I was just debating this topic with my husband last weekend.

It all came from the fact that my baby doesn’t have enough toys or are being kept under control. She is happy, but over the weekend we got her two toys that will help when she gets bored. The debate about “Barbie is a bad toy. It promotes eating and image disorders” doesn’t seem to me as a true statement.

I grew up in poverty and I only had pirated versions of barbies, which used to brake due to fragile plastic. Her legs and arms were rigid, so everytime I tried to play with her I was weakening it. My whole dream as a kid was to own a real Barbie and when I was five years old I got one for Christmas. When I got it I was the happiest I have ever been as a kid. Even though it wasn’t the one I was hoping for – blond hair, blue eyes – I got the brown hair, brown eyes, just like me. I was happy anyway, it was perfect.

Brunette Barbie

When my hubby mentions that he will never give one to my baby girl because of the negative influence, I couldn’t believe the misconception. Of course, I wouldn’t give her one if she is not asking for it, but if she does, I will.

In this decade, not many teens play with Barbies anymore. So that leaves kids younger than that. At this age, we can barely do math well. Do they really think of how much Barbie weights?

When I was a kid I don’t recall caring Barbie’s proportion as a woman were…kind of unreal. All I thought was that Barbie was supposed to be a woman.

I still think and believe all that crap around eating disorders and body image happens, in most cases, at home. Family members who complaint on kids’ look. Family who criticise kids’ appearances. Those kids will believe their family are correct with their statements and will continue the circle by picking on their classmates. Those classmates who would later become anxious about their weight and develop a disorder if not able to cope on their own. Those same kids will be vulnerable to anything being said, even by the media.

If Barbie did not exist would eating disorders disappear? …I didn’t think so either.