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Plus-Size Barbie Doll: Is This a Bad Idea?

The Facebook page Plus Size Modeling has stirred up quite the controversy by asking whether toy companies should put out a Barbie that has an expanded waistline. The page has gotten thousands of respo...
Plus-Size Barbie Doll: Is This a Bad Idea?
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  • The Facebook page Plus Size Modeling has stirred up quite the controversy by asking whether toy companies should put out a Barbie that has an expanded waistline. The page has gotten thousands of responses, with many debating whether such a toy would promote poor health or encourage a positive self-image.

    Anyone who has ever examined a Barbie doll knows that her proportions aren’t exactly in line with the average female’s. If a woman had the waist size of a Barbie doll, her waist would be 16 inches compared to 37.5 inches, the waist size for the average American woman. People have discussed whether the current Barbie doll promotes anorexia and other eating disorders for years, so Plus Size Modeling decided to see how people feel about a plus-size Barbie.

    The question posed by Plus Size Modeling a few days ago was, “Should toy companies start making plus size Barbie dolls?” An image of a plus-size Barbie doll was included and users were instructed to ‘like’ the page if they supported such a Barbie doll and to comment if they disagreed. More than 40,000 people have liked the image so far and just over 5,000 people have commented.

    Check out the original Facebook post below.

    Of the 5,000 comments Plus Size Modeling has received, it appears that quite a few users are in agreement that an average-size Barbie doll should be made, but not the one in the picture. One user wrote, “love the fact of having a realistic and curvy doll, but way too many chins is non realistic, it makes us plus size women seem obese and unhealthy.” Another woman echoed a similar sentiment: “Nothing wrong with a curvy Barbie….real women have curves, show girls it’s ok to have meat on their bones, but the double chins are a little much!!”

    The plus-size Barbie photo was submitted to Worth1000 in 2011, so it has been around for a while, but began making waves just days ago. Check out the original photo that shows a plus-size Barbie and a traditional Barbie side-by-side:

    (image)

    Image via Worth1000

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