Looks Could Kill. Barbie is definitely too skinny to be a good role model for anyone.

Barbie causes many individuals in this society to develop eating disorders and induce self harm. Over eight million people in America has an eating disorder, 10-15% being males and 85-90% being females. Out of the 89-90% there are 80% of them that are under the age of twenty. Some of this population started to worry about their size and weight ever since the age of four. Many of these girls have an eating disorder.  Some have openly admitted that Barbie has played a huge role as their role model. This means that Barbie is portraying a bad image and is a horrible influence. In order to lose weight, many people look to dieting as an option. Diets are not a bad thing and many humans around the world go through phases of life where dieting is a healthy option. However, if a child at the age of four is going on a diet, it affects their growth and bodily function. Some kids not only go on diet but may starve themselves or become bulimic. Doing so may cause other dangerous side effect. Many may also induce self harm because they still feel that they are not skinny enough. This may lead to death just because they are not as skinny as Barbie. In the year of 1965, the Slumber Party Barbie was introduced. The bathroom scale was permanently set to 110 pounds, the doll came with a book called how to lose weight and the advice was “Don’t Eat.” Not only does Barbie influence girls to have her perfect body but Barbie is also known for her perfect looks. This leads to girls spending numerous hours layering makeup, destroying their hair with dye, straightening and curling irons and shopping at the most high end and expensive stores to achieve her looks. Barbie influences girls to be very materialistic. Girls start to want everything Barbie has. As a child, I wanted a never ending list of the things she had, her pink car, dog, pool, mall, everything! Numerous girls have dreamed of Paris Hilton’s Barbie car and a house like Barbie’s. Therefore, Barbie is a very dangerous and bankrupting role model.

Lastly, Barbie’s body is not achievable and unrealistic. Barbie causes a bias perspective on what is beautiful. Beautiful comes in varies shapes, sizes and colour. Since Barbie is everywhere and so openly exposed, it causes a bias opinion on what is conceived as pretty, perfect and ideal. The body of Barbie may be seen as perfect and acceptable but definitely not achievable. Beauty can come from different ethnicities, backgrounds and body types. Barbie may be a role model, but it is not physically achievable by any body type. It is not achievable or natural. Some women spend thousands of dollars trying to achieve this perfect look on plastic surgery, face lifts and professional stylist for everyday life.  A girl named Sarah Burge in the UK did exactly like so. She spent one million dollars to live the Barbie life. Even though it is achievable it is extremely hard to maintain such a lifestyle.  Therefore, Barbie influences society to make unrealistic and unachievable goals and is not a good role model.

Barbie should not be a role model to anyone. Barbie is a bad influence and does not have a positive effect on others. Barbie is not a healthy and proportional being which causes girls that can’t achieve her look to have low self esteem. In addition, she has a bad influence on society and causes many eating disorders and self harming victims just from trying to look and be like her. Lastly, she causes many individuals to develop unrealistic goals and become bankrupted from just trying to achieve her way of life. This doll may be perfect in the plastic world but brought into real life she would die. Barbie and many other dolls is not a beneficial figure to look up to as a role model.