When I was young, I had Barbie dolls, but I would always cut off their hair. I never liked having dolls in general, but if I did, I would not want Barbie dolls because of how girly they were and how they all looked the same. I still hate Barbie dolls, and when I was younger, they all were white, blond, skinny, and had blue eyes while I had dark hair and small almond dark eyes. It made me feel bad and this is the reason I never wanted to have them. 

   While I was growing up, Barbie dolls affected my image and self-esteem. Seeing all the perfect dolls with blond hair and slim bodies had me conflicted. I hated how the only dolls I would see around looked nothing like me. I thought that it was normal when I was younger, but as I grew older, I realized how much that affected me and so many other kids.  

Improvements and Change 

   If I could improve or change anything about Barbies it would be how they dress, and make Barbies more inclusive of different races, cultures, and ethnicities. It would be nice if young people from diverse backgrounds could buy a doll that really represents them. The Mattel Company  should also add a greater variety of hairstyles that are more modern for children nowadays. However, I can acknowledge that Barbie is trying to change her image. 

     Changing the dolls up after so many years will help kids now, but will not help the kids who grew up with an unrealistic doll. Although I am happy that newer generations get to have an experience of that change, it does not change how misleading and confusing it was for the rest of us.  

Negative Environment for Young Ones 

   The “Barbie Image” created such a negative environment for young people. The unrealistic image that we should have a small waist, be skinny and fit—it was something I never understood. Society normalized the Barbie image, but that was not seen negatively. That caused a lot of kids to have eating disorders or issues with their own body. 

Controversy 

   The controversies around Barbies have been going on for 63 years according to an article titled “How the Controversial Barbie Made a Comeback” posted on the website for CNBC <https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/24/how-mattels-barbie-brand-is-competing-with-hasbro-and-bandai-namco.html >. The major controversy that went around was about how the dolls caused kids to have eating disorders and self-esteem issues as a child, compared to other kids who never played with the dolls. It was controversial because the only Barbie dolls that were around were skinny and blond and that was not something that was realistic for children. 

5 Facts you didn’t know about Barbie

Her birthday is March 9, 1959.

She was inspired by paper dolls.

 She was modeled after a risqué German doll.

Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Barbie and Ken were named after siblings.

Source: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g2530/barbie-dolls-history-facts/?slide=5