Ever since the introduction of Barbie in 1959, these dolls have even become the favorite gift of most girls. Barbie has served as a companion, provided comfort and stability during hard times, nurtured friendships, promoted active imagination, and has become a huge part of many girls' childhood and development, socially and personally. Needless to say, Barbie has become extremely popular and valuable worldwide, holding a special place in children's hearts. However, the effects of Barbie's influence on children, and girls' self-image, specifically, are far from harmless. Barbie has negatively influenced millions of females worldwide- lowering self-confidence, destroying ideals of healthy and realistic body image, and making girls unsatisfied with less than perfect expectations for material possessions and circumstances in life. .
Barbies were crafted to have bodies that society has deemed to be flawless and ideal, without realizing the tragic toll it would have on innocent children. When girls open their new Barbie doll box, it is an experience like no other. They are opening a box that contains their new and impeccable best friend. Girls take her out and present her to the world while stroking her thick and lustrous blonde hair, holding her tiny and sculpted frame in their defenseless little hands. In their hands they hold an image that tells them, "You are already not good enough". Barbie inevitably becomes a vision of perfection to them, a personification of all that is desirable and expected in society, today. Children learn unhealthy mainstream attitudes towards weight and inadequacies at a very young age because they are heavily influenced by society's appeals, not yet understanding what it means to be independent and comfortable in their own skin. Eliana Dockterman, a writer for Time magazine, states that, "early exposure to dolls epitomizing an unrealistically thin body ideal that may damage girls' body image, would contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating and weight cycling.
