So, it’s no big secret that I can knuckle down and be just as shallow as the next dude. And sometimes, for more commercial photography, I almost have to thanks to the modern marketplace. But, I also think I make it quite obvious I’m aware what actual people look like, and I’m spending a fair deal of time these days shooting untouched photos of all sorts of actual builds and shapes. I’m no stranger to the human body, no sir.
I can’t say the same for whoever is asserting that modern Barbie’s figure is more “unrealistic” than in 1990. Pardon? I mean, I’ve seen plenty of women with bodies like that. I know a woman or two with bodies not far off from that. It’s, uh, not actually nearly as unrealistic as that comical absurdity on the right there. Her chest is like, three times the size of her hips. Ad it’s not even all tit, those are some truly massive ribs inside 1990 Barbie.
I think the word this commentator actually wanted was “unattainable.” New Barbie’s body is an ideal, but it’s only somewhat idealized. It’s a possible shape, and some women will obtain it. Others won’t. I’m not going to touch on whether or not having trim and slinky Barbie’s is good for young girl’s self-images (hint: almost certainly not), but, I think it’s probably equally bad to go around asserting that’s unrealistic. Progress is rarely made by replacing one lie with another one, after all.
