Barbie’s body proportions have been criticized for promoting negative self-image and eating disorders, but some see her as a positive role model for girls in various professions and styles. Barbie’s computer software encourages creativity and problem-solving.
Barbie® doll was once the Marilyn Monroe of the toy world, with a chic wardrobe, artfully applied makeup, a killer body and the love of an entire generation. Not all women feel the love just yet, with some experts saying Barbie®’s outsized va-va-voom measurements may be blamed for women’s eating disorders and their associated negative self-image. The effect of Barbie® on body image has become a source of criticism, with the plastic girl invented in 1959 becoming a lightning rod for controversy.
Critics point out that Barbie®’s influence on body image is due to her outsized proportions, with real women finding it unhealthy or even impossible to replicate her stunning figure. If she were a real woman, for example, Barbie® would weigh just 110 pounds (49.9 kilograms) at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters), with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 17. Such The BMI it would likely lead to a diagnosis of anorexia and also prevent her from having her period.
On the other side of the debate about the effect of Barbie® on body image are those who see Barbie® and her clothes, careers and accessories as a positive role model. The doll has been marketed in many different incarnations and wardrobes with associated accessories. She has been a computer engineer dressed in binary code on her shirt, presidential candidate, surgeon, TV host, astronaut, firefighter and dentist, among other professions, leading fans of the popular doll to believe that she has a positive influence on girls self image. Female computer engineers who petitioned doll maker, Mattel, to make computer engineer Barbie® look as beautiful and cool as any other Barbie®, asking the company to refrain from looking nerdy. One complaint that surfaced about software engineer Barbie®’s wardrobe was the color pink, which some engineers considered too feminine and not serious enough.
In the computer age, Barbie® inspires girls to create clothes and accessories for their dolls with specially designed software, shifting the focus away from Barbie®’s influence on body image and achievement and “girl power” . Computer software for Barbie® encourages girls to become their own creative designers, and there is also software available for Video Barbie® that allows girls to edit videos they’ve shot with their doll’s camera. Another computer game encourages girls to solve a mystery. Advocates who favor the doll in its many incarnations say Barbie®’s effect on body image can be positive, allowing girls to try out different professions and styles and use their imaginations in fun and creative ways. She may have started out as a model and soon after became a stewardess and beauty pageant winner, but some argue that Barbie® has evolved, allowing girls to see they can be whoever they want to be, including scientists, running and doctors, say Barbie® advocates.
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