The battle over whether Barbie is bad for girls self-image got heated on  Monday, Fast Company published an interview with a lead Mattel designer who led a vigorous defense of Barbie’s impossible  and much-maligned  proportions.   Kim Culmone, VP of Design at Mattel  explained why the company still produces a doll with measurements that if real, would result in a woman with half a liver who could only walking on all fours.  “Barbie’s body was never designed to be realistic. She was designed for girls to easily dress and undress.” That justification for Barbie’s outrageous silhouette falls flat with experts in child psychology and female body image.  Those pointy feet might be easier to slip into those tight pants, “But those boobs…” said Dr. Sharon Lamb, chair of University of Massachusetts Boston’s School of Psychology. “I don’t think Barbie’s breasts were designed to help Barbie’s clothes go easily on.”  And what about the accusations that Barbie’s unrealistic cinches and curves  contribute to young girls’ unhealthy body image?  According to Mattel’s Culmone, Barbie is not the problem:  “Girls view the world completely differently than grown-ups do. They don’t come at it with the same angles and baggage and all that stuff that we do. Clearly, the influences for girls on those types of issues, whether it’s body image or anything else, it’s proven, it’s peers, moms, parents, it’s their social circles.” Mattel has some scientific support for that view. In a  USA Today article,  Dr. Leslie Sim, clinical director of Mayo Clinic’s eating disorders program and a child psychologist, also pointed the finger not at Barbie’s or the media, but moms: “Moms are probably the most important influence on a daughter’s body image. Even if a mom says to the daughter, ‘You look so beautiful, but I’m so fat,’ it can be detrimental,” she said. But other experts disagree.   Dr. Deborah Tolman, professor of psychology and social welfare at City University of New York says that there is a large and growing body of literature that shows the negative impact these toys have on developing children. A 2006 University of … Continue reading Barbie Lead Designer Blames Moms, Not Doll’s Crazy Proportions, for Girls’ Body Issues