Curvy Barbie Good for Society, Commercial Outcome Unclear

“We are excited to literally be changing the face of the brand”, Evelyn Mazzocco, Barbie’s global general manager and senior vice president, said.

Figures of fantasy: Are skinny toys bad for body image? .

It’s too early to call if Barbie’s colorful new dolls will help shake up the “pink aisle” (the section of the toy store that draws girls in with glitter, sparkles, and, of course, the color pink).

Dolls with the new bodies are available for preorder at shop.mattel.com, and will ship in February. If Barbie were a real human, her itty-bitty feet would wear size three shoes.

“Given the fact that in relation to curvy Barbie, one news outlet has already run a story about five and six-year-old girls calling the doll fat and ridiculing its proportions, it’s far from clear that there is a long term market for the new release“.

Perhaps it is because she is an icon – with collectors and conventions devoted to her very existence – and carries more importance than other dolls.

It’s ironic that the standard of beauty for American women for the past five-plus decades has rested in a doll.

Toy maker Mattel Inc. reported its first quarterly revenue increase in more than two years as sales of its iconic Barbie notched a rare increase, driving profit up in the key holiday quarter. The line also includes dolls of various heights, skin tones and hair textures, so if you’ve ever dreamt of a petite muscular Ken or Ken with an afro, he can now be yours. Others worry gifting one of the dolls to their daughters will be perceived as a comment on the child’s weight. The perfection of Barbie was something that I felt couldn’t and shouldn’t be altered, so I made sure that my dolls were protected from any harm.

After years of decline Barbie is turning a profit once again, with Mattel announcing a sales increase of 1% in the fourth quarter of 2015. “Fashionisto” Ken dolls aren’t going to be mass-produced any time soon, but perhaps this could be the first step Mattel needs in order to give Ken his official makeover.

Gone is the Barbie known for her long blonde locks, toned and shapely body. And maybe she has a responsibility to change with the times.

Barbie reflects the world girls see around them. The company surprised Wall Street experts by managing to hold sales steady with a year ago, despite a significant headwind from currency translation. “And, I love her curly hair”.

“I think as a woman it’s about time, and as a physician, I strongly support that”, said Dr. Kelli Harding, assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, who has a background in body dysmorphic disorder.