Does America Need a Plus-Size Barbie?

DMZ_1
DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
in Chit-Chat
Great video!

http://video.foxnews.com/v/2993417342001/does-america-need-a-plus-size-barbie/?playlist_id=2114913880001

It is no secret that United States residents are getting fatter. According to the CDC, in 1990, no state's obesity rate was over 14%. In 2010, no state's obesity rate was below 20%.

Should Barbie dolls represent our growing corpulence?

I say no. Barbie dolls should represent a slender or athletic & toned body type. The traditional Barbie doll has a slender body type and I like that. A Barbie doll having an athletic, fit & feminine body type like tennis player Maria Sharapova is great too.

I also do not think Barbie dolls should be viewed as the be-all, end-all in defining body types.
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Replies

  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    Oh god, not touching this with a 10 foot pole lol.

    Ok ok, I lied.

    BAD IDEA.
    This reminds me of the "average size underwear" campaign a bit ago..
    That wasn't average, that was overweight for every single one of the models. Average should cover different ranges/sizes.. Not just overweight.

    That's all.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    Yeah I think a plus size Barbie is a stupid idea.

    Girls of impressionable ages learn a lot more from their moms. I don't mean whether their mom is fat or thin/fit. But their mom's attitude about health, fitness, nutrition, female roles, confidence, etc. All of that is SUPER important. Not the shape of Barbie's body.
  • MM_1982
    MM_1982 Posts: 374
    I don't know about you, but I'm anxiously waiting for the short haired, pansexual feminist barbie. Hopefully it will be in stores by next holiday season.
  • xxghost
    xxghost Posts: 4,697 Member
    Haven't we already determined that the traditional Barbie has an impossible body type?
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    I think minus size big macs, chocolate bars and pizzas would be better.

    PS stop watching FOX news, it is scientifically shown to shrink your intellect when compared with other leading propaganda sources.
  • DavidC1857
    DavidC1857 Posts: 149 Member
    Does American need a Barbie?

    I mean seriously. We're in deep do do when the size and shape of a child's toy is a matter for the news, but most Americans probably couldn't tell who their governmental representatives are.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    It's OK to admit you still play with your Barbies, OP.

    We won't judge.
  • JONZ64
    JONZ64 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Sure, when they start making Beer Bellied GI Joe's
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    How about a Barbie based on a normal healthy weight woman. That is where we should be going. Either the current Barbie or the plus sized Barbie teaches lessons we don't want to teach our kids. I saw pictures of a Barbie created using healthy BMI statistics and she was slim and attractive without being unrealistic. Now that is what I am talking about.
  • BrotherSpankus
    BrotherSpankus Posts: 52
    How about a Barbie based on a normal healthy weight woman. That is where we should be going. Either the current Barbie or the plus sized Barbie teaches lessons we don't want to teach our kids. I saw pictures of a Barbie created using healthy BMI statistics and she was slim and attractive without being unrealistic. Now that is what I am talking about.

    I couldn't have put it better!
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    "Not touching this with a ten foot pool."

    My exact thoughts. I'm sticking to it. lol
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    An averaged sized barbie doll would be awesome and should happen
  • Runner5AbelTownship
    Runner5AbelTownship Posts: 243 Member
    I don't know about you, but I'm anxiously waiting for the short haired, pansexual feminist barbie. Hopefully it will be in stores by next holiday season.

    You forgot vegan, PETA member and made out of plant fibers so it's 'green'.

    What irks me is the double chin. WTF thought that was proportionate?
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    How about a Barbie based on a normal healthy weight woman. That is where we should be going. Either the current Barbie or the plus sized Barbie teaches lessons we don't want to teach our kids. I saw pictures of a Barbie created using healthy BMI statistics and she was slim and attractive without being unrealistic. Now that is what I am talking about.

    Interesting tigerblue. Granted I never was a Barbie consumer, I do see your point. I'm forced to consider the new sizing for the plus-size models ~ Sizes 8 - 12 (US), who have now replaced the formative sizes 12 - 16 (US) representing the average-sized women at 5ft 8 and above.
  • MM_1982
    MM_1982 Posts: 374
    How about a Barbie based on a normal healthy weight woman. That is where we should be going. Either the current Barbie or the plus sized Barbie teaches lessons we don't want to teach our kids. I saw pictures of a Barbie created using healthy BMI statistics and she was slim and attractive without being unrealistic. Now that is what I am talking about.

    But why? It's just a doll.

    Maybe this is where males/females differ. When I was little, I certainly wouldn't want to play with an average GI Joe. I'd want the guy to be ripped, tough looking, and have lots of guns. I'd want my GI Joe to be tougher than my friend Hercules figurine. I didn't care that his extremely low body-fat percentage was unhealthy.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    I don't know about you, but I'm anxiously waiting for the short haired, pansexual feminist barbie. Hopefully it will be in stores by next holiday season.

    this would actually make me very happy (the fact that you are saying it in a mocking way does not though)
  • Redhead_23
    Redhead_23 Posts: 58
    Haven't we already determined that the traditional Barbie has an impossible body type?

    This! If were going to change barbie to make her "accurate" make her a what a real healthy fit woman should look like.
    http://www.babble.com/beauty/barbie-vs-real-women-nickolay-lamms-latest-study-in-comparison/barbie-vs-real-curves-study-11/
  • Redhead_23
    Redhead_23 Posts: 58
    Sure, when they start making Beer Bellied GI Joe's

    Hahahaha
    I guess if we make barbie accurate, ken might need an update too.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Average Barbie:

    barbie-2.jpg?w=260
  • Pandora_King
    Pandora_King Posts: 153
    No. America needs a "regular" sized Barbie. Giving girls a plus sized Barbie is like saying "It's ok to be overweight." And it's not okay.
  • LokiOfAsgard
    LokiOfAsgard Posts: 378 Member
    I don't see anything wrong with a larger sized Barbie doll. No, it;s not going to make young girls want to be fat, but it will help young girl that are fat, not feel so horrible about themselves. I mean, did you hear here? The average age a young girl starts to DIET, no worry about dieting, ACTUALLY DIET is just 8 years old!
    Not even a decade into life and they're already pressured into looking as thin as possible, and worried about being to big.
    Positive representation of larger/over weight, and yes, obese people in media can be a very good thing for they way people see themselves.

    Ignoring larger body types is not going to make larger body types go away, it's just going to make larger body types feel like crap about themselves.

    ETA: There is nothing wrong with being fat. It IS okay. You don't need to feel guilty for taking up a little more room than a 'normal sized' person
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    How about a Barbie based on a normal healthy weight woman. That is where we should be going. Either the current Barbie or the plus sized Barbie teaches lessons we don't want to teach our kids. I saw pictures of a Barbie created using healthy BMI statistics and she was slim and attractive without being unrealistic. Now that is what I am talking about.

    But why? It's just a doll.

    Maybe this is where males/females differ. When I was little, I certainly wouldn't want to play with an average GI Joe. I'd want the guy to be ripped, tough looking, and have lots of guns. I'd want my GI Joe to be tougher than my friend Hercules figurine. I didn't care that his extremely low body-fat percentage was unhealthy.

    So, then maybe they could make the Barbies stronger also. Instead of unable to walk, stand, or hold her own head up, and not enough room for all her internal organs.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Have y'all seen the Monster High dolls? My Little Pony Equistria Girls? They are both even more narrow than Barbie (narrow shoulders, hips, tiny limbs and necks, HUGE heads).

    Eh, I don't really care. I don't think I'm scarred having played with Barbies, nor do I think my daughters will be.
  • drgmac
    drgmac Posts: 716 Member
    Does she come with a super sized McDonald's meal and two airplane seats? Somewhere between this and the ridiculousness of the unattainable dimensions of the traditional Barbie, is a happy medium.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Have y'all seen the Monster High dolls? My Little Pony Equistria Girls? They are both even more narrow than Barbie (narrow shoulders, hips, tiny limbs and necks, HUGE heads).

    Eh, I don't really care. I don't think I'm scarred having played with Barbies, nor do I think my daughters will be.

    I know, we have those dolls. I just see them as being like fantastical tiny ponies, fairies, and other mythical creatures, and not actual humans.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    There is nothing wrong with being fat
    There is nothing wrong with existing in a larger body

    The attitude that "being fat is not okay or is wrong" is what causes so much self hate so much sickness and mental health issues

    stop it , if you want to change your body do it but never EVER shame someone else for theirs :smile:

    Oh & having a bigger barbie is not going to make kids fat all the sudden so do not even play that silly **** :laugh:
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    How about a GI Joe retreating in defeat?
  • Just_Scott
    Just_Scott Posts: 1,766 Member
    Haven't we already determined that the traditional Barbie has an impossible body type?

    I believe this is true. She fits in a shoe box, and I think Guinness BOWR has the shortest woman recorded at just over 3 feet. Come on people....
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
    I don't think it would be healthy but the current Barbie could use a burger or two
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    When I was a kid, I never lamented that my body didn't look like Barbie's. I knew it was a toy, an abstraction of real life.

    I'd be more concerned with the extreme manipulations of living people we see on magazine covers and such, which are presented as being accurate.

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