Using Barbie for a Positive Body Image

Barbie gets a pretty bad rap these days, and why shouldn’t she? If she were a real, live human she’d be 5’9” with measurements at 36-18-33. (The average American woman’s measurements are 40-34-43.) This means that Barbie wouldn’t even have enough fat to have a menstrual cycle. Only 1 in 100,000 people have the probability of getting a body like Barb’s, whereas likely 1 in every 1 girl who has one wants a body like hers!

In fact, studies have linked Barbie to causing eating disorders in young girls, and girls ages 5 to 7 who have seen photos of Barbie have been shown to have less self-esteem and a greater desire to be skinny than girls who did not look at the pictures.
But the reality is that people with a body like Barbie’s would not have a back strong enough to stand properly, and have only enough room for have a liver and a few inches of colon in their bodies! On top of that, they would, naturally, die of malnutrition.

So how do we rectify the Barbie-versus-Barbie-body conundrum? My daughter still gets to play with Barbie at preschool even if we don’t have her at home, after all. We have to be proactive as parents and teach our daughters to have a positive body image. We CAN use Barbie for this, after all. Here’s how:

First, teach that Barbie is fake. Like Mickey Mouse and Spongebob, she’s not real—so we can’t make ourselves look like her. We can’t make ourselves square, can we? Point out the parts of Barbie that are “make believe” and emphasize that she’s just for “imaginary play.”

Make Barbie look even goofier. This will help kids identify her with make believe rather than making her into a real, live person. Paint her blue, dye her hair with kool-aid, draw spots on her and make her into a cat-person… Whatever you like, just keep it creative and fun, while simultaneously teaching that Barbie is just for make believe.

Alternatively, make Barbie “real.” You can do this by using play-dough, clay, or any other manipulative substance. Say, “We know Barbie is just for pretend, but if she wanted to be a real girl like you (or a real woman like Mama, etc.), what would she need?” You may get answers like a car, a job, etc. and that’s fine.

Steer the conversation into how her “toy body” is different from your “human body” and start adding on parts—a tummy, hips, whatever—with your clay or play dough. Emphasize the differences and show how silly Barbie would be if she tried to be a human without all of these “body parts”—how she could not walk, how she couldn’t fit in clothes, etc. Make BARBIE the abnormal one INSTEAD of your child.

Compare Barbie with your child’s other toys. Using action figures, dolls, and even animals, compare and contrast them all—including the Barbie(s)—with humans. Which ones have feet? Whose eyes are more human? You may find that the Ninja Turtles seem more human than Barbie! This will help show that Barbie isn’t real just as the other toys aren’t real, and that she definitely isn’t like us humans.