Barbies: the doll that almost every girl desired growing up.
Tall, blonde and everything girls all around the world aspire to look like. But
what if a different race, and image of the iconic Barbie doll could actually
help young girls to feel acceptance?
In her article titled, “My First Black Barbie: Transforming
the Image”, Sharon Raynor writes how receiving the first black Barbie doll,
actually made her feel special and good about who she was as a person. Growing
up Raynor was filled with melancholy because when it came to “the Black
standard of beauty (she) did not meet the criteria” (179-180). As an effect,
she often felt like an “ugly duckling” (179).
On Christmas Day in the mid 1980s, Raynor received her most
prized possession, a black Barbie doll. Overcome with joy, Raynor soon realized
that this doll represented more than just being a new toy. “My first black
Barbie blurred the lines between race, class, and gender because it became a
symbol of acceptance, identity, and power”. She went on to discover that
because of this doll that resembled her, she was able to become more “creative,
imaginative, and innovative” (181).
In TIME magazines article, “The New Barbie: Meet the Doll
with an Average Woman’s Proportions”, Laura Stampler discusses the creation of
the new doll known as Lammily.
Nick Lamm, the creator of Lammily, designed the new doll in
the efforts of shining a light on “average” bodies of women everywhere. By
promoting a doll with minimal makeup, measurements of the average 19 year old
body, as well as a healthy lifestyle, the Lammily line advocates that “Average
is beautiful” (Stampler 3).
Sharon Raynor stated, “female attributes affect how we are
in the world-how we see ourselves, how we act, how we interact with others-and
how we are perceived by others, in turn, affect how we are” (181). By having
companies advance their work in the production of average, relatable dolls,
people everywhere can influence and encourage young girls around the world to
love and respect themselves.
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