Have you heard about the girl that aspires to look like a Barbie doll so much that she has committed to surviving without food or water? While that may be an extreme example of the result of the beauty standard that is set for woman, Barbie’s proportions have long been controversial. While Barbie may not be the only way that young girls are taught that impossibly thin proportions are part of the ideal beauty image, Barbie is often the first in a long series of subliminal messages that are set before girls and women throughout their lifetime. Studies are beginning to reveal that such unattainable body image standards are often detrimental to women’s self esteem, body image, and even health.
Creating a More Realistic Doll
Enter Nickolay Lamm, the inventor of a doll that is based on the proportions of an average 19-year-old girl. Called Lammily as a play on the creator’s family name, the doll is in the process of being patented and marketed for sale. Dubbed the “Real Barbie”, the new doll is exciting for many that have opposed the body image standard put forth by other dolls. The doll is also set to come with natural looking makeup and a more realistic outfit basis than most dolls, including shorts and tee-shirts.
Lamm says that he created the doll in an effort to allow children access to a doll that is more representative of a real person than most other dolls. He says that he struggled with body image throughout his teenage years, sometimes sacrificing health for the coveted six pack. While Lamm felt that he was influenced by unreasonable body image standards, he felt that women are subjected to a standard that is less reasonable than men, and are subjected to the pressure to attain that standard more so than men. He also felt that creating a female doll that was proportioned more accurately would call attention to the matter more readily than would a male doll.