It’s Barbie’s 50th anniversary and everyone is celebrating. I just came across an article about a life size Barbie car with a tall, lanky Heidi Klum standing next to it. I guess Heidi does represent the perfect life size Barbie. After seeing her photo I wondered what it would have been like if we had a more realistic doll to play with growing up. There have been reports which claim that Barbie and her skinny doll friends may promote young girls’ insecurity about their image which, in turn, may contribute to body insecurity. And we all know that in some cases, body insecurity in children can lead to eating disorders later in life.
What if we had a different doll to play with when we were growing up? She would still wear fashionable clothes, drive a convertible and have a hot boyfriend, but instead of the 39-19-33 measurements she’s famous for, she would have a real body with curves. I wonder if we would have a different view of our body while playing with her’s?
Well, I looked it up and apparently there does exist the Barbie doll of my dreams. The doll was released in 2002 and I found this blog post about it.
Emme, the plus-size model who made it more than OK for cover girls to be a size 12, is bringing an industry not known for positive body images up to size. Tonner Doll Co. last week introduced a toy created in the image of Emme.
The doll’s designer, Robert Tonner, would rather talk about the beauty of Emme (the person) than the messy issues surrounding feminism, Barbie and eating disorders. Tonner, a former Bill Blass designer and doll collector, said he created the Emme look-alike after being swept away by the model’s appearance on a talk show. If he’s out to make any statement, it’s more “Emme is beautiful” than “Big is beautiful.”
But, the Barbie versus Emme comparison is hard to ignore. For 50 years (WHOOPS!), an impossibly proportioned figure has reigned in the fashion-doll aisle. So when a size 12 joins her on the shelf, it’s got to make some waves. And, the life-sized Emme is anything but silent on the subject: “Barbie needs some new friend.”
Emme was the first model to speak to these issues before a congressional subcommittee and the chair ambassador of the National Eating Disorders Association.
“Yes, it is just a doll, but it’s a chance to open the doll industry to the idea of inclusiveness,” Emme says. “Don’t you think that girls who play with dolls would include all types if there were any available? They’re not the ones who think all dolls should be blond, blue-eyed and thin. That’s introduced to them.”
Perhaps times are changing. Maybe when I have daughters I’ll be able to buy them a Mia Tyler or Barbara Brickner doll?
What do you guys think? Do you let your daughters play with Barbie Dolls?
