We were delighted when we heard the news that Mattel’s beloved doll Barbie has undergone a major makeover. The American toy company revealed that a new line of Barbies featuring curvy, tall and petite dolls will be hitting the shelves.The manufacturers shared a photo of the body positive dolls that reads: "The world of Barbie is evolving.”
Barbie now comes in four different body shapes
But how did the rest of the world react to the news?Jeremy Scott, whose Moschino Barbie line famously sold out in less than an hour, called it “an exciting moment” for the toy: “She’s an icon, and I’ve always seen her as such a positive force. She’s worn every fashion imaginable and has been on top of the fashion scene since day one. And now comes this new and exciting moment for Barbie.”The reaction, however, hasn’t been all positive. Women took to social media to give their thoughts on Mattel’s move, claiming that the new labels are “problematic” rather than revolutionary.
Twitter user Ella Whelan said: “If a girl is still young enough to play with Barbie, she’s too young to care about body image - stop putting adult hang-ups on children.”Others said that while the new shapes are a step in the right direction, giving the dolls labels according to their body shapes poses a problem.“Barbie creating new shapes - love it! Labelling them by how they look - still an issue,” commented a Twitter user called Renee.
Meanwhile, men had something to say about the makeover, asking where their ‘dadbod Ken’ is.
Mattel's Ken, left and the 'dadbod Ken', right, created by Will McFadden on Twitter
Another said: "Curvy #Barbie? That's good. Now, where's #DadBod Ken?”'Dadbod' is a word for a man who doesn't spend necessarily embrace days at the gym and doesn’t mind being a bit cuddly.“The dad bod says, 'I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time,'" says Mackenzie Pearson, the student credited with starting the dadbod revolution in a piece for The Odyssey.“While we all love a sculpted guy, there is just something about the dad bod that makes boys seem more human, natural, and attractive”.
“When will @Barbie agree to make a dadbod Ken? Put a stop to impossible male beauty standards,” wrote Twitter user Tom Buchanan.