Barbie – the best-selling childhood toy – has endured years of bashing over the dolls unrealistic proportions throughout its 57 years reign.
In recent years the original size Barbie made its debut on social media by being slammed for its unrealistic and disproportionate sizing: if Barbie were life-size she wouldn’t be able to walk and would have a mere 16 inch waist.
The brand has just unveiled new Barbie dolls, designed to address these criticisms and accurately reflect women’s proportions.
The new range of 33 new Barbie dolls include seven different skin tones and four different sizes: tall, petit, curvy and the original.
This new range aims to promote healthy and a realistic self-image and allows girls to find a doll that speaks to them – this update will be the brands biggest change in it’s 57 year history.
In a recent Special K #OwnIt body confidence survey, findings showed tragic self-image results, including 7 in 10 Australian women having an ‘I hate my body’ moment every single week.
The survey further found that 3 in 5 Australian women don’t wear certain clothes due to doubts with their physical appearance and almost half of Australian women avoid beaches or pools at the fear of being seen in a swimsuit.
The remodelling of Barbie aims to address these concerns and help girls pick a doll that speaks to them, breaking down the stereotype of a perfect body and building confidence in children from youthful and influential ages.
