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Tweet Nothings: Barbie Body Image Woes

Ah, Barbie. My childhood friend. Who isn’t familiar with her and her fabulous sidekicks Ken and Skipper?

Barbie was and is part of many young girl’s childhoods. Often admired as the ultimate icon of beauty and symbol of perfection.

But holy mother of God.

Have you SEEN the life-sized Barbie images that have been making their rounds on the Internet and television lately?

It seems that anorexia survivor Galia Slayen from Hamilton College created a life-sized Barbie to start conversation about the impact that the doll can have on females as they grow up.

Slayen’s Barbie stands about 6 feet tall with a 39" bust, 18" waist and 33" hips.  (She used stats published in the book Body Wars by Margo Maine to construct the details.) I ask you - how could any woman ever measure up to the ideal Barbie portrays?

The whole controversy made me evaluate my own relationship with Barbie and body image. After all, she was a huge part of my elementary school life. I wondered, was she a bad influence? Did she impact the way I ended up looking at myself as female? Yes, I believe that to some degree she did. Granted, she is only one small factor, but nonetheless, she was and is a factor. I clearly remember many a tormented night as an adolescent lamenting over the fact that I was not tall, thin and blonde. (You know, a cheerleader.)

Of course, Barbie herself, no matter how disproportionate she is, is not the ultimate enemy. But when you look at Slayen’s creation, she does strikes you as a life-size representation of what an eating disorder looks like. It makes me so thankful that I have only boy children, that is for sure.

(Of note: A representative from Mattel, creator of the Barbie doll, issued the following statement to the media, “Girls see female body images everywhere today and it’s critical that parents and caregivers provide perspective on what they are seeing. It’s important to remember that Barbie is a doll who stands 11.5 inches tall and weighs 7.25 ounces — she was never modeled on the proportions of a real person.” Nice spin, Mattel.)

What do YOU think? Is Barbie harmful? Do you address this issue with your own daughters?

 

Jennifer Gerlock is re-evaluating her relationship with Barbie, Ken and Skipper. She can be found online writing for Want2Dish as well as her blog, Hip As I Wanna Be or on Twitter @JenniferGerlock.

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