Barbie Gets a Makeover, So I Put My 5-Year-Old to the Test

Barbie has gotten a makeover and many folks are excited about her new tall, curvy and petite looks.

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, recently unveiled three new types of the iconic doll. Not only does she have different body types, Barbie also comes in different ethnicities with various hair textures.

A curvy Barbie with naturally curly hair and dark complexion was unheard of when I was growing. Now that I’m a mom, I happy to see that the toy company giant has finally taken the necessary steps to insure that all women are represented, while teaching kids about acceptance.

You may remember doll experiments featuring children comparing different types, all of which preferred white dolls over black dolls.

I imagine that Mattel’s plan is to squash children’s false perception of what’s considered good looking. Also, by changing society’s beauty standards, kids won’t feel the pressures of fitting into a certain type of mold. Some may deem this as a step into the right direction. However, others may feel that it’s a last ditch effort to increase sales.

According to T he Guardian, Sales in Barbie dolls have dropped around 15% most quarters for the past two years. Frozen’s Elsa doll took over the top-selling doll spot from Barbie in 2014, and Lego overtook Mattel as the top-selling toy brand in 2014.

“Mattel is always in this for the bottom line profit margin, but it’s also possible to read this decision as being at least somewhat responsive to the variety of calls that are becoming a little bit louder that says, ‘Look, womanhood and women’s shapes are not one thing’,” said Aurora Sherman, an associate professor of psychology at Oregon State University.

Despite Mattel’s push to re-define Barbie, not all parents are completely satisfied with Barbie’s makeover. The company held focus groups to find out how parents really feel about the change.

Some believe that Mattel didn’t go far enough. “I wish that she were curvier” one woman said. “There are shapes that are curvier and still are beautiful. My daughter definitely has curves, and I would want to give her a doll like that. It’s a start, I guess.”

She definitely raises a great point. I’d also want my daughter to have dolls that resemble her. However, what happens when you get invited to a child’s birthday party and you want to buy the little girl a Barbie? Would the parents be offended if we purchase a curvy Barbie?

The reality is that some people are sensitive to things like that. Some may feel that it implies that their kid is fat.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if someone were to buy my daughter a curvy Barbie because I want to teach my children to accept people for who they are, and not what they look like.

While the doll doesn’t necessarily depict my daughter’s body type, it does represent many of the women in our family. I think this is a great way to show kids that everyone is beautiful no matter their color or size.

In light of Barbie’s new look, I decided to conduct a study of my own featuring my little girl. I was interested in seeing if the age old doll experiment rings true today. She has her favorites, but not for reasons you might think.

Take a listen to what she had to say. Please be sure to give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to WeatherAnchorMamaTV.