The plus-size Barbie debate
The Facebook page Plus Size Modeling has stirred up quite the controversy by asking whether toy companies should put out a Barbie that has an expanded waistline.
The page has gotten thousands of responses, with many debating whether such a toy would promote poor health or encourage a positive self-image.
Barbie's measurements equate to about a 39-inch bust, 18-inch waist and 33-inch hips on a life-size woman. But she’s still No. 1 in the doll market
The Facebook page for Plus Size Modeling posted the question “Should toy companies start making Plus Sized Barbie dolls?” on Dec 18, accompanied by a mock-up picture of a plus-size Barbie – complete with a double chin – in a pink dress.
The page is encouraging its followers to chime in – asking them “Like” the post if they agree, and to comment if they think it’s a bad idea.
The post has already received more than 40,000 Facebook “Likes” and nearly 5,000 comments, most of them saying the ideal Barbie would be somewhere between a double-chinned doll and the unrealistically skinny version that exists now.
According to its Facebook page, Plus Size Modeling’s mission is to “show women all over America that the size of their clothes has nothing to do with the size of their hearts, personalities & futures!”
Barbie has had to contend with increasing criticism of her impossibly proportioned body. While the 54-year-old doll has over the years graduated from pin-up girl to a range of characters that include astronauts, engineers and princesses, detractors continue to dismiss the 11.5-inch doll's frame as impossibly top-heavy and tiny-waisted.
What do you think?