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Your Opinion on Plus Size Barbie

What do you think of plus-size barbie?


  • Total voters
    48

Peter Grimm

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There is currently a debate raging over at the Huffington Post whether Mattel should make a plus-size Barbie doll for children.

On the one hand, people are arguing that the original (skinny) Barbie promotes an unhealthy body image, and that little girls should have more realistic dolls to play with.

On the other hand, people are arguing that the plus-size Barbie promotes unhealthy eating habits, and they are saying it's political correctness gone wild.

Then, of course, you have the middle-of-the-roaders, who think they should make a Barbie somewhat in between the two dolls shown below.

What do you think?

fatbarbie.jpg
 
I think this rates about 3456th on my list of things to worry about

right behind whether I prefer to have my car windshield hit green gnats or black ones when driving at night in the summer.
 
Should I ever have kids, videogames will probably have completly replaced toys by then.
 
I think we had a poll on that last year.

I couldn't remember which ones did the cleaning fluid in my car work better on-that was what I based my decision on
 
There is currently a debate raging over at the Huffington Post whether Mattel should make a plus-size Barbie doll for children.

On the one hand, people are arguing that the original (skinny) Barbie promotes an unhealthy body image, and that little girls should have more realistic dolls to play with.

On the other hand, people are arguing that the plus-size Barbie promotes unhealthy eating habits, and they are saying it's political correctness gone wild.

Then, of course, you have the middle-of-the-roaders, who think they should make a Barbie somewhat in between the two dolls shown below.

What do you think?

View attachment 67158892

I don't really understand this. In the end isn't it just a doll? Do people get up in arms because every boy can't be a G.I. Joe? There must be a better medium for this displaced anger and frustration.

Mattel should make any kind of doll or toy it wants as long as it's safe for kids to play with. If they just casually released this doll would Mattel actually be better off for it? I honestly don't think they would be.

I will say though that I don't think that the double chin on the heavier set Barbie was put there in good taste.
 
I think this rates about 3456th on my list of things to worry about

right behind whether I prefer to have my car windshield hit green gnats or black ones when driving at night in the summer.

Didn't give any Barbie dolls away for Christmas, huh?
 
I think we had a poll on that last year.

Probably. The debate over whether Barbie is good for little girls isn't new, but it isn't settled yet either. Mattel continues to make the doll, and each Christmas, millions of them are given as gifts to little girls all over the world.
 
If I had to choose, it would be the skinny one. If there is a need for a new Barbie, make it average size, rather than fat. Imo, it's not any "healthier" to suggest to girls that they should be thin, than to suggest that fat is a good idea.
 
I don't really understand this. In the end isn't it just a doll? Do people get up in arms because every boy can't be a G.I. Joe? There must be a better medium for this displaced anger and frustration.

Mattel should make any kind of doll or toy it wants as long as it's safe for kids to play with. If they just casually released this doll would Mattel actually be better off for it? I honestly don't think they would be.

I will say though that I don't think that the double chin on the heavier set Barbie was put there in good taste.

Actually, many parents don't like GI Joe because it supposedly promotes violence. I couldn't have a toy gun as a kid. Of course, I grew up in Sweden, and over there you would never see militaristic toys like GI Joe.

I just had lots of cars and trains, and legos.
 
There is currently a debate raging over at the Huffington Post whether Mattel should make a plus-size Barbie doll for children.

On the one hand, people are arguing that the original (skinny) Barbie promotes an unhealthy body image, and that little girls should have more realistic dolls to play with.

On the other hand, people are arguing that the plus-size Barbie promotes unhealthy eating habits, and they are saying it's political correctness gone wild.

Then, of course, you have the middle-of-the-roaders, who think they should make a Barbie somewhat in between the two dolls shown below.

What do you think?

View attachment 67158892

I say leave Barbie alone. I just can't see the fat Barbie selling. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to test market it.
 
Actually, many parents don't like GI Joe because it supposedly promotes violence. I couldn't have a toy gun as a kid. Of course, I grew up in Sweden, and over there you would never see military toys.

I just had lots of cars and trains, and legos.

Are you kidding me, right? I was brought up on guns and cowboys and Indians on TV once we got a TV. Oh Sweden, okay that explains it.
 
Didn't give any Barbie dolls away for Christmas, huh?

never have. I have four nieces though they are 13-19. we gave them each really high quality Christmas ornaments and the two local ones (the other two live in Manhattan) were at a dinner tonight with their maternal aunt and her husband. I brought a bag full of folding knives and flashlights for them and their cousins and let them pick. some wanted flashlights and some wanted knives (and it wasn't based on gender)

when the nieces were younger we tended to give them educational games or books
 
Will there also be an anorexic barbie?
 
There is currently a debate raging over at the Huffington Post whether Mattel should make a plus-size Barbie doll for children.

On the one hand, people are arguing that the original (skinny) Barbie promotes an unhealthy body image, and that little girls should have more realistic dolls to play with.

On the other hand, people are arguing that the plus-size Barbie promotes unhealthy eating habits, and they are saying it's political correctness gone wild.

Then, of course, you have the middle-of-the-roaders, who think they should make a Barbie somewhat in between the two dolls shown below.

What do you think?

View attachment 67158892

:lamo

Yea... I'm frankly not convinced that a debate this intrinsically silly even warrants consideration.

Anyone who would seriously consider promoting obesity simply to ensure that young girls' feelings aren't hurt by overly skinny bits of anthropomorphic plastic clearly has a screw loose.
 
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Actually, many parents don't like GI Joe because it supposedly promotes violence. I couldn't have a toy gun as a kid. Of course, I grew up in Sweden, and over there you would never see militaristic toys like GI Joe.

I just had lots of cars and trains, and legos.

That makes a lot of sense. Though in America the military is very celebrated, and I would assume people don't have a necessarily bad impression of G.I. Joe.

Would you say the Barbie issue is one of international or of just American significance?
 
Gee, this sounds like a great idea.

So they're suggesting that we go from encouraging girls to be anorexic, to encouraging girls to be obese?

What the hell is wrong with people?

Make a normal ****ing Barbie. Or just make her so crazily disproportionate that no one can complain, a la Bratz with the gigantic head.
 
There is currently a debate raging over at the Huffington Post whether Mattel should make a plus-size Barbie doll for children.

On the one hand, people are arguing that the original (skinny) Barbie promotes an unhealthy body image, and that little girls should have more realistic dolls to play with.

On the other hand, people are arguing that the plus-size Barbie promotes unhealthy eating habits, and they are saying it's political correctness gone wild.

Then, of course, you have the middle-of-the-roaders, who think they should make a Barbie somewhat in between the two dolls shown below.

What do you think?

View attachment 67158892

Both are modeled after extremely unattractive women in my opinion....

On a side note, I've never really understood why the debate about weight is centered around self worth. Be happy with who you are, but clean up your diet (incase anyone is wondering, eating lots of lean protein is the way to go) and hit the gym. Your blood sugar, heart, lungs, arteries, back, and brain will thank you for it. And I guess the attractiveness is an extra plus, but being healthy is far more important.
 
I really don't care what they make, parents ought to decide what they want to buy for their children and leave it at that. If there are enough people that want a plus-size Barbie or a normal-body Barbie, Mattel or another company will make one and that will be that. If kids are being influenced by their dolls, there's some really bad parenting going on that's more important to fix.
 
Will there also be an anorexic barbie?

that will be the marketing strategy when there is an oil shortage again since the plastic those toys are made out of will increase in cost

they will be known as the Hunger Dames
 
Probably. The debate over whether Barbie is good for little girls isn't new, but it isn't settled yet either. Mattel continues to make the doll, and each Christmas, millions of them are given as gifts to little girls all over the world.

And in the end, it is those millons that get purchased each year that matter to Mattell. Barbie is one of the the most successful toys ever, and if other variations sold as well they woud be produced. Some are, and some have been tried and failed.
 
Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia:

People are debating this:

jihad_barbie1.jpg
 
If I had to choose, it would be the skinny one. If there is a need for a new Barbie, make it average size, rather than fat. Imo, it's not any "healthier" to suggest to girls that they should be thin, than to suggest that fat is a good idea.

This. The fat one is probably less healthy, but the skinny one is unhealthy enough. And it is harmful to teach impressionable girls (and boys for that matter) that Barbie is the ideal. Do an average, realistic Barbie.
 
Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia:

People are debating this:

jihad_barbie1.jpg

Nonsense!!

if she was truly a jihadist she wouldn't be in a miniskirt with a bare midriff and no veil on her face:mrgreen:
 
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