We tell you why a Barbie body is impossible
The classic Barbie doll is celebrating its 55th anniversary next year and it has indeed been over half a century of ups and downs with the dolls. Despite facing so much flack on the ludicrousness of Barbie’s bombshell proportions, Mattel still has numerous over the world appreciating the beauty of the doll.
Just one thing, though — Is a Barbie body really possible? Her ideal proportions and long lithe limbs may encourage many women to fix her figure as their workout goals but when one stops to consider the outrageous perfection of Barbie’s body, it doesn’t seem too unbelievable that this body is just not humanly possible.
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The not so American all-American girl
Created by Ruth Handler, Barbara Millicent Roberts — or Barbie for short, as the blond-haired and blue-eyed girl seems the very embodiment of the typical American girl next door. When compared to the average American woman, however, Barbie’s body appears outlandishly bizarre and alien.
Research by Rehabs.com showed how impossible a Barbie body is
Based on research done by Rehabs.com, a site for locating mental health treatment centers in the U.S, Barbie’s body was blown way out of proportions.
A neck that can’t support
Misleadingly graceful and delicate, Barbie’s slender neck is in fact too fragile to support her head. With a tiny neck that is twice as long and 15cm thinner than the average American female, Barbie’s neck precariously supports her head, which is 5cm larger than her live counterparts. As a result, it is unsurprising that the risk of Barbie being incapable of lifting her 55cm head is substantial.
Walking on all fours
While her lanky arms and legs are enviable, research has shockingly revealed that Barbie’s 8.8cm wrists will prevent her from lifting anything slightly heavy and her 15.2cm ankles will not allow her feet to support her body weight.
Without the strength to stand upright, Barbie would have to walk on all fours in order to support her uneven weight distribution. Additionally, it doesn’t help too that her feet are a petite size 3 — that of a child’s.
How is there space for her organs?
When the critics complained that Barbie’s ridiculously small waist is impossible, they were right. At barely 41cm, Barbie’s waist circumference is less than half the length of the average American woman’s. Her significantly smaller torso would mean that there would only be room for half a liver and insufficient space to contain the full length of her intestines.
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![By Barbie (https://www.barbiemedia.com/images/web-logo.png) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2013/04/Barbie_Logo.png?width=700&quality=10)
One in over a billion
While body image controversies have repeatedly arose with respect to the Barbie doll, this research took many by surprise as it materialised the most shocking findings in envisioning the girl as a real human — in a bid to prove otherwise.
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For years women have strove towards the role model of Barbie’s body and many have suffered the harshness of a society fixated on superficial attractiveness, especially with regard to females. In understanding the impossibility of the Barbie body, perhaps it is time for women to understand that beauty is skin deep and appearances do not really make the person. Only then, with the shift away from the objectification of women as mere pretty young things, can a woman truly appreciate herself for who she is and not how she looks.
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For some entertainment, watch this video: Real life Ken and Barbie hate each other
