Does America Need a Plus-Size Barbie?

DMZ_1

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.

Sinisterly

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

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

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

Haven't we already determined that the traditional Barbie has an impossible body type?

davert123

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

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

It's OK to admit you still play with your Barbies, OP.

We won't judge.

JONZ64

Sure, when they start making Beer Bellied GI Joe's

tigerblue

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

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

"Not touching this with a ten foot pool."

My exact thoughts. I'm sticking to it. lol

salembambi

An averaged sized barbie doll would be awesome and should happen

Runner5AbelTownship

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average Barbie:

Pandora_King

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh & having a bigger barbie is not going to make kids fat all the sudden so do not even play that silly **** :laugh:

dmpizza

How about a GI Joe retreating in defeat?

Just_Scott

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

I don't think it would be healthy but the current Barbie could use a burger or two

SailorKnightWing

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.