Having taken on several careers, personalities, even ethnicities, the famous staple of every American girl’s toy chest tends to get the most attention for her one major consistency; her iconic tall, slim figure. Barbie has been frequently bashed for boasting what many call an unattainable body type, and unrealistic standards of beauty.
Motivated by efforts to show that “average is beautiful” Artist Nickolay Lamm of MyDeals.com gathered data from the Center for Disease Control to determine the measurements of the average 19 year old American female. Using a 3D printer and Photoshop, rendered “Normal” Barbie.
Already receiving positive media attention, from people such as singer Demi Lovato who tweeted her support, Lamm expressed his consent to having his prototype mass produced and sold in stores because “she’ll have a more positive influence on girls than Barbie in its current form.”
Though obviously well intentioned, the use of the word “normal” and the suggestion that girls need to aspire to any model in general may be more problematic than the features of the model itself. While the Center for Disease Control’s data provides a more accurate model of a typical body type seen on the street versus the catwalk, and a body type more achievable for most, portraying one type as ideal or standard will always exclude those that fall outside those parameters.
So it might be that the greatest success of Lamm’s project lies within the alignment of the two Barbie dolls. Though built very differently, both can appear healthy and attractive; an appropriate message to send young girls who as it may happen, spend more time playing with their Barbies than planning their diets around them.