It's sometimes hard to imagine, but despite Mattel's best intentions, Barbie has always been on the receiving end of harsh words. Right from the beginning, her figure drew fire. At first glance, she appears to have the sort of figure that every girl wants to have when she grows up, and the sort of figure that features in every man's dreams. But there's a catch.
The original Barbie was created at 1/6 scale, also known as "play scale." If Barbie were rendered full-size but done to scale, she would have been 5'9" tall, with a 36" chest, 18" waist, and 33" hips. And despite those startling dimensions, in her younger days, Barbie was sometimes excessively worried about her weight. In 1963, one of the outfits available for Barbie was "Barbie Baby-sits." The set included a book, How to Lose Weight, that came with the helpful advice "Don't eat." Two years later, that same book made another appearance with the "Slumber Party" set, which also included a scale. The scale indicated a weight of 110 pounds, which would be at least 30 pounds underweight for a woman of her height.
In the 1990s, researchers at the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, announced that a real woman with Barbie's proportions would be so underweight that she would lack the necessary body fat to menstruate normally. In an effort to counter criticism, in 1997 Mattel widened Barbie's waist was widened slightly. Sometimes, however, it appears that some people just won't learn. In fall 2009, French designer Christian Louboutin custom-designed three Barbies, requesting that her ankles and feet be changed, describing her ankles as "fat."
Barbie Faces Racial Issues
In the 1960s, Mattel began efforts to make Barbie's universe more inclusive, but often stumbled badly in the process. In 1967, "Colored Francie" was introduced. Unfortunately, the company used the same mold used for the head of the white Francie doll, and simply substituted a darker colored plastic for the skin. It took several years for Mattel to begin releasing dolls that reflected differences in features and hair.
In 1997, Mattel entered into a cross-promotion with Nabisco, releasing the Oreo Barbie in both a white and a black version. Apparently, no one at Mattel had considered the negative connotations of pasting an Oreo label on an African-American doll. On the other end of the scale, dolls introduced in 2009 were 'blinged out' with big jewelry, fancy tennis shoes, and a ghetto blaster, as well as the hairstyling kit to straighten curly hair.
Other Barbie Scandals
Mattel's other efforts ranged from well-meant to totally dysfunctional. In 1997, Mattel introduced a Share a Smile Becky, a doll in a pink wheelchair. The company was embarrassed when a high-school student pointed out that the chair didn't fit in the Barbie Dream House. In 2009, Totally Stylin' Barbie caused an uproar with a so-called tramp stamp tattoo on her lower back.
In 1975, Growing Up Skipper came complete with a dial on her back that, when turned, caused her breasts to grow. In 1985, a Midge doll was released that had a secret compartment in her belly that could be opened, revealing a baby. Both dolls raised complaints from parents upset about having to explain sexuality to young children. The situation wasn't improved when Midge received a makeover in 2002, turning her into a pregnant teenager. Outraged parents caused stores to pull the doll.
Related reading:
- The History of the Barbie Doll - Learn how Barbie clawed her way to the top of the toy world.
- Barbie the Paper Doll - Barbie is not only a fashion doll, but has a life as a paper doll as well.
- Barbie Celebrates 50 Years - Happy birthday! A look at 50 years of Barbie history
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