Do You Know What Barbie Would Look Like If She Was Based On Reality?

Is there a connection between barbie and a woman's body image? Since the average American girl between the ages of three and ten owns several Barbie dolls, the effects of Barbie and body image run deeper than just a doll owned by millions of girls. There is a large and growing body of literature that shows the negative impact these toys have on developing children.

The above video was filmed at St. Edmund's Academy, an independent, preschool in Pittsburgh, PA. The experiement was one to test second graders reaction to a fashion dolls with proportions based on reality.

Research has for years linked women's exposure to barbie and photos of skinny supermodels with feelings of inadequacy about their own bodies. A 2006 University of Sussex study said that Barbies and similar toys “may damage girls’ body image, which would contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating and weight cycle.”

According to two studies in Pediatrics, the media is not the only influence on the eating habits of today's youth. Parents may play a more significant role than both the media and peers in the way young children view themselves and their bodies, researchers report.

A study of more than 6,700 children and adolescents found that both boys and girls who said that their fathers were concerned with their weight were more than twice as likely to become constant dieters compared with their peers, one year later. Boys and girls who reported that their mother was constantly dieting were also more likely to become concerned with their own weight and diet frequently, the report indicates.

The weight-related issues of parents are transmitted to their children, therefore it is important that parents remind themselves that they serve as role models and therefore should attempt to adopt the diet and activity patterns they would like their children to emulate.

That justification for Barbie’s outrageous silhouette falls flat with experts in child psychology and female body image. Those pointy feet might be easier to slip into those tight pants, “But 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.”

And what about the accusations that Barbie’s unrealistic cinches and curves contribute to young girls’ unhealthy body image?

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