Dani Powell, Staff Writer
Companies have recently made a complete switch on how they are advertising women in the media and sales. Within the past months marketing has come out with new ideas of how to portray women to society. Many of people agree on the idea that, models, toys, and TV advertisements can put unrealistic ideas of women in young children’s heads.
Statistics specifically show that the Barbie doll made by the toy company Mattel introduced in 1959 can lead to anorexia, and other disorders in teenagers.
In 1965 Slumber Party Barbie was introduced and came with a bathroom scale permanently set at 110 lbs with a book entitled “How to Lose Weight” with directions inside stating simply “Don’t eat.” These issues are implanted in kids heads from a young age due to them playing with the dolls which can lead to severe disorders. Barbie’s are known for their small waists, long blonde hair, and big blue eyes which is putting ideas of what “beauty” is in young minds everywhere. Are people ready to say goodbye to Barbie?
Dynamic Designworks Inc. created a prototype doll with more realistic dimensions called the Lammily doll. On March 5th 2014 the campaign was launched by the creators to create a doll with the real measurements of women. With such positive feedback on the doll, with more about 13,621 people saying they were ready to buy the doll, the company got enough funds to go ahead and create the doll. It is now being advertised to young girls and there is a website where the doll can be purchased.
The Lammily doll is featured wearing denim shorts, blue ombre collared shirt and sneakers. Along with that outfit, Lammily also wears a long maxi dress, workout clothing, or sweaters. Additional “marks” can be added to the Lammily doll, such as scars, Band-Aids, freckles, bug bites, grass stains, and acne. The doll can also sport temporary tattoos and glasses making her much more relatable to kids.
“I think the new Barbie doll is a really nice idea. I actually think it’s kind of funny that the dimensions of the regular Barbie doll are actually impossible to achieve. If I were to buy a doll I would buy both because I think there both great. I just think it’s important to know that the Barbie isn’t actually what society wants us to look like, it’s just a doll,” Newtown High senior student Jesse Sailer said.
The doll has had positive feedback amongst younger children too. She is easier to play with due to her bending limbs, and she is not as feminine.
A group of second graders at St. Edmund’s Academy in Pennsylvania decided that they would choose the “new” Barbie over the original. The little girls in the class also said the Lammily doll was more like themselves. Overall the doll has gotten positive feedback. However some people thought the first doll was just fine, and now that Lammily is out it is understandable that their children should be playing with dolls that are more like themselves creating a clearer and more realistic idea of beauty.
“I think the doll is a nice idea, because young girls that play with Barbie’s may have an un-realistic idea in their heads. However it could be insulting to other people because not all people are like the Lammily doll, and I don’t think it should be necessarily ‘ugly’”, Newtown High sophomore Julia Bogdanoff said.
“I think it’s a really cool idea. Because no one can look like Barbie,” Maya Pranger Newtown High Freshman said.
Photo Credit; www.boiseweekly.com