When you look into the mirror are you unhappy about your appearance? Do you feel as if your waist is too large? Your eyes are too small? Your neck is shorter than the norm? Perhaps you were one of the victims of Barbie’s influence when you were younger. And now her unrealistically perfect body has come back to haunt your self-consciousness.

Barbie is not only a toy; she’s a role model and icon to young girls. When children see their doll’s body, they want to mimic it and become self conscious about their physical features. This causes children to diet at young ages and become obsessed with losing weight when they grow up. In fact, this was the reason why the inventor of Barbie created the doll: so that girls could reflect their dreams onto Barbie. The doll also gives unrealistic expectations about how they will look when they grow up. This exposure can trigger eating-related disorders later on in life.

By the time they reach high school, 1 in 10 students has an eating disorder, potentially causing negative physical or emotional change (www.rehab.com.) For example, British eight year old Dana refused to eat more than 175 calories per day- a little more than a bag of Doritos- and had to be force fed intravenously. And she’s not the only one. Hundreds of five- to- ten-year-olds have been forced into eating disorder treatments.

Children are not the only faces of society that look up to the doll. Many women try to look like a “real-life Barbie” by using plastic surgery to change their bodies. According to Forbes Magazine, in 2006 alone, Americans spent $11.5 billion on cosmetic procedures, which was a 46% increase from 2000. One example is Valeria Lukyanova, “The Human Barbie Doll.” She is currently trying to convert to the breatharianism diet, an idea that one can survive only on air and light. This is a form of fasting, and many people have already died using this diet of self- starvation. Another example is Heidi Montag, television personality, singer, and fashion designer. She underwent over ten plastic surgeries by the time she was 23 to mimic Barbie’s body. Montag stated this in her reality television show, The Hills. Unlike contrary belief, there are risks to these procedures. According to Forbes Magazine, cosmetic procedures can result in blood clots, pneumonia, infections (which could require additional surgery,) scarring, skin breakdown, excessive bleeding, tissue death, seroma -a collection of watery body fluids, and even death. In fact, Kanye West, hip-hop recorder and songwriter lost his mother when she went under cardiac arrest due to “complications in surgery.” Trying to achieve the “ultimate Barbie look” is a goal thousands of women desire; not only is it expensive and unhealthy, but it is dangerous.

Even with plastic surgery, it is physically impossible to fully achieve a “Barbie body.” A study published in Times Magazine uncovered how a life-size Barbie would actually look in real human proportions. With a neck six inches thinner and two times as long as the average woman, Barbie would be incapable of lifting her head. Her other body parts would not function either: her wrists would be incapable of lifting items, her feet would not be able to hold up her body weight, and her stomach would only be able to fit half a liver and a few inches of intestine. In fact, the probability of picking a woman with the same waist size as Barbie would be 1 in 2,478,756,621.

Consumers/parents may think that children would not feel pressured by Barbie considering that she is only a doll. However, it is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children that the doll is only a toy. Many children fail to be informed about the importance of health and the fact that Barbie is not real. People of young ages may be pressured by her body shape and other physical characteristics. One example that might influence the children is the “How to Lose Weight” guide featured with several dolls. One of Mattel’s “tips” was to just not eat. Obviously, many girls would be affected by these insensitive recommendations. If their parents were to correctly inform them about their health, this would not bother them as much.

Eating disorders, unnecessary cosmetic changes and diets are unfortunately very common in all of society. However, everyone should feel positive about themselves, no matter what body size they are. In the long run, encouraging Mattel to create more realistic dolls would help the public not have unrealistic body expectations when they are older. This would decrease unhealthy diets and harmful eating disorders. Also, you can help younger generations by replacing their “perfect” Barbies with more realistic dolls, such as Lammily or American Girl Dolls. Both dolls have an average person’s proportions. Encourage the adults in your life to properly inform their children about the importance of keeping a healthy life style. All of these methods can greatly impact the world around you and children would not be misinformed about physical appearances and feel self-conscious after playing with Barbie.