Barbie has long been the epitome of beauty to little girls; tall, thin, tan, and blonde, with an impossibly tiny waist and perpetual high-heel shaped feet, she has set the standard for the all-American girl for decades.
But Barbie has come under fire in recent years for having a negative affect on the way little girls see themselves and who they aspire to be. With impossible measurements, the doll may be giving children the wrong idea about what a body is supposed to be. Now, an artist has created a 3-D model of a Barbie that has a normal 19-year old’s measurements, and is quickly gaining support for his vision.
Nickolay Lamm took an actual Barbie doll’s measurements, researched the average body type for a young woman, and made a new doll that looks a lot more realistic. And while he says he understands that the “average” body type is a widely varied thing, the new version is a lot closer to what a woman looks like than the former.
“I created normal Barbie because I wanted to show that average is beautiful,’’ Lamm told TODAY.com. “If average-looking Barbie looks this good and if there’s even a chance of Barbie negatively influencing young girls, why not make one?”
While Mattel hasn’t announced any plans yet to introduce a Barbie with Lamm’s measurements, but if they do, she’ll be in high demand.
LOVE THIS. young girls need this-> Barbie doll gets body makeover; unveils shorter, fuller figure http://t.co/88Mkjct1rz via @examinercom
— Lauren Lorenzo (@LaurenLrnz) July 3, 2013
Barbie Gets (Another) Real Makeover: A voice of reason for young girls everywhere from illustrator Nickolay Lamm http://t.co/UMIYXLI1CV
— Melissa Stewart (@MelissaOnline) July 2, 2013
Healthy is real and beautiful! "@todayshow: 'Normal' Barbie; real women's measurements: http://t.co/qKUsbH5qc8" @WomensHealthMag #MissRep
— JaimeLHodson (@jaime_ilove) July 4, 2013
An artist built a Barbie doll with the average 19-yr-old american girl's proportions. The Barbie we know is a freak http://t.co/1rEsipDVMP …
— James Harvey (@jamesharveytm) July 4, 2013