The childhood of most women today is never complete without the famous American Barbie doll. These dolls are treasured possessions of the little girls in this generation. Innocent as this kind of play may be, the exposure of girls to these unrealistic standards of beauty is probably doing more harm than good. More than the physical ideals that the Barbie doll subtly implies, it is worthwhile to examine the psychological effects that it conveys on young girls.
If she is a real person, Barbie is the kind of lady who would probably weigh 110 lbs and stand 5’9” tall. Her fat percentage would be so low that it would cause her a lot of health issues. It would also be technically hard for her to move around because of her distorted proportions. The probability of achieving this kind of body in real life is less than 1%. Not to mention the unrealistic texture of her plastic skin and smooth blond hair. However, regardless of her unrealistic body, the world found her to be gorgeous. Little girls started to idealize the beauty standard and fashion sense that this toy presented.
Playing with the Barbie doll takes much more from the little girls than anyone could even think of. Studies show that Barbie’s unrealistic biological structure led young girls to have a low self-image and poor mental health. Realizing that it will be hard for them to achieve Barbie’s proportions, many young girls acquired eating disorders, body image issues, and low self-confidence (Stone).
The American Barbie doll led young girls to be “perfect”. Unfortunately, attempting to be one is always with traumatic consequence. This unassuming plastic toy does more harm than good, and studies show that it has become a very destructive force to the self-image of women all across the globe (Stone). It conveyed a negative impact on society’s expectations. Maybe it is now time to rethink and recalibrate toys to be more realistic and positive for the psyche of young girls.
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