barbie versus you

There are 3 billion women who don’t look like supermodels and only 8 who do.

When we are young girls, we are given our first Barbie doll. I still remember mine – a blonde, tall, skinny, smiling prodigy who never once frowned. In my tiny eyes, she was perfect. I would have given up everything to be like her. And, 15 years later, girls are still brought up with the same dolls and the same dreams that can never be fulfilled.

Two Barbie dolls are sold every second worldwide so how can they get away with making her such a bad role-model?

Barbie brought out a ‘Slumber Party Barbie’ in 1965 with a scale that permanently read 110 pounds and had a manual titled ‘How to lose weight’ with instructions telling innocent and gullible young girls, ‘Don’t Eat’.

It’s sad that girls grow up fixated on body image because their dolls come with disturbing messages and promote such disproportionate figures. If Barbie were real, she wouldn’t be able to stand up or menstruate due to her thin waist and huge chest.

Nothing about Barbie seems perfect to me anymore.

An extreme focus on body image seems like it should be a thing of the past, so why haven’t we grown up yet and realised there are people inside the bodies?

The truth is that girls worry about their bodies no matter how beautiful they are. I’m sure even Angelina Jolie hates her lips and Beyonce thinks she has an ugly bum. I’m sure they get pimples and bad hair days, too. Everyone feels the same, but I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse.

I don’t want to blame Barbie, the media, the touch ups, or the celery diet. But there are  so many flawless, underweight role-models shoved in our face and it’s too easy to forget they are slathered in airbrushed clarity. We see our blemished bodies and it hurts; our hearts and minds and dreams are often  sadly overlooked.

I remember when I was the girl slapping my school shoes on the asphalt in pursuit of that boy. I stared helplessly at him from the other side of the room, caught in a trap of insecurities and feeling the first pangs of teenage ‘love’. I would have done anything for him. But I’m stronger now. I don’t want to change for others.

I saw that guy the other day. I hadn’t washed my hair in days, was wearing my boyfriend’s worst clothes that were far too big; and I got caught in a pathetic small talk conversation. Yet, after four years, I didn’t care anymore. He wasn’t that cool, attractive or perfect. He’s just a boy.

They’re all just boys.

I’ve almost given up on trying now. Fashion to me is white tees from Target and cool stuff I find at Op Shops. I guess I just got sick of failing to look the best. I still drool over designer t-shirts and beautiful dresses, but I never know what’s in fashion and I still have no idea how to put makeup on properly. Yet I somehow manage to still have a loving boyfriend who tells me I’m the one and who looks at me like I’m pretty.

So maybe I am? Maybe we’re all more beautiful than we believe.

I recently stumbled across the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, which is something I think is amazing but am sad that it has to exist. It’s a site where all kinds of beauty are promoted and they aim to educate the youth about true beauty. They prove that beautiful women come in all shapes, sizes and colours and raise money to support those who are dealing with insecurities.

Yet it makes me wonder when the tall, blonde, tanned, size 8 figure started becoming our comparison for perfection? Is it all to do with that girl named Barbie? It’s not such a bad thing that you weren’t born like Barbie, though. At least there aren’t 10,000 other replicas of you that came out of the same production line. And at least you don’t have to buy your own friends.

I know this article won’t change the world. It may only serve a tiny function, if any. Negative body image and self-esteem is an issue that will always be embedded in us. A few kind words here and there won’t cure us; reassuring will only make us smile for a little while. But we have to remember: being yourself can never be underestimated.