A Barbie World

As a kid I was never into Barbies. I owned a couple but rarely played with them. I was not good at that type of play. Now baby dolls on the other hand...i loved. I loved to play house and pretend to have a baby and pretend feed them, change them, etc. I would never buy a Barbie for my kids just because I personally did not like them. However, Travis thought that every girl needs a Barbie so he bought our 9 month old a Barbie and Ken doll for her stocking. I laughed when I saw them. First because I wouldn't of bought it and because she is so young she wouldn't know how to play Barbie even if she liked them. Looking at the Barbie everyday though has made me think a lot about the pressure that our society puts on women to be Barbies. So, I did a little research and this is what I found:

If Barbie was a real person:
Barbie's bust size would be 39 inches and she would have to crawl to support her top-heavy frame. Her bra size would be a 39 FF, putting Dolly Parton’s 40 DDs to shame. Barbie’s measurements would be an unrealistic 39-19-33. If Barbie had the hips of an average American woman, size 14, she would be 8’ 9’’. The likelihood of a real woman having Barbie’s body shape is less than one in 100,000. Barbie wouldn’t have room in her arms to have all her bones. Barbie’s head would be almost triple the size of a normal-sized head. Her neck would be twice the length of a normal neck and it would only be able to hold either a trachea or an esophagus, leaving her to choose between eating and breathing. While she is the owner of over one million pairs of shoes, more than any other woman in the world, Barbie’s feet would only be a child’s size three.

In 1965, Mattel introduced "Slumber Party Barbie," which came complete with a toy scale which read a constant 110 pounds, roughly 35 pounds underweight for a woman of Barbie's height. And in case girls who played with "Slumber Party Barbie" wanted to know how to reach such a low weight, the doll came with a book titled How to Lose Weight, which entrusted readers with the secret of many a successful eating disorder: "Don't eat."

How sad is it that we have these totally unrealistic expectations to try and meet. It is like doing the impossible. I want to challenge those of you planning to make a new years resolution to make one that is attainable, reasonable and realistic. We can't all be Barbie. I don't strive to be Barbie. I just want to be healthy. Find out what your BMI is here and see where you should be. The BMI chart is not perfect as it does not take into account the different body types and the fact that muscle weighs more than fat but for the average american it is a good guide.