Barbie

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, inc. and was launched in March 1959.

Barbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over fifty years. It has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle.

Criticisms about the doll are often based on the assumption that children consider Barbie a role model and will attempt to copy her.

One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image for a young woman, leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her will become anorexic.

It has been calculated that (considering her hip, chest and waist measurement) Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for anorexia.

Barbie syndrome

Barbie syndrome is the desire to have a physical appearance and lifestyle representative of the Barbie doll. It is more often associated with pre-teen and adolescent females but is applicable to any age group. A person with Barbie syndrome attempts to emulate the doll's physical appearance even though the doll has unattainable body proportions.

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This post links in with the rest of my research because it addresses the issue of 'perfection' and the expectations of women nowadays. This post addresses the physical appearance specifically.