Do Dolls Influence Girl's Self-Image?

PHOTO: thestir.cafemom.com 

This topic fits in well with the series I am working on that addresses girl's self-esteem.

There has been huge debate over Barbie dolls and whether or not they cause an inferior body image in young girls and I'd like to weigh in on this-pun not intended.

Today I came across the article: Artist Creates Barbie with Average Size Body.

First of all I love both of these dolls, but I do question if we really want to encourage our kids-especially our daughters- to be 'average'? I want my daughter to be anything but average. I want her to stand out and excel. With that being said, I think that we are making too big a deal of the doll's influence over our kids brains, thoughts, emotions and body image. We are in charge of shaping a child's attitudes-not the dolls.

We need to keep in mind first, that this doll does not look like a real woman because its not. Its a doll. A toy. Its not supposed to be real. Its supposed to engage the child in creative play, fantasy & spark the imagination.

Secondly, we need to remember that the doll itself, (nor does any toy), has no intrinsic power to influence anyone at all, but as parents, we do. I think we are focused in the wrong direction and missing a huge teaching opportunity. Although our intentions are good, don't you think we do way more damage by bashing the "skinny" Barbie and trying to push a "normal' Barbie? Who is to say and decide what is "normal' anyway? Is this really about our kids well-being or more about the pressure we feel as parents & educators to do what the rest of the herd is doing? Or is it simply about our own body image insecurities? We need to not only ask these questions, but look for the answers.

Think about this: we have gone out of our way to teach our kids to 'include' and 'accept' others as they are...we've ended the 'R' word and put people first; we've raised awareness, and research money for every possible physical defect & learning disability; we've embraced cultural diversity; we've recognized 'bullying' as a National Epidemic and have 'anti-bullying' programs to address it.

Then what do we turn around and do? We judge, bash & essentially bully 'Skinny Barbie' for being 'too thin', 'not normal' and 'imperfect'. Has anyone wondered how confusing a message this must be to kids who have been taught that making fun of someone's appearance is bad?

In our efforts to make a perfectly diverse, safe and politically correct world for our kids, we forget that our own words, attitudes, expectations and most importantly our behavior teaches and influences children & youth more than any inanimate object ever will.

What I'm saying is don't let your own fears project into your child's head, and put a "bad body image" thought there in the first place, where it probably was not until you brought it up. This is a 54 year old toy we are talking about. Girls have played with this toy for decades-and there has been no evidence of any psychological damage because of it. This is an irrational fear that has been placed in us, (because we all want to be good parents) and we need to recognize and overcome it. Give your kids, and your own parenting some credit and stop giving inanimate objects so much power over your child and over your parenting decisions.

The best thing we can do to inoculate our children against poor self-esteem, bad body image, etc. is be there for them-observe them, talk with them, engage with & play with them, and most importantly listen to them. Teach them how to think for themselves, and don't put limiting thoughts into their heads, even if its a fear or concern we have. Teach them how to adapt & overcome outdated paradigms and to see things for what they really are-in this case, a doll.

If you question whether or not this doll (or any toy) is appropriate, then play with your child-use the doll-in-question as a tool- create scenarios in which problems are solved, good values are instilled, and health, acceptance, inclusion, and diversity is embraced. But don't fall into the trap of using a doll-or any toy-as an excuse to perpetuate exclusion based on appearance, just because there is a trend and push for it. By doing this we are reinforcing exactly what we don't want and in addition, teaching children how to conform to a particular way of thinking instead of thinking for themselves. Kids notice when we contradict ourselves, and how on earth can they trust and listen to the advice of someone who sends conflicting messages?

If  you truly feel that this Barbie is damaging to your child's self-image, then why not, instead of insisting they re-design Barbie to look 'real', insist instead that toy companies make dolls of all different shapes and sizes and then ensure your child has one of each? I think this would be a more healthy way to model ways to celebrate all girls-skinny, curvy, and in between, exactly as they are.

I would like to hear from you-especially any licensed psychologists: how do you feel about this issue of body image? Do you think dolls & toys in general have any influence on girl's self-image? Additionally, if you know of any studies that definitively prove that dolls lead to body image problems, please include a link along with your comments below!


Contact: bodylogique@yahoo.com


Read our online newspaper, "Inspire Educator's Daily" here!

.