In 1965, Mattel Inc. came out with the Slumber Party Barbie. She came with her very own “How to Lose Weight” book with the main message of “don’t eat.” Alongside the book came a weight scale that was permanently set to 110 pounds. Ken, on the other hand, came with milk and cookies and no scale.
We know that Barbie’s dimensions are impossible to have, but it became the standard for women to judge themselves. Girls today are following Barbie’s guidelines inadvertently for a body and her instructions of not eating. Some actually blame Barbie for increased eating disorders among girls today.
Barbie is over 50 now, but her body has yet to change and become more realistic and celebratory of real women today. She has 1,000 YouTube clips, 300 Facebook pages, a billion pieces of clothing, 100 different careers, and 50 nationalities, but she’s still anorexic.