If you’ve ever taken a women and gender studies course you’ve most likely discussed the infamous Barbie doll. Some argue that it’s just a toy that girls (or boys) play with, but children’s minds are extremely influential. A child may not realize that by playing with the Barbie, she/he may be subconsciously thinking that this is what a woman’s body is supposed to look like. However, if Barbie were a real woman, she would not even be capable of standing up straight. Her neck would not be able to support her oversized head, and her 32-inch bust would topple over her 16-inch waist. Barbie would be classified as anorexic according to her 5 foot 9 height and weight of a mere 110 pounds. In 1965, a “Slumber Party” Barbie was released, and she came with a scale permanently stuck on 110 pounds, and book “How to Lose Weight,” and the only page in the book reads, “don’t eat.”

Studies show that the popularity of the doll has decreased. Now that money is involved, the makers of the doll, Mattel, have started to reevaluate. Over the past two years Mattel has been working to make a more realistic Barbie. In 2015, 23 new dolls were released that did not have all of Barbie’s unrealistic qualities. And now in 2016, you can get a tall, petite or curvy Barbie. By the end of this year ,33 new and more human Barbie’s will be available.

Though I am sure this “curvy” Barbie will receive criticism, it is a major step towards recognizing that women are not meant to look the way the media portrays them. Hopefully this new Barbie will encourage many young girls and boys so by the time they have children maybe we wont have such unrealistic body standards for women.