Barbies are one of the most well-known children’s toys, especially for young girls. I myself remember playing with Barbies when I was little, and my sister enjoys them. This toy, as a whole, has changed drastically from years ago. It used to be the basis for women’s body expectations. I look at Barbies from maybe when my mom was little vs. the Barbie’s I grew up with vs. the Barbie’s my six-year-old sister is growing up with, and it’s very different. When my mom was little, the popular Barbie was a white skin tone with blond hair, blue eyes, and a perfect figure vs. the Barbies I had, which were different skin tones and hair colors but still that “perfect” hourglass shape vs. what you see on the shelves today. The trademark Barbie shape is still prevalent, but there are Barbie’s with different figures, which I feel is important.

I think it’s essential for young girls to know that they are perfect the way they are. The saying I live by is, “If you/they can’t change it in five minutes, don’t criticize yourself for it and don’t criticize others for it.” I think many women get criticized for their shape way too often by the media, their family, even their peers, and it’s just not right. Either they are too big, too skinny; they overeat, they eat too little, etc. Women shouldn’t have to look like a children’s toy to be considered beautiful. Times have changed in the past several years, and I see people being much more accepting, but I still find it strange that others think diversity is a bad thing. I think it’s important to accept people for who they are. I want to tell people out there who might be going through something like this; you are exactly who you’re supposed to be at this moment in time. Sometimes people have different opinions on things, and that’s ok but there’s no reason to make someone feel worthless because of it. Barbies are just a simplistic example of someone’s opinion of what is beautiful.