For countless years, girls and boys all over the world have had issues with their bodies. Eating disorders and body shaming are real diseases, they are not attention seekers; and they are different for every person. No one will fit a cookie cutter mold when dealing with and eating disorder. The use of eating disorder in this paper will be defined as; “any of several psychological disorders (as anorexia nervosa or bulimia) characterized by serious disturbances of eating behavior” (Merriam-Webster, n.d, pg1). Likewise, body shaming will be used as, any negative thoughts or physical actions that may cause harm to one’s self.
When dealing with eating disorders you can typically begin to notice extreme patterns and symptoms. According to Mayo Clinic, anorexia nervosa “is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight” (Mayo Clinic, 2017, pg1). For these people, their greatest enemy is weight and they will do anything they can to avoid weight because of fear. Mayo Clinic also defines bulimia as, “…a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may secretly binge — eating large amounts of food — and then purge, trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way” (Mayo Clinic, 2017, pg1). While weight is still an enemy for people with bulimia, a vaster one is guilt. Which is what may cause purging or vigorous exercise sessions.
As time progresses on, the causes of these diseases also continue to grow. One of the latest causes being the beloved Barbie Doll. Barbie has been a classic children’s toy for decades, and now is being thought of as something that can make children start to question themselves, and how they look at an early age. On the flip side of that, the more likely causes of eating disorders and body shaming could be; parents, the media, school mates, and social media. An inanimate object such as Barbie does not cause these types of disorders, the harsh realities of the world do.
Enormous demand occurred in 1959 when Barbie made her first appearance. A lot of people do not understand where the thought for Barbie came from, or the meaning behind her. Ruth Handler, is the creator of Barbie; many don’t realize Handler was first turned down by her own company when the idea of Barbie was first brought up. It wasn’t until Handler took a trip to Germany that the Mattel Company decided to go ahead and manufacture the doll. As said by the History Channel, “Barbie’s appearance was modeled on a doll named Lilli, based on a German comic strip character. Originally marketed as a racy gag gift to adult men in tobacco shops, the Lilli doll later became extremely popular with children. Mattel bought the rights to Lilli and made its own version, which Handler named after her daughter, Barbara.” (History Channel, n.d, pg1). They changed the Lilli doll so she would be more appealing to children; what now is Barbie used to be Lilli in Germany.
Lacking knowledge about Barbie’s beginning and creation could make one think she may be a factor to blame for in how the world looks at eating disorders. However, knowing the truth and story clearly shows she is not even a close factor. Barbie may have been designed after seeing the Lilli doll, but the thought of her came long before the trip to Germany. The history channel provides us with the event that inspired the doll, “[a]fter seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future” (History Channel, n.d, pg1). Barbie was created to be someone who could fulfill all of your wildest dreams. A teenage girl that you hoped you could someday be like in ways of; character, kindness, courage, faith, and many other aspirations. Kids desire to be like Barbie in the terms of her personality, and the way she supports herself; not because of her figure.
Along with her personality comes with the many occupations Barbie has had and continues to acquire. According to BuzzfFeed, “She has had more than 130 careers; they have included being an elementary school teacher, a business executive, a McDonald’s cashier, a doctor, an astronaut, and yes, even a rapper” (Glaindo, 2013, pg1). When you have had as many careers and adventures as Barbie, you are bound to have to have lots of accessories and uniforms! Which is the very reason for Barbie’s unique and controversial body shape. Laura Stampler from TIME Magazine talked to the VP designer at Mattel, Kim Culmone, and received this statement about the figure; “‘Barbie’s body was never designed to be realistic. She was designed for girls to easily dress and undress’” (Stampler, 2014, pg1). Looking at it personally from being a girl who had Barbie Dolls when I was younger, I know the excitement you get when you get a new clothing pack, or doll. You immediately want her-the doll- to try everything on as fast as possible. Giving Barbie the sleek design she has, made doing that possible.
Putting the blame on inanimate object, such as Barbie happens all the time. Humans seem to have an easier time blaming something inanimate; than to confess and say they are the reason for a problem. Parents and guardians are a big role in a child’s life. When you were little you might have often said to yourself at some point “I want to be just like (insert parent or guardian)”. Have you ever stopped to think about just how much influence your parents or guardians had on you as a child? Writer Emily Roberts of Healthy Place informs us that, “Parents’ attitudes regarding body image significantly influence how children view themselves. One study found that a mom’s concerns about weight are actually the third leading cause of body image problems in adolescents and girls. They believed their mothers wanted them to be thin and were two to three times more likely to worry about their weight” (Roberts, 2014, pg3). Children will say and do anything to mimic a major figure in their lives such as a parent or guardian. If you are a parent saying that you think of your body in negative ways, you are just allowing your child to think it is acceptable to think those kinds of thoughts. Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes; that is how it is supposed to be, and that is how it will always be. The way you treat and think about yourself will affect your children; if you don’t have kids yet keep this in mind for when you do. The Barbie you are giving your daughter or son is doing nothing but giving them inspiration for their future, your choices about yourself will determine their self-image; and ultimately help in being a factor in if they partake in an eating disorder or not.
Inevitably the media plays a role in causing eating disorders and body image issues. Think of all the magazines you have read, TV shows and movies you have watched; not just as an adult but as a kid as well. As said by Mirror-Mirror, “[t]he average child watches 20,000 television commercials every year…[p]opular magazines, particularly women’s magazines and many teen’s magazines, are brimming with ads” (Mirror-Mirror, 2017, pg1). That average is only commercials, if you add in the movies I am sure it would double. You are spending thousands of hours seeing those celebrities and actors/actresses in movies as well as ads. How many times did you think to yourself “I wish I looked like that person” or “If I just lost a couple of pounds I could look just like her”, you aren’t alone if you thought yes. In a study done by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders we are showed how, “69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape” (Mazziotta, 2015, pg3). These are junior high age girls, but it doesn’t just stop there. Eating disorders online shows “Girls as young as 6 years old report a desire to be skinny, with 42 percent of first through third grade females wanting to be thinner than they are” (N.A, 2017, pg1). These young girls are being molded and influenced by the celebrities they crave to admire and get attention from. Spending too much time watching TV, and also looking through magazines; there is hardly any room for play time for kids to use their Barbie. However, when they are playing with the doll they are using their wild and crazy imaginations to make Barbie do anything and everything imaginable. The one thing they are not doing is wondering why their bodies do not look like their Barbie’s, they are probably wondering how they can mold their bodies to look like the celebrities.
During the ages of elementary school and junior high, begins a critical time for kids- especially girls. Girls tend to be the most tender hearted at this age, and take anything said to them very serious. For example, if two female classmates are talking, and one says to the other “I like your dress, but I think it would look better on me”. The girl receiving the critique is immediately going to wonder, why doesn’t it look as good on me? What about me is different from her? What can I do to look like her? It is said by Eating Disorder Hope, that “more than 75 percent of individuals suffering from an eating disorder admitting that bullying was a significant cause of their disorder… Bullying damages self-esteem and destroys body image…” (EDH, 2015, pg1). Barbie is an in animate object; she isn’t speaking to children telling them “you don’t look very good” or “maybe if you lost a few pounds that dress would look better”; the people saying these things are physical people. Stressing again that all Barbie was created to do was to give young girls a positive role model, to show they can really be and do anything they want to in this world. Your only limit is what you put on yourself. To be like Barbie is to strive, to be the most you can be and do in your life; striving to be like Barbie is not trying to change your appearance and shape to be like her.
Imagine yourself playing with a Barbie doll; are you thinking about her shape, or her accessories? Lilia Abecassis, a writer for the UHS Sword and Shield; shares how she viewed Barbie as a child, “The doll did not look real, I accepted that it was not real, and I did not think about it any further…I could not care less about the unrealistic body. All I cared about were the doll clothes—the long, shimmering dresses, trendy bathing suits and cute winter outfits that I, a southern California girl, never got to wear” (Abecassis, 2014, pg1). Like Abecassis, I believe most young girls only view Barbie for her accessories, and materialistic objects. Being someone who struggled with an eating disorder when I was in my teens, I can personally adhere to the fact that Barbie in no way shape or form, contributed to my path. Barbie is a doll, it is society and the way bodies are portrayed in today’s world that make people have eating disorders. Children are all about making up scenarios and dreaming crazy things. With Barbie, they can live out those aspirations and truly be “anyone” they want to be. They simply use Barbie to fulfill the needs of their imaginations; they aren't trying to be like Barbie in ways of her shape and size, but to be like her in her acts of kindness and achievements.
Technology savvy, that’s how you could refer to today’s youth. Social media is everywhere out there, with a new trend what seems like almost every day. You are either a part of it or you are not. If you are on social media you may have seen things such as these that USA Today talks about; “… by searching hashtags like #thinspogram #thighgap or #bonespo. The disturbing photos are often accompanied by even more shocking "thinspirational" messages — "Pretty girls don't eat," "Skip dinner, be thinner" and "You have to exercise for a week to work off the thigh fat from a single Snickers” (Rojas, 2014, pg1). What even makes this right? These girls are banding together promoting their disease, not preventing it. With social media becoming more popular, children are getting access to these types of events earlier and earlier. This just makes them more susceptible to joining in on these types of trends. Your Barbie doll isn’t going to be tweeting these “thinspirational” messages; she is going to be the one you can tell all of your problems to; something you might do in a diary. Barbie is nothing but inspirational and supportive.
On the contrary, there is one Barbie that caused a lot of hectic and confusing messages. Shortly after the first Barbie was released another one came out; this one was called the “Slumber Party Barbie”. According to the article, Dying to be Barbie, “[i]n the 1960s, toymaker Mattel released “Slumber Party Barbie,” along with combs, hair rollers and a sleeping bag. This Barbie set included a scale permanently stuck at 110 lbs, and a small book titled “How To Lose Weight” (N.A, 2012, pg3). This doll made it seem like she was promoting girls into trying to change their bodies, as well as swaying them to eating disorders. However, Barbie is a doll. Therefore, why should she need a scale that moves? Making a scale that actually works for a doll, would up the cost of the doll or expansion set itself. Then it is possible you would hear people complaining about the prices. Barbie is also again modeled after a teenage figure, if you think about it the time most females weigh pounds, it is in their junior high and early high school years; making Barbie’s weight realistic for the age demographic she was designed for. The small book had a single phrase in it “DON’T EAT!” (N.A 2012, pg 3). This book can be taken a multitude of ways, such as Barbie is a doll, so a book telling her not to eat isn’t going to affect her at all. Since there is no way for her to possibly eat or lose weight. If you were to look at it from a child’s perspective, since the book is called “How To Lose Weight”; a child might think of it as; don’t eat snacks or junk food. Not don’t eat period. Kids do not analyze situations like adults do. I believe the accessories that came with this Barbie were adequate and appropriate for what they were intended to be taken as, which is doll accessories; making Barbie still a good role model.
Plastic. That is what Barbie is made out of; how can a doll made out of plastic be blamed for such serious problems such as eating disorders and body shaming. The dimensions of Barbie are something people will always have problems with. CBS News reporter Neil Katz, obtained the conversions of the doll compared to a human from Galia Slayen; “ “If Barbie were an actual woman, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe,"…" Slayen estimates Barbie would weigh 110 pounds and have a BMI of 16.24” (Katz, 2011, pg1). Our key word here is IF, IF she were real. Not shocking news, but Barbie isn’t real. She is a doll, who was intended to be inspiring to kids. If Mattel would have changed the proportions of Barbie then it is possible people would be saying she is too “large”. In any scenario, someone would not be happy, and still would be accusing Barbie of something. In the previous example people could start saying Barbie causes obesity in kids. It makes no sense how you can blame an inanimate object on real world problems. Barbie was not intended to be real, she was designed with her figure to ease clothing changes. However not everyone agrees that all of Barbie’s features were designed for quick clothing changes. Stampler received this quote about Barbie’s not so small chest; “’ [b]ut those boobs…’ said Dr. Sharon Lamb, chair of University of Massachusetts Boston’s School of Psychology. ‘I don’t think Barbie’s breasts were designed to help Barbie’s clothes go easily on’” (Stampler, 2014, pg1). In the teenage years girls begin to develop and go through puberty. If Barbie is modeled after a teenager then it makes sense that she has breasts. It is a natural thing, Barbie is not harming anyone by having breasts; she is properly developed how she should be.
Even though Barbie’s proportions are not realistic, that didn’t stop everyone from trying to obtain them. Although it is possible to achieve a figure like Barbie’s. It comes with a lot or surgical work, fasting, and illness. It is extremely dangerous to go through with the process of “becoming a Barbie”. It is also extremely rare to find someone who looks like a Barbie doll. Andres Jauregui of the Huffington Post; spoke to one of the girls who calls herself a real-life Barbie doll, her name is Valeria Lukyanova, “A Ukrainian model who has cast herself as a real-life Barbie doll says she eventually hopes to live without eating or drinking” (Jauregui, 2014, pg1). Lukyanova has taken the vow of an extreme fast; she is going beyond the laws of biology and trying to survive without the essentials needed for human life. Valeria has literally made herself Barbie, and she didn’t think twice about doing it. As said by Cavan Sieckowski of IBTIMEs, “Valeria Lukyanova might seem to have the Barbie dimensions down pat but, in reality, looking exactly like Barbie is physically impossible (and dangerous)” (Sieckowski, 2012, pg2). Impossible is right, you have to undergo countless surgeries to obtain the body that is known as the human Barbie body. Life altering surgeries that could end in serious consequences if one little mistake is made. Not to mention the absurd amount of fasting, causing these girls to have acquired symptoms of eating disorders because of the extremities they have went to. Real life Barbie girls such as Lukaynova, have taken the phrase “I want to be like Barbie” over the top. It is inhumane to want and possess features such as Barbie’s. Not only is it dangerous to go through with it, the point of Barbie is now gone. Barbie is made for adventures and being a charismatic role model for girls; she was not created to make girls want to change their bodies to be her.
Barbie has been around for decades, inspiring girls all over the world. A doll designed to show you can be anything you want to be. She supports that you can choose any career you want if you just put your mind to it. Barbie’s unnatural figure caused many debates, but the facts come down to; she was just designed for easy clothes removal. Nothing about Barbie promotes or shows girls they should be ashamed of their bodies. Barbie is a classy doll that plays thousands of roles, one thing she is not is a toy that promotes eating disorders. The most likely answers for the cause of them are parenting, school, the media, and social media. Not a single percent being caused by Barbie. The blame cannot be put on Barbie since she is inanimate; the blame was put on her unfairly because people do not want to confess to having caused such a negative disorder.