Living in a Barbie world

Put be in coach, I'm good
    By Sarah Holley

Let me tell you about a good friend of mine. She was born in 1959, unsmiling and with downcast eyes. Those were simple times, so she only had the bare necessities: a one-piece swimsuit, sunglasses, high heels, and earrings. Introduced as a teenage fashion model, she was the first of her kind to appear on TV, and soon she became popular all over the world. But life in the spotlight put some pressure on my friend, so she got a facelift in 1967 and again in 1977. Now, after more than 20 years, she has gone back under the knife for a whole new body. I met her in the early '80s, and she has been a part of my life ever since. Her name is Barbie.

If you are like most people in the United States, you are quite familiar with this cultural icon. Two Barbie dolls are sold every second of every day. She is loved by children, studied by academics, and represented by artists. But being Barbie hasn't been all sugar and spice; her life has been charged with nightmares of political incorrectness.

Throughout her life, Barbie has been disparaged by feminists. They lament the 11 .5" mound of plastic for its perpetuation of an image of ideal female beauty unobtainable for any human female.

As a real person, Barbie would stand around 6'5" with measurements of 33-18-34 and 12 percent body fat. Her head would be significantly larger than her waistline and the length of her legs would make it impossible for her to walk upright. Many have held Barbie responsible for rampant eating disorders and body-image problems in girls and women.

But now Barbie is getting a new look. She has a smaller chest, a thicker waist, and slimmer hips. She sports a new nose and softer, straighter hair. She also got to abandon those uncomfortable high heels and put regular shoes on her new flat feet. The original Barbie will still be around in force, but six of the 24 versions produced this year will sport the new face and body.

Bravo, Mattel! Now you are producing a doll that has a more normal form, a body that young girls can realistically have. Way to go!

Not so fast. Let's not give credit where credit is undue. Mattel claims that complaints about the doll's proportions were in fact not the impetus for the new shape. According to Mattel spokesperson Lisa McKendall, "In order for hip-huggers [the new doll's debut outfit] to look right, Barbie needs to be more like a teen's body. The fashions teens wear now don't fit properly on our current sculpting."

So Mattel is not remodeling Barbie out of a newfound fear that young girls might learn false lessons from her proportions, or out of contrition for ignoring the cultural effect of the doll. No, it's simply because her big bustline is outdated. It is interesting that in the excitement over the new body, this part of the picture has been overlooked. Barbie does not create body-image problems—she reflects problems that already exist. Mattel is only reproducing what is popular in society in order to sell merchandise. If, next year, tunics are in and it is not cool to weigh less than 200 pounds, then you can bet that Barbie will be sporting some heft and a muumuu.

Barbie is a symptom of the cultural disease infecting the majority of American women. The disease is not necessarily the desire for ultimate skinniness, but rather the willingness to try to conform one's very flesh to the arbitrary standards of fashion and aesthetics.

Barbie artist Mark Napier said, "People have a hard time separating the doll from what it symbolizes." We have to remember what the doll is—a fashion plate. It was never meant to be the model for the ideal body. Society has created that unreachable standard and Barbie is just along for the ride. Nonetheless, her recognizable figure makes her a convenient scapegoat for our cultural troubles with body hatred.

My poor plastic friend will probably continue to be the center of controversy for as long as she and her Malibu Dreamhouse exist. To some she will always be beloved for allowing little girls to play out figure and fashion fantasies, while others will condemn her for the same reasons. As for me, I'll just apologize for ripping her leg off during an overzealous afternoon of play and remind myself that she is just a doll who cannot be held responsible for our obsession with body image. That's something we humans need to deal with on our own.

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