Barbie Turns 50. She's Not So Innocent Anymore.

Published March 09, 2009 @ 03:00PM PT

Today is Barbie's birthday. And at age 50, she's not so innocent anymore.

During the past 50 years, she has had a variety of exploits with her beau Ken who first appeared on the scene only two years into her existence in 1961. They got to play in plastic paradise from hot tubs to convertibles. They had a pretty steady relationship until a news release from Mattel in February 2004 announced that Barbie and Ken had decided to split up, but by February 2006 they were back together again. (Phew!)

And while Barbie's multiple careers (Astronaut, Doctor, NASCAR driver, Babysitter, Police officer and even President of the United States) were designed to show that women can take on a variety of roles in life, she has been most scrutinized for the unrealistic body image the doll projects onto young women. Because fifty years ago on March 9, 1959 three hundred thousand little plastic dolls rolled out into America's toy stores giving women everywhere a new standard to live up to: 36 by 18 by 33.

And ever since these standards were created, women everywhere have fallen prey to Barbie syndrome trying to emulate her plastic perfection. Cindy Jackson famously admitted that she never outgrew her obsession with becoming Barbie and had 29 operations to transform herself from what the BBC reported "as a plain Jane farmgirl to a blonde bombshell, living an 'absolutely fabulous' lifestyle."

The standard Barbie doll started out at 11.5 inches tall, giving a height of 5 feet 9 inches. Barbie's vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). According to research by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, she would lack the 17 to 22 percent body fat required for a woman to menstruate.

In 1965, Slumber Party Barbie came with a book entitled How to Lose Weight which advised: "Don't eat." The doll also came with pink bathroom scales reading 110lb, which would be around 35lbs underweight for a woman 5 feet 9 inches tall. In 1997, Barbie's body mold was redesigned and given a wider waist, with Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.

Whether we like it or not, Barbie has influenced all women in some way. First allowing young girls to dream and then later defying the reality of women who never got to live in their "dream house."

What has been your relationship with Barbie? Would you buy her for your daughter today?

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Comments (1)

The stories of women who felt pressured to become like Barbie make me feel sick and saddened. I played with Barbies very often as a young girl, and I never felt the need to look just like her when I grew up - however, I always had a more or less average body type, and felt fairly comfortable with it growing up. I did experience some keen dissatisfaction with certain aspects of my body as a teenager and adult, but was lucky enough to meet and marry a man who not only accepted all parts of me as beautiful, but taught me to view myself the same way. I don't see an inherent problem with buying Barbies for young girls, provided that they are properly educated about different body types and the altogether unrealistic proportions of the doll.

Posted by Heather Kelley on 03/30/2009 @ 08:39PM PT
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Jen Nedeau is a social media consultant, progressive activist, feminist speaker and writer. She currently lives in New York City, where she works full-time as the Director of Digital Strategy at Air America Media. In August 2008, Nedeau was selected to be the Editor of the WomensRights.Change.Org where she facilitates daily discussion about the feminist movement. Additionally, Nedeau volunteers as the Chief Technology Officer for New Leaders Council, a non-profit that offers exclusive training for young leaders. You can follow her on Twitter @HumanFolly or learn more here: www.jennedeau.com.