Thank God I'm Not Barbie

In the next post I will transform your image of Barbie, from a silly, useless, childish toy to something you will never look at in the same way again. If Barbie was a person in real life, she would be 5 foot 9, and weigh 110 pounds. Her body mass index would put her in the category of an anorexic person. Due to her 6 inch ankles and child size 3 shoes, Barbie would have to walk on all fours to get around. With a neck twice as long and 6 inches thinner than the average woman’s, Barbie would be incapable of lifting her head. And worst part, due to the fact that her waist is in fact thinner than her head she would only have room for half a liver and a few inches of intestines, meaning that she would suffer from chronic diarrhea and most likely die from malnutrition, according to The Daily Mail. And yet, this is the woman millions of little girls around the world strive to look like, without realizing that they would be much, much better off with their own bodies. According to DoSomething. Org, 91 percent of women are unhappy with the way they look. The questions we have to ask are what causes this, how negative body image affects people, and how to fix it. In other words, how can we make people happy with the image they see in the mirror?

The average fashion model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman. If a model wears a size 6, she would be considered plus size, despite the fact that half of women wear a size 14 or larger, according to ABC news. These models seem to be all around us, in magazines, commercials, and posters, on TV. These images or ideals rather, of perfection and beauty, are crowding our minds, forcing us to forget the beauty within. As said by model Kate Dillon, it is simply easier to dress a straight line, than it is to dress a curve. In other words, no designer wants to take the time to showcase the average woman, when it would be much easier to convince them that the average woman is not beautiful enough for the runway. And who is guilty for broadcasting these lies: the media. Today, more than half of women in media are portrayed as objects of beauty. In contrast, only 5 percent of women actually fit the body type shown on TV, according to AdMedia. Not only are these body types unhealthy, they are often fake. Models pile on make up and go through severe digital retouching before their image is used. In displaying the societal conception of beauty, the media instead shows our lack of it, forcing women to want to look a certain way, when in reality, that perception may be false and impossible to achieve. The fashion industry, the media, our very own culture are all to blame for this skewed perception of perfection. But ultimately, we are the ones who choose to accept it.

A poor body image, a problem in itself, ultimately causes other issues. Negative body image has been related to depression, eating disorders, poor social skills, low self esteem, unhealthy exercise, dangerous dieting, and even substance abuse. A woman, who doesn’t think she is beautiful, will think of the models on TV as role models, of how she should look. When she tries and fails to achieve the desired but fake look there is no questioning how far she will go to harm herself. While trying to fit the media’s standard of weight; women will often develop eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia. Eating disorders are life threatening and hard to bring to an end. In fact, eating disorders have the highest rate of mortality of any mental disorder according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Diseases. Often a low self esteem and body image results in higher stress levels; leading to further health problems. Due to the depression caused by low self esteem, one may overeat, eventually leading to obesity. Obesity may intensify the depression, which in turn causes even more overeating; therefore creating a vicious cycle that is very hard to break out of. Low esteem can also cause heart problems and damage immunity. People with a poor body image often don’t get the help they desperately need, because in their mind, they are simply not worthy of it.

We still have a long way to go before we decrease negative body image, but fortunately, many have begun the process. One of the most well-known skin care companies, Dove has already started changing the context of its ads to provide a better view of beauty. Spain banned the appearance of underweight models during the Madrid fashion week. Forever 21 launched a new plus size line along with hiring more plus size models. The media and the fashion industry are slowly, but surely, opening their minds about the concept of beauty, and allowing more people to fit its definition. Schools are increasing awareness in their student population, and allowing students to make a difference as well. In every aspect of our lives and our culture, the concept of beauty is changing. But there are still steps to be taken.  We must learn to filter information from the media, and learn to value our opinions more, according to Brown University. We must learn to stop defining our worth with numbers. Our personalities are far more important than our height and weight. We must learn to accept our flaws and enhance our strengths. We must learn that no one on this planet is perfect and that it is okay not to be.We must learn that we cannot change our bodies, but we can change our perception of them, so why not start today?

Anne Rophie once said” A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears.” Perhaps that’s the aspect of Barbie we should teach our children to focus on. Her beautiful, albeit plastic smile. When people look in the mirror that should be the first thing they see. Our happiness should not be weighed down by our body, but instead, lifted up because of it. We must learn to forget society’s definition of beauty, understand the consequences of it, and find the path to a positive body image. So look in the mirror today, accept your body for what it is, and tell yourself you are beautiful. It is clichéd, but you are, you truly are.