Barbie aims for "diversity"

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So long as diversity doesn’t include BMI>16 body types?

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Came here to ask why they’re still DD cups on an 80 pound frame.

When Barbie was introduced in Japan, kids found her creepy and repellent, so toymakers came up with Licca-chan, who is closer to a normal shape, but does have those weird anime eyes as big as her fists.

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Now wait and watch how this will be done wrong for some, not enough for others; brace for the noise



QED


This is a temporary affair anyway. In next couple years 3d printing at home will do a number with cheap plastic moulded toys.

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One of my kids just told me that they’re now making Barbies with flat feet. Now THAT seems like a real improvement.

I went looking for an image to show how unnaturally the feet are shaped, and found an article about a high school student’s art project: creating a life-sized Barbie to show how ridiculous the measurements are.

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I have a hunch the rationale is that they need to have the same body type so any Barbie outfit can fit any doll. Of course, that’s incredibly short-sighted since Mattel could probably sell even more accessories if every doll needed a unique wardrobe.

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I think that third and fourth dolls (from left to right) have flat feet.

I’m glad they finally discovered the palette swap. Video games have been using it to “diversify” their character designs for years.

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Check out Lammily.

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Skipper always had flat feet, too, though she was still weirdly wasp-waisted.

Sorry
 didn’t mean to body-shame Skipper. She’s a dear.

Only
 holy shit, was this actually a thing?

I have no idea what to think of this.

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Growing up Skipper

d_d

Wait. What!?

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Just wait 'til you see Alien Mutagen Skipper.

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Tangential factoid of the day: “weird anime eyes” actually originated in western animation. Osamu Tezuka (called the ‘god of manga’ for very good reason - he basically created the form as we now know it) got the idea for the large eyes from the early works of Walt Disney.

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I think they all have hinged ankles now, so they can either wear heels or flats.

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Every time I’ve mentioned this version of Skipper, people have told me I’m full of shit. Try explaining to someone who’s never seen it how you crank Skipper’s arm around^, then she gets taller and bigger-breasted. I AM VINDICATED.

^At least the mid-1970s version worked this way.

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The 70s were a very special time, to be sure. Everyone lionizes the 60s and the 80s, but the 70s
 well, that was an odd decade


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The reason for this is simple. Money.Girls won’t buy the fat dolls. Or most girls won’t. Because at the end of the day, a little black girl will want a little black girl doll, because she wants to see herself represented in the toys she buys. Most girls do. But fat girls want the skinny girl doll. This is the problem in our society. There is no unity within the plus-sized community, because we are trained to hate ourselves and so instead of idolizing Melissa McCarthy or Gabby Sidibe, we idolize Kylie Jenner.

Logistically, it would also be more costly to produce clothes for different body types and not just one standard size. That one body type could be a little closer to what an actual human looks like though. Those legs are seriously fucking ridiculous.

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Machining new injection molds is also much more expensive than using different dyes and paints.

The expense argument would carry a little more weight if people haven’t been pointing out the ridiculousness of Barbie for decades. They’ve had a long time to amoritize the costs of a shift to be more in line with their consumers’ values.

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