With so many people struggling with eating disorders, I think it's more important than ever to determine what's causing people to go to such extremes. Even celebrities such as Kesha have admitted to going to rehab for an eating disorder. For years, I've listened to people argue over various potential causes for women having low self-esteem and poor body image. It wasn't until I saw a picture of a Barbie doll next to a new "Lammily" doll that I realized just how unrealistic Barbie looks.
When I was a little girl, I grew up playing with Barbie dolls. I had a box full of them. I named them all and made up life stories for each of them. When I hit my early teen years, my interest shifted from Barbies to boys and from playing outside to putting on make-up. Being skinny, wearing trendy clothes and styling my hair became more important the older I got. Over the years I have realized that I was simply buying into what today's society wants us to consider beautiful.
This week I read an article about Pittsburg artist Nickolay Lamm's new doll ," which is a realistically proportioned version of a Barbie doll. Lamm designed the doll last year based on measurements of the average 19-year-old American female, which he acquired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The "Normal Barbie," as he has referred to it, is shorter with more realistic proportions and flat feet instead of feet ready for high heels.
is made to promote realistic beauty standards," said Lamm. "If women with typical proportions are beautiful, it should be simple to make a doll with typical proportions as well."
Lamm recently launched a crowdfunding site to raise money. His goal is to create 5,000 more "Lammily" dolls, also based on a realistic image of the female body. For a $20 donation, anyone can receive a "Lammily" doll. Donations will help Lamm to produce more dolls with added ethnic and body shape diversity.
I'm not telling people to donate to him or to throw away their kids' Barbies and buy a "Lammily" instead. I'm also not saying that Barbies are the source of all cases of negative body image. What I would like to point out is that Lamm and his doll make an excellent point. There is real beauty in every shape and size, and no woman should feel that she has to be unnaturally skinny in order to be considered beautiful.
I believe true beauty comes from within, but even with this belief I find myself staring in the mirror, telling myself that I could lose a few pounds, making sure I'm wearing cute clothes and make-up nearly every day. However, the reality of the situation is that I'm pretty much the same proportion as Lamm's realistically-proportioned doll. I think most women fall into the "average woman" category, and average or not, we are all beautiful. It's time to start teaching little girls that they are beautiful.