she would be skinnier than the average woman, she would be a skinnier than a model, and believe it or not, she would be skinnier than a person who is considered anorexic.
Nooooo, really??? So shocking (in my most sarcastic voice imaginable)!!!
It wasn’t so much the information they were presenting that really made me get all – you know – feministic (yep, my own word right there). It was the fact that… it’s a Barbie DOLL!.
People, she’s a {Barbie} doll
It’s been years now and Barbie is still battling this bad rep. Blamed for self image issues worldwide – affecting the old and young alike. I played with Barbie growing up and I only can speak from my experiences. Oh and the people around me: my sisters, my cousins, my best friends, my neighbors and my classmates at school. We all played with Barbie a lot. And I never ever, ever remember someone saying they want to be Barbie (also known as “barbie syndrome”). We always knew Barbie was a….um, toy. She was a doll. She was our entertainment. Sometimes she even filled the shoes of a BFF, when needed.
Don’t blame a Barbie
“This model claims to be the real life barbie & will get her own “barbie” documentary. What do you think?”
So I just can’t wrap my mind around why Barbie is still getting blamed, or why she was even blamed in the first place for causing self image issues. Mainly because girls play with several things including toys that mimic real life babies (remember baby alive doll). Yet no one goes around saying baby dolls that are so real would make girls want to have babies earlier or promotes teen pregnancy. And, take it a step further, what about boys!!!
What about boys, huh?
Boys play with GI Joe. They have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They have Ironman. They have Superman. All sorts of army action figures and let me tell you these figures are very “ripped!” They have 12-pack abs and ginormous muscles. Yet I’ve never seen any article or heard any guy say they have body image issues because of playing with GI Joe.
So why is it just us women?!?! They make us seem like we are so weak. We can’t play with a doll and realize that it’s just a doll. I just don’t (and won’t) understand that concept.
We got bigger issues, Barbie
We shouldn’t be so concerned with Barbie, trust me. Barbie is the least of our worries. We should be more concerned with what’s happening right now. Celebrity role models! Those very being our young girls look up to now a days. The Nicki Minaj, the Lady Gaga and the Kim Kardashian take over. As far as looks and appearance, most young girls look to these figures as images of beauty. They are not looking at Barbie. They are turning to celebrities who are overdosing on plastic surgery to look like….. not Barbie. I have never seen a Barbie doll that looks like Nicki Minaj. They are representing a totally new image.
She’s harmless, right?
Barbie never did anything to anyone in my opinion. All she did was drive around in her Corvette, dress up in really cute clothes and met up with Ken. That’s all she ever did. Instead of worrying about her, I think we have bigger issues. We need to focus on the images that these women represent now. Don’t get me wrong. I love these women for what they are – they are entertainers. But as role models, not so much.
