Mattel Is Trying to Change Barbie's Image

Barbie has gotten a bad rap recently. From calls for a more realistic doll to studies saying the plastic toy can negatively impact girls in a myriad of ways, Mattel has gone into full-on damage control mode. A new initiative from the company called The Barbie Project wants to alter how the media and parents perceive Barbie, change the conversation, and just let kids be.

The company, amazed that one doll could incite so much discussion, had two documentarians and a "play specialist" go into various families' homes with “no scripts, no rehearsals” and film children playing with their Barbies for a new series that's part of its initiative. The project’s two-minute launch video starts by presenting various contradictions: aspirational and unrealistic; imaginative and limiting; adored and forbidden. “No other doll has sparked as much conversation as Barbie,” the site’s mission statement states. “But maybe kids don’t see Barbie the way adults do?”

The video includes interviews with parents, some of whom say think of Barbie as being a "ditzy blonde" who's "out of proportion," while others gush over how much they love watching their daughters play with the doll. Then, across a blank screen come the words, "Our guiding princple: Don't tell kids how to play with Barbie. Let them show us," followed by shots of kids enthusiastically playing with the dolls and often running, jumping, and wearing costumes while doing it. The video ends with Mattel encouraging moms and dads to share what they "see," "hear," and "feel" when they see their kids play with Barbies. And, of course there's a hashtag – #BarbieProject.

While Mattel may believe that much of the criticism coming from grownups about Barbie is overblown and inaccurate, science, along with thousands speaking out against the toy, seems to indicate quite the contrary. For example, illustrator Nickolay Lamm drew a version of Barbie with a more natural look and realistic body proportions based on CDC measurements of an average 19-year-old woman’s body. He received such a tremendous response and so many inquires about where to buy them, that he used crowdfunding to raise money to create a prototype, which he hopes to eventually bring to market. Another alternative to Barbie became a viral sensation when online resource Plus-Size Modeling imagined what the infamously thin doll would look like with a little meat on her plastic bones. The company asked, "Should toy companies start making plus-size Barbie dolls? 'Like'= Yes, absolutely! Comment=No, bad idea." The thumbs-up votes overwhelmingly outnumbered the down ones.

As Lamm and many others — including college student Galia Slayen who tried to make an actual life-size Barbie — have proven, if Barbie was brought to life she would be 69 inches tall with a 36-inch bust, an 18-inch waist, 33-inch hips, a 22-inch head circumference, a size 3 shoe, and a 9-inch neck circumference. She would topple over and have to walk on all fours; she wouldn’t menstruate, and she'd only have only half a liver. These body proportions are wildly unnatural and studies have shown that girls exposed to Barbie reported lower body esteem, a greater desire for thinness, and the doll can even influence eating disorders.

But, as Mattel itself points out, the concept surrounding Barbie is largely dichotomous. She's had careers including surgeon, business executive, paleontologist, astronaut, and firefighter, and served as ambassador for world peace, but she's also been a babysitter, princess, street rapper, cowgirl, cheerleader, and secretary. Barbie isn't all good or all bad — she might perpetuate stereotypes and preserve the glass ceiling but she also acts a role model and inspires young girls.

Documentaries by their very nature are typically biased, especially one promoting a corporation’s agenda, but the project will at the very least be very fascinating to follow. (Check out #BarbieProject on various social media platforms and eight different mom blogs as people share their experiences with Barbie.) After all, the toy has (and probably will continue to) touch nearly every little girl’s life at one point or another considering 90 percent of girls ages 3 to 10 own at least one Barbie doll — and each one has a story tell.