Barbie has three new body types, as I’m sure we’ve all heard by now, and most people seem thrilled about this new change. But reading this article, Why I Am Not a Fan of the New Barbie, proved otherwise. Lexi Surunis, a writer for Her Campus, openly stated that she didn’t like Barbie’s new body types. Sunruis was concerned with the logistics of clothing. For instance: if you wanted to switch outfits with your friend’s barbie but her doll was a different body type.
“All of a sudden, you’re thinking to yourself, ‘Why can’t my Barbie wear the same pretty dress as her Barbie can? Her Barbie must be skinnier than mine so I want her Barbie so she can wear the pretty sparkly dress,’” Surunis said. “I feel that making girls aware of their body differences at such a young age is unnecessary and potentially psychologically damaging.”
I thought this raised an important question about why it is so important that young girls face body image at a younger age. I disagree with Surunis and believe Barbie’s new body is a good thing.
For years there have been ads that hyper-sexualize women and paint a picture of one specific body type that makes her body valued. Little girls see those images, and it becomes imprinted in their minds.
Yes, Barbie’s new body types may make little girls start asking questions about why every Barbie’s body isn’t the same, but this is vital in teaching little girls to realize that not every person’s body is the same in real life.
It’s important to realize that not every body-type will fit into the same clothing, because bodies can’t be compared to one another. Girls have to realize that each body type is different and beautiful in it’s own way, and not only beautiful according to another body’s standards.
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