Barbies have been looked upon as unattainable beauty ideals set on young girls. Now, Mattel designed new Barbies that don’t come in just one shape. The dolls come in tall, petite and curvy options, creating a more realistic turn on the dolls.
The new barbie line has not only sparked positive body image but also an inspirational message, “We have to let girls know it doesn’t matter what shape you come in, that anything is possible”, stated by Tania Missad, director of consumer insights for the doll line. Mattel has created a powerful message for young girls to not focus their life on their looks rather their ambitions and goals.
According to Mattel, Barbie will now be available in four different body types, seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. For years Mattel has received a continuous amount of criticism because of the impractical expectations Barbie put on girls. A 2006 British Study (http://willettsurvey.org/TMSTN/Gender/DoesBarbieMakeGirlsWantToBeThin.pdf) discovered that “girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape” rather than those who had been given dolls with larger body types or no dolls. The announcement of the change, created a discussion on social media, with many thank you’s and appreciative remarks to the positive change.