That's one of the reasons why these lovely ladies look like this:
Characters (including dolls) are designed to be appealing, especially to a demographic. So why was Barbie designed the way she was?
But what do you think of her design? What is the significance and is it scandalous that Barbie has this particular figure?
To me, the idea that a doll is made to teach girls about how they should look, what they should do, and what is expected of them – I'm not comfortable with that idea. Whether Barbie is truly made for this purpose or whether it is a residual affect, I do not trust the decisions of a corporation to correctly understand the value and purpose of woman.
But what affect do they have on girls? I would have wished that Barbie taught me something about fashion. By middle school, I had felt plenty of shame about my body and lack of fashion, and I probably would have welcomed some fashion clues from the dolls of my younger days. Did Barbie contribute to my idea of body image despite her failure to teach me fashion? Or was I affected more by the loneliness of not fitting in nor looking like the other girls?
Rather than shaming Barbie for her trim and narrow figure, Mattel created three additional figures for Barbie that they are calling petite, tall, and curvy. The interesting detail is that they are all called "Barbie." She comes in different skin and hair colors to be, at last, sensitive to racial variety. But for decades, Barbie has been caucasian, blond, and blue-eyed (sometimes not). That is not only her look but also her identity. How will Mattel – with Barbie books, movies, and a TV show – be able to integrate the new appearances into the identity of Barbie?
But I suppose that's not as important as this question: Does this really help liberate women from the oppression of unfair expectations and false identity?
Please let me know what you think. I'd appreciate some insights and alternate points of view.