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Barbie Celebrates 50 Years But How About Some Realistic Alternatives?
by
Graham Foster
<br/><br/><br/> <div style="border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC"></div> <br/> <!-- BEGIN ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.6 (WP) --> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> <!-- // ODIOGO_START:do_NOT_remove_this_comment showOdiogoReadNowButton ("4748", "Barbie Celebrates 50 Years But How About Some Realistic Alternatives?", "1747", 290, 55); // --> </script> <br/> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> <!-- showInitialOdiogoReadNowFrame ("4748", "1747", 290, 0); // ODIOGO_END:do_NOT_remove_this_comment // --> </script> <!-- END ODIOGO LISTEN BUTTON v2.5.6 (WP) --> <p><a href="http://www.retainyouryouth.com"><img src="http://www.dreambodynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/new-barbie1-300x204.jpg" alt="" title="barbie reaches fifty" width="300" height="204" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1749" /></a></p> <p>The now iconic Barbie doll celebrated it’s 50th year today with celebrations being held across the globe including a fashion show in Paris and predictably a party in California. Where else…</p> <p>But within her 50 year reign in toy shop nirvana world wide what is the message that Barbie has been delivering to the future women of the world about womanhood or more exactly a woman’s body image? <span id="more-1747"></span></p> <p>There have been over 1 billion Barbie’s sold across the globe and manufacturers Mattell have tried to keep up with the times with Barbie’s for every walk of life… Well sort of.</p> <p>There has been Barbie the Astronaut, Barbie the President, Frankie Barbie’s coloured friend Oriental Barbie in 1981 and even Share a Smile Becky disabled Barbie. (It seems however she wasn’t able to live in the rather cramped Barbie House with out some wheelchair friendly modifications ).</p> <p>But that aside how realistically does today’s Barbie reflect the realities of today’s modern woman and the trails and challenges she faces…</p> <p><strong>Relationships<br /> </strong><br /> In 2004 she split up with Ken her lover and ended up with Aussie surfer Blaine but true love never fails and was soon reunited with her long time love Ken in 2006 and Blaine was kicked back to Australia.</p> <p>So she has had failed relationships (score one for realism after all one in three married women end up divorced).</p> <p>However Mattell seem to have avoided or at very least side stepped at least so far one of the biggest issues the women face that of body image.</p> <p><strong>Body Image </strong></p> <p>All Barbies are prefect shape (ignoring those hurtful comments about her legs not actually being physically able to support her) and even the latest Bikini Barbie hasn’t got an inch of cellulite or stretch marks.</p> <p>But just for fun lets imagine our Barbies living in the real world and not in plastic doll utopia (no don’t think Paris Hilton that’s just cruel)</p> <p>Well first there would be Size Zero Barbie who would be living on glasses of wheatgrass and a potion acai berries and spends five hours a day at the gym and for good measure lives in Hollywood.</p> <p>Not forgetting of course…</p> <p>She’ll also be neurotic and in therapy but no one has ever said Barbie’s had personalities (still can’t get Paris out of my head for some reason)</p> <p>Then we’d have Sit on Your Butt Barbie she eats Fast Food and watches TV and her idea of exercise is sending a text message or reaching for a remote control to change channel.</p> <p>What think I am being too harsh well don’t panic as there are always ways round any problem and like her human counterparts Barbie has been under the plastic surgeons before having been given smaller breast and a wider hips in 1997. </p> <p>So a gastric band certainly shouldn’t be beyond possibility for Sit On Your Butt Barbie to consider if she doesn’t fancy going on a diet and exercise.</p> <p>It seems even in Barbie’s world perfection comes at a price but I guess since she is just a doll she won’t be risking her health. But even so I am guessing that Sit on Your Butt Barbie might get left on the shelf…</p> <p>What do think?</p> <script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="Barbie Celebrates 50 Years But How About Some Realistic Alternatives?" url="http://www.dreambodynow.com/?p=1747"></script> <div class="sociable"> <div class="sociable_tagline"> <strong>Share and Enjoy:</strong> </div> <ul> <li class="sociablefirst"><a rel="nofollow" id="del.icio.us" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dreambodynow.com%2Fbarbie-celebrates-50-years-but-how-about-some-realistic-alternatives%2F&title=Barbie%20Celebrates%2050%20Years%20But%20How%20About%20Some%20Realistic%20Alternatives%3F&notes=The%20now%20iconic%20Barbie%20doll%20celebrated%20it%27s%2050th%20year%20today%20with%20celebrations%20being%20held%20across%20the%20globe%20including%20a%20fashion%20show%20in%20Paris%20and%20predictably%20a%20party%20in%20California.%20Where%20else...%0D%0A%0D%0ABut%20within%20her%2050%20year%20reign%20in%20toy%20shop%20nirvana%20world%20wide%20what%20is%20the%20message%20that%20Barbie%20has%20been%20delivering%20to%20the%20future%20women%20of%20the%20world%20about%20womanhood%20or%20more%20exactly%20a%20woman%27s%20body%20image%3F%20" title="del.icio.us"><img src="http://www.dreambodynow.com/wp-content/plugins/sociable/images/services-sprite.gif" title="del.icio.us" alt="del.icio.us" style="width: 16px; 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