Changing The Barbie


“You look as far back as Greek statues and paintings and see that, it’s part of a woman’s fantasy nature. The question is: When does that because destructive?” questions Katie Ford, chief officer of Ford Models, about the negative image some models are imposing on the public (Hellmich). Many others and I are asking the same question. Today, only about 9% of women are happy with their bodies (11 Facts). This number of women is way too low. Every girl should feel happy and confident with her body. New standards for body image are needed. We needed to band extremely thin models and regulate the use of Photoshop in ads. Very skinny models and Photoshop give people the false impressing that being skinny makes someone “sexy”, someone can make them self more “sexy” by disrupting their eating, and that if someone don’t look like a model they are below average and not beautiful. Models are too big of influences; they cannot be giving a bad image to the women and young girls of the world.

Barbie is an iconic symbol of beauty and perfection in America. She is seemingly flawless. Just like her, models project the same image to the public. Girls around America see ads with beautiful models every day, of course they get envious and are influenced! As the chic models strut down the runway in luxurious gowns and outfits, most girls don’t pay attention to the clothes so much as the model wearing them. With long legs, high cheekbones, wide eyes, and very skinny bodies many girls can’t help but to compare themselves to these goddesses (Hellmich). It is just part of our nature. Women diet, wear makeup, and have operations just so they can look just a little bit more like these women. Nada Stotland, a psych professor at Rush Medical College in Chicago, states, “Because many models and actresses are so thin, it makes anorexics think their bodies are normal. But these people look scary. They don’t look normal.” (Hellmich) Overly skinny models give women the idea that skinny is normal and that if they are even a little above that range they aren’t normal. When I see beautiful models on TV, all I think is that they are so confident and gorgeous and that I can only feel that way if I look like them. Confidence is the key to being sexy, not a body type.

Women make drastic decisions to try to get their “ideal” body figure but the most drastic is when girls go as far as to severely disturb their eating habits. These disturbances are called eating disorders. Two examples are Anorexia and Bulimia (Hellmich). Self-confidence is directly linked to eating disorders (Hellmich). When a girl sees a skinny model in a magazine with flawless skin and a glowing tan they might feel a little self-conscious because they might not look that way. When I see those ads I always start to compare my self. I might think, “Wow I wish I had her nose…” or “Why doesn’t my skin look like that?” The truth is that most of the things that I see in magazines, like the perfect tan or the gorgeous eyes, is Photo shopped. Many people don’t realize that the tan is sprayed on, the eyes are colored, or that the little nose was altered to make them “prettier” and to get peoples’ attention. I have a problem with this because when some girls see them all they think about is, “Why can’t I look like that.” or “I wish I could be perfect and skinny like her.” After thinking this their self-confidence drops. When it drops the person is more likely to make radical decisions like becoming Anorexic or Bulimic. (Hellmich) Once someone does “binge and purge” they can get addicted to the feeling and start to have mal-nutrition and could lead to very serious outcomes. Girls just have to remember that those people are fictional, no body is perfect, and that people come in all different shapes and sizes and that no matter what they are unique and special.


Models are the freaks of nature. They are born mutants with long legs and special qualities that make them different (Hellmich). Only 5% of people are born with this “ideal” body image the media has advertised (11 Facts). We are all born different. Are differences are what makes us special. I think that the media is trying to make us believe that people have to look like a Barbie doll to be pretty. They use Photoshop to shrink, define, enhance, and extenuate parts of people to make them all have a similar look. The problem is that when people all look the same there is no real beauty. I think that physical beauty is based off of our differences (like a gap in our teeth, a strange nose, or freckles) not what makes us the same. One of the first models to model the twig thin look was Twiggy in the 1960’s (Hillmich). Her look was so bold and different among her colleges with a more filled and curvy form. Now her look has become so normal that it isn’t fashion anymore. So if people want to be and feel beautiful, all they have to do is be them-selves. The most memorable models aren’t just the skinny ones but the ones that are so different people can’t forget them.

Overly thin models and Photoshop should band from the media. When I say this I’m not expecting it to happen in a day but I do have two solutions. I think that if a person would like to model they must have a certain height to weight ratio that makes them look healthy but also suits the “need” for thinner models. Also, since Photoshop is considered an art form and is used to express creativity, we shouldn’t get rid of all Photoshop. In France they have laws saying that if an ad is put out where the model is photo shopped they must write, “Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person’s physical appearance.” (Diller) This lets the viewers know that the photograph and person are not naturally that way. This would inform the public of changes and alterations. Body image has become a huge problem in America. To change this we have to change our media. We need to change the standards we are given we have to change the Barbie.