body image issues in young girls often stem from playing with skinny, unrealistic, adult-bodied dolls. a 2021 uk study found that playing with extremely proportioned dolls, such as barbies or bratz, damaged girls’ body image, and influenced their opinion on an “ideal body type” to a thinner, less life-like physique. an article from psychology today lamented that “there was no evidence that playing with realistic dolls after playing with the ultra-thin dolls could undo [the effect of playing with the unrealistic dolls]. Instead, the initial shift in the girls’ perceptions of an ideal body after playing with the ultra-thin dolls tended to stick” (engeln).
i think if i had played with more realistic dolls, my body issues as a young girl might have been less detrimental. barbie’s body has clearly influenced a multitude of people and their perception of ideal bodies and looks; some individuals have made it their life’s work to resemble barbie to quite an extreme level. when i was in middle school, i felt such jealousy and covetousness towards the women who had ribs removed, bones lengthened,, and natural curves eliminated all in the name of looking like a child’s playing.
so, while i have a bone to pick with barbie’s physical image, her character and stories are something i find imperative for children, especially girls. barbie is accomplished, independent, loyal, caring, and truly kind.
yesterday evening, i had a dear friend over, and while we indulged in fresh ravioli, salads, and blood orange sodas (many thanks to italia), we watched two nostalgic movies, barbie’s 12 dancing princesses and princess charm school, and conversed over barbie and the bechdel test. this test was created by alison bechdel, who is an american cartoonist, and first wrote of the now-titled bechdel test in her comic strip, “dykes to watch out for.” now, the bechdel test is used by critics, mainly film critics, to measure women’s representation in fictional media.
as shown in bechdel’s work above, the criteria for a piece of work to pass the bechdel test is to have two female characters having a conversation with each other about a topic that doesn’t concern men.
if nothing else, barbie movies pass the bechdel test with flying colors, while a lot of “better” movies cannot same the same. in these movies, male characters, despite occasionally being love interests, are almost exclusively involved in the plot to support and highlight barbie, her friends, and the problems they conquer. in barbie and the 12 dancing princesses, every scene that involved derek, the cobbler love interest, solely exempting their wedding scene, was,, while flirtatious at times, a scene where derek was helping barbie, treating her like a human instead of a woman he loved, and overall just supporting her character. derek’s role as a cobbler and the girls’ friend is what’s focused on and seen as important, and much less so the fact that he loved barbie. barbie mermadia also has parallels with the importance of the characters men play, and not the romance. i see this as a very healthy way to introduce young girls to the idea and basics of relationships; men’s role in your life can be romantic, but it is also imperative that it is not only that – they must support and help you, for that is truly loving you. pursuit of a woman does not equate to loving a woman.
barbie movies also have focuses on, among other topics, following your goals, as seen in barbie’s princess and the popstar, and class divides, as seen in barbie’s princess charm school and the princess and the pauper. these movies obviously are very simple examples of the issues they portray, which arguably makes them better. this media is targeted towards children, and introducing these themes in a digestible way opens the door for more conversations about these topics, which is an important part of development, learning, and becoming a compassionate human for young children.
so, while i don’t believe the physical dolls are a positive influence on women and girls’ self and body image, i think the movies can be quite a beneficial example of strong women.
sources
Engeln, Renee. “Barbies May Do Damage That Realistic Dolls Can’t Undo.” Psychology Today, 23 Mar. 2021, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beauty-sick/202103/barbies-may-do-damage-realistic-dolls-cant-undo.
Boothroyd, Lynda G, et al. “Can Realistic Dolls Protect Body Satisfaction in Young Girls?” Body Image, Elsevier, 11 Mar. 2021, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144521000243#!