Plus Size Barbie?

Once upon a time, the Barbie doll looked like this:

Recently, a posting in a Facebook group, Plus Size Modeling, asked the question: "Should (Mattel) start making plus-sized Barbie dolls?" Accompanying the post, an artist's conception of a plus-size Barbie, was also provided. The response prompted over 40,000 "Likes" -- the equivalent of a "Yes" vote for the plus-size Barbie, along with over 4,700 comments of a "No" vote. It’s still a sticky situation, even though the doll has been around for decades. Indeed, Barbie didn’t exactly start out on the right plastic foot when it came to body image and female empowerment. In fact, in 1965, one doll even came with a bathroom scale permanently set to 110 pounds; in 1992, a talking version, Teen Talk Barbie, chirped one-liners such as, "Will we ever have enough clothes?," "I love shopping!," and "Math class is tough!" Feel free to groan here. I know that as I played with Barbie as a kid, there were many versions, many occupations, complete with accessories, pets and, of course, the famous boyfriend, Ken.

Barbie was touted as the “it girl” to be. The doll supposedly emphasized “diversity” and “possibility.” Yet that was not really reflected in her figure. It was still the impossible little waist, still the voluptuous bust line, still the long shapely legs. And, Barbie, if a real person, would be about six feet tall. That’s challenging for most of us out there to relate to. And, c’mon, no matter how you dress it up, that’s what we do with Barbie; we relate to her, aspire to be like her. Yes, she’s a toy, but a powerful and even dangerous one at that. Like a lot of little girls out there, I believed I would grow up to be and look just like her. That has not happened. Playing with Barbie dolls did affect my psyche. I thought the Barbie physique was completely attainable. Therefore, if I DIDN’T attain it, there must be something wrong with ME, NOT the doll. And yes, it played a role in the development of my eating disorder development and behaviors. Image, even if completely unrealistic image, was paramount. I shudder to think about how many hours I saturated myself with that image through Barbie play. That choice trumped hours of reading, artistic expression and learning about the real world around me. It was all Barbie vision which, by the way, does not work in that real world. You can’t solve problems by making it pink. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitter about Barbie. I have a soft spot for her and for dolls in general. But I consider myself realistic about her influence. After all, if doll play has been around for centuries, it’s unrealistic to ban it from human nature. For whatever reason, it’s a large part of development. It’s aspirational and educational. But the caution comes in with what, exactly, we’re learning. And how does that impact who we become? Now, I know Mattel has tried to improve the Barbie image. They’ve tried to create diversity through different skin tones and hair styles, embracing African American and Latin cultures, for instance. And, in 1997, Mattel even widened the doll's waist to fit more realistic, contemporary fashions. That’s a good start. But still, the doll is not an accurate reflection of a “typical” woman. And she really cannot be; there is no such thing. Each woman is unique, complete with her own unique body. There are not cookie cutter measurements. Women aren’t busted out of plastic molds with exacting, uniform bodies. And, one of the controversies of this “plus size Barbie” issue has been a question of healthy body size, targeting the term “plus size” itself. In short, is it plus-size or obese? By promotion of body acceptance, even to that of a larger body size, are we promoting health or obesity? It’s tricky, isn’t it? I know, for me, personally, someone who’s been up and down the scale, being both under and overweight are unhealthy options. Likewise, obsessing over a “perfect” or “right weight” is just as toxic. Still, I think it would be beneficial to have a choice of dolls, representing different body shapes and sizes out there. And I know one of the arguments made for why that has not happened is money. Mattel- or any other company- will insist the dolls, contrary to the “typical” Barbie shape we’re used to, will not sell as well. Human beings, fickle as we are, will still prefer the doll deemed most physically attractive. But we have to start somewhere; throw us a bone. Humor us. Give us some options. And don’t take them away just because those options may not be flying off the shelves. Scripture assures us, indeed, of God’s “body positive” perception of each one of our bodies, regardless of size or shape: “O my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:14 Could we have some dolls, then, that represent that scripture? Could we, PLEASE? Copyright © 2013 by Sheryle Cruse