Is Barbie too skinny to be a good role model?
Barbie was fashioned after her maker, who was naturally thin. HOWEVER, these days she’s more of a fantasy escape for girls than a role model. Back in the days she was more of a role model because she would empower girls to challenge male dominant career roles, like astronaut, doctor, cop, etc. But these days, that is a given. So, Barbie is more of an escape into fantasy and unfotunately, fashion and trends. There are the obious fantasy ones: fairies, mermaids, etc. As for the more sassy dolls, it is up to the parents to make sure that their kids don’t take what the doll prtrays at face value… it happens when parents work too much and don’t devote enough one on one or play time with their children. There is no one to explain what they are exposed to, so they get the wrong idea, these days it happens to be about physical appearances and media role models. So… technically Barbie CAN be a “good” role model (she has more diverse friends that in the past) but it’s best to play along with
