Barbies Can Make Girls Dislike Their Bodies, Study Finds

New research has reinforced the theory that dolls who have unrealistically thin bodies can cause young girls to have body image issues.

The dual study, published on ScienceDirect, used girls ages 6 to 8 as its subjects. In one group, the girls played with either skinny Barbie dolls or fuller-figured Tracy dolls. Regardless of whether the dolls were dressed in swimsuits or more modest clothing, the girls who played with the Barbies showed a higher dissatisfaction in their own bodies, whereas the girls who played with the curvier dolls experienced more body positivity.

For safe measure, researchers had a second group of girls play with unfamiliar dolls (read: not Barbie or Tracy) that had either thin and full figures, and wore either skimpy or conservative outfits. Again, the children were more likely to feel insecure about their own bodies when they played with the super-skinny dolls. Writing in the journal Body Image, Kathleen Keller, a nutrition and food scientist at Pennsylvania State University, said: “In each experimental group, girls desired a body shape that corresponded to the doll with which they played, suggesting that playtime may create a context in which the dolls represent a culturally accepted body shape.”

Keller added that playing with dolls that are exceedingly thin could even lead to eating disorders. ‘The findings not only contribute to a growing literature on the impact of exposure to thin images on the development of disordered eating in, but also they highlight previously unaddressed concerns related to playing with full-figure dolls,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.

Though the news is disheartening, it should come as no surprise to those who’ve been following the evolution of Barbie, whose original measurements are so exaggerated that if she were a real person, she’d be forced to walk on all fours and wouldn’t even be able to hold her head up, according to scientists. In response to popular demand for a healthier role model for young girls to play with, parent company Mattel announced earlier this year that it was giving Barbie a makeover after 57 years to reflect more diverse (and realistic) body types.

The three “new” Barbies — who joined their pin-thin predecessor on store shelves — represent petite, tall, and curvy shapes. In addition, they represent seven skin tones, 22 eye colors, and 24 hairstyles and hair colors, giving their diverse audience of girls more attainable standards of beauty and dolls they can actually relate to. “Playing with full-figure dolls that more accurately depict the size of an average woman, which is a size 14, may allow children to be more comfortable with their bodies, resulting in a healthy relationship between actual and ideal body size,” said Dr. Keller and her research team, according to the Daily Mail.

At the time of all these changes, spokeswoman Michelle Chidoni said that the brand wanted “the product line to be a better reflection of what girls see in the world around them.” While the company is moving in a more body-positive direction, many consumers feel there’s room for more progress. According to the Daily Mail, based on her proportions, the more lifelike Curvy Barbie would have a svelte 25-inch waist, which equals a size 2 in the U.S.

Of course, anyone who’s ever played with a Barbie remembers another not-so-realistic trait on the iconic doll’s body: the overly arched (and tiny) feet that could only fit into stiletto shoes. While it’s possible to live in a dream house and even drive a Porsche in such fancy footwear, Barbie — like many modern women — has taken on demanding careers in recent years, including game developer, registered nurse, police officer, and CEO, all of which require much hustling…and often, more comfortable shoes. In response, Mattel also flattened Barbie’s feet.

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