Barbie - Jack Drake

Barbie

Why is Barbie Important?

Take a look at these. Does this look like everyday, real, women? The answer is no. Barbie is a wildly popular, American, vinyl doll, sold in 150 countries. This children's toy got us talking about body image.  

If look you closely, you will see that their waist is too thin, they are both on their tiptoes, and so much more unrealistic body images and shapes. First of all, Barbie's waist (if you made her grow to human size) would be 16 in. compared to the average American women's waist of about 32 in. Her hips are 29 in. compared to the average American women's, of 37-38 in. And her thighs are 16 inches, to the average 21-22 inches. Her neck, wrists, arms, and calves are much slimmer than the average too. The Barbie doll is equivalent to 5'9" and 110 lbs. All of this leads to body dissatisfaction. There are also multiple point proving barbie accessories like the scale permanently set at 110 lbs,  and a book labeled "How to lose weight." Inside, it said "DON'T EAT." The young women who read this, wanted to look like Barbie, (Of course, who wouldn't) and didn't eat.
It's not just the way that Barbie looks, but what she says. The "Teen Talk Barbie" said, "Math class is tough." This encouraged elementary girls, to dislike, or not want to go to math class. All this, over a Barbie doll. At first, Barbies didn't really have a very positive influence, but they got us talking, and had a positive impact. Now, Barbies look like this:

Great job Barbie fans!

Take a look at this video for a little more info.
https://youtu.be/p7qv9Pwsnx0