It kind of scares me that we are bombarded with images of what "beauty" is from such a young age. It also scares me that the industry I want to work in can be so critical of Body Image, to the point where people feel pressured to change their body and lead an unhealthy lifestyle. In no way am I saying that the Fashion Industry encourages people to develop Eating Disorders but maybe the ideals that they show to people make it normal to be extremely slim. Don't get me wrong, if you're naturally slim there's nothing wrong with that either; what I disagree with is people wanting to change their body because they feel there is pressure to, or because they feel their current image is not normal and acceptable. Health is the most important thing.
I don't intend for this piece to disillusion you about the Fashion Industry. The Fashion Industry is an incredibly creative industry with so many positives and I accept that nothing can be perfect. But maybe it could be improved? I'm also not saying that Barbie is telling us to have that figure, but to me, it does send messages that this is beautiful and desirable for girls.
So I'll leave you with this. I don't know how accurate this information is, but regardless of that, it really makes you think.
If Barbie was an actual woman, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe.
- Barbie call this a "full figure" and likes her weight at 110 lbs.
- At 5'9" tall and weighing 110 lbs, Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for Anorexia. It would be likely that she would not menstruate.
- Slumber Party Barbie was introduced in 1965 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".
I agree about this 100%. I never really got into playing with barbies but that didn't stop it from affecting how I looked at myself as I grew up.
ReplyDeletehttp://livelove-erika.blogspot.com/
I played with barbies a lot when I was younger so I guess it did play a huge part in my childhood!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you so much though, they should make barbies that a realistic, that won't make children think that they need to be tiny just to be accepted!
This was a really great post, your blog is lovely, we will follow right away!
Would you mind following us? We would love to gain some viewers!
tawnyfawns.blogspot.com
Hi, and thank you so much for following! I agree with you, it would be great if there was less pressure (even if it is subliminal) to be a certain body shape or size.
DeleteI've followed you via Bloglovin' x
Great post! I totally agree!! :)
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