Her name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, or Barbie for short. Her life-size measurements would make her 5’9 and 110 pounds with an unreal figure. However, that is the thing: she is not real, and she never will be. Barbie is a doll, and nothing more.

Head to Toys R Us and you will find a Barbie in almost any job occupation imaginable. She has had more than 130 careers, including lives as an elementary teacher, a McDonald’s cashier, a lawyer, a doctor, a CEO, an astronaut and yes, even a rapper (although her rapper name is not Lil Barbz, which is an opportunity lost). Not only does she have expertise in a wide range of jobs, but Ken has never put a ring on it; Barbie is an independent woman.

Mattel, the company that produces Barbie, has stated that they produce Barbies for a targeted age range of six to nine year olds. Though I cannot speak for everyone, I know that when I was seven I was not looking at my Barbie’s body and thinking, “Wow, I wish my boobs were as big as hers”. Barbie is not to be looked at as something that will cause body image issues, but as something a young girl can use as a creative outlet.
The misconception with Barbie is that she was created to be a mold for ‘beauty’ and that she influences young girls, despite the fact that everyone's perception of beauty is different. Over the years Mattel has worked to expand Barbies looks to make the doll pleasing to many different people. In 1980 the first African-American Barbie doll was produced, and since then there have been over 2,000 different types of Barbies made that represent 45 different nationalities. She shows young girls that other people are just as important as they are, and gives them some perspective into cultures around the world.

Barbie has been a best-selling doll for over 50 years and is sold in more than 150 countries. In 1964 “Barbie Goes to College” was introduced, during a time period when it was very unusual for women to attend college. There has been a military series of Barbies, a Summit-attending Barbie introduced in 1980 to commemorate the end of the Cold War, a Barbie in a wheelchair, and even a presidential candidate in 1992 and 2000, something a real life woman had never even done at that point in history.

The motto for Barbie in the 80’s and 90’s was “We girls can do anything, right?” and since the early 2000’s has been adapted into “Be who you wanna be, Barbie,” demonstrating that she is all for girl power, self confidence and a passion for what you love. She gives young children the opportunity to experiment with different atmospheres and develop their interests. Barbie does not want girls to be anything but themselves. She is a spokeswoman for trying new things and taking challenges.

As for the fantasy Barbie movies such as Barbie and the Magic Pegasus, a fantasy world is an important part of a child’s life. With fantasy, children are able to explore and increase their imagination which only betters them. Mattel makes these movies for entertainment purposes, not so kids will think that the only thing they can do in life is ride around on a flying mythical creature.

I find it odd that feminists tear Barbie down for exactly what they supposedly believe women should not be judged for: her body. Feminists are going against everything they believe in when they scrutinize Barbie. Sure, her size measurements could be expanded, but that is not the point of the doll.

According to CNSNews.com, a feminist group protested the opening of a life-sized Barbie dream house in Berlin by chanting and holding a charred cross with a burning Barbie attached to it. Some protesters even went as far as to take off their shirts to reveal slogans such as “Life in plastic is not fantastic.”

Feminists should not be fighting against Barbie, they should be all for her. She promotes a positive message for women and is nothing less than an inspiration to young children. Feminists need to put it in perspective. Barbie is not here to tell anyone that they are fat and needs to lose weight. 

Barbie did not even have a belly button until 2000, and she has been around since 1959. She is not meant to be a figure that kids should look at and decide that they want to mirror her image. The idea of Barbie has been put in a negative light, but when it comes down to it, she is a doll. She is not meant to shrink the self confidence of young girls, and if she does, then the problem does not lie with Barbie but in the psyche of these girls who live in a material world.

Barbie was not created to be a standard for beauty, but to set a standard that girls can grow up to be whatever they want to be and even wear designer clothes while they do it.