There is an unrealistic perception of beauty held by modern society. The bar has been set at an almost unachievable level by models, celebrities and Barbie. This piece of plastic with luxurious golden hair has set the example that to be pretty you must be tall, weigh 54kg, have an eighteen-inch waist, hourglass figure and thigh gap. If Barbie was to take a step out of her plastic shell she would barely function as a human. A 209 study led to the discovery Barbie would be roaming around on all fours as her small body would not carry the weight of her perfectly formed head. Barbie would be starving herself every day. This coincides with the message portrayed by the 965 Slumber Party Barbie who came equipped with a diet book screaming, DONT EAT on the front. This message is what generations grew up believing, this could explain why those in the spotlight like Lilly Collins have suffered an eating disorder. Barbie is one piece of a large puzzle where the current definition of beauty comes from today.
Children arent born with self-doubt, but influenced by things around them as they grow up. It is alarming the number of children who think the only way to attain Barbies perfect appearance is by starving themselves. For example, three Barbies are sold every second making two hundred and fifty
-nine thousand sold each day and millions every year, making many happy children being influenced by the popular fashionista doll. This forms their understanding of normal, but what is normal? Kids question their own bodies and have done so for many generations. Although the issue of body image is highly diverse, over half of all girls as young as five are already troubled by their appearance and the thought of becoming fat is a thought infecting their young brains. Cases of bulimia in young females tripled in five years between the late 980s and early nineties The number of cases has increased since and the link has to be made to everyday role models. A UK study tested girls reactions to being told a story while observing one of three images. Each child was shown an image of Barbie, Emme (an alternate doll) or a picture not related to dolls. The study found those girls who had observed an image of Barbie emerged feeling less satisfied with their bodies and more in favor of a smaller figure. In spite of this, the Internet is a significant part of society today, not only Barbie can be blamed for this. But we need to question her involvement. Young girls have been proven to compare themselves to the plastic doll and this is having an extremely negative impact on their view of the body.