A new line of Mattel’s Barbie dolls has some parents outraged.
The new “Back to Basics” line features dolls in cocktail attire: short skirts, low-cut tops and high heels, but one doll in particular has parents wary of the classic icon. And they may have cause for concern.
Meet the “Back to Basics” #10 doll, a striking African-American doll in that ever-chic little black dress who, some parents worry, bares a little too much skin in the name of fashion. The doll’s plunging neck line reveals a noticeably larger breast size, one that’s too much of a mind-twist for little girls, parents say.
“I don’t want [my daughter] to think she has to be this, you know, busty Barbie who’s constantly wearing heels and these low-cut shirts,” a Minnesota mom told NBC’s WPTV. “And that’s really the image I think a doll that you’re going to buy for a child is portraying.”
Barbie, who’s faced plenty of concerns over her … er … assets through the years, went through a re-imaging in 1998, when Mattel announced they would create more realistic doll, “Really Rad Barbie” whose waist was larger and bust was smaller. This came after years of the typical Barbie doll, who, according to The New York Times, is 11.5 inches, which, at a 1/6 scale, would make her 5 feet 9 inches tall with a 36-in. bust, 18-in. waist, and 33-in. hips.
The Times goes on to report on a study by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, that says because of Barbie’s completely unrealistic body size, she would lack the 17% to 22% body fat required for a woman to menstruate.
It can really make you wonder: Are we handing our kids dolls — or complexes?