American businesswoman Ruth Handler invented the first Barbie Doll in 1959, which went on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City and quickly became a staple in American homes.
Standing at 11 inches tall with luscious locks of blonde hair, Barbie soon transformed herself into an icon for young women around the world, but in more recent years she has become an issue for debate.
Throughout the decades, Barbie has routinely been the subject of increasing controversy. Critics argue that her measurements are physically impossible, therefore forcing young girls who emulate her to hold themselves to standards that are beyond reasonable.
Her opponents say this leaves girls with a distorted self-image, and could possibly lead to the development of eating disorders and low self-esteem. If Barbie were a “real girl,” her measurements are estimated as follows:
Height: 5’9″
Bust:36″
Waist: 18″
Hips: 33″
According to data obtained by the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, via BBC, the original Barbie also falls short of the 17 to 20 percent body fat necessary to menstruate.
Graphic designer turned toy maker Nikolay Lamm reportedly wanted to see what Barbie would look like if she had the measurements of an average 19-year-old woman, referencing data from CDC.
He spoke to Time Magazine about the creation of his version of the doll. Now in 2014, “Normal Barbie” can come complete with the average woman’s proportions, including stretch marks, zits, and cellulite.
Lamm crafted the doll in July, 2013 as an experiment, but apparently liked what he saw. Normal Barbie became available for purchase and delivery on Wednesday.
“Parents and their kids were emailing and asking where they could buy the ‘normal Barbie’ — But they didn’t exist,” he told TIME.
To bring his creation to life, Lamm decided to launch a crowd fundraising campaign, in which he raised $501,000, well surpassing his goal of $95,000.
“To be honest, I knew it was either going to bomb or blow up, there was no in between,” he said.
Lamm decided to add the scrapes and bruises as part of a sticker extension pack, which will also allow girls to give the doll freckles, moles, and the ability to blush.
“Some people were like ‘oh my God,’ as if I’m promoting domestic violence or something,” he explained. Lamb assured TIME that this was far-fetched from his plans with “Normal Barbie.”
“Look, we all get boo boos and scratches. Life isn’t perfect, we all sometimes fall down but we get back up,” he said. “I wanted to show that reality is cool… and a lot of toys make kids go into fantasy, but why don’t they show real life is cool? It’s not perfect, but it’s really all we have. And that’s awesome.”
“This is the doll people have been waiting for,” he said.
Even Pop Star Demi Lovato showed some Twitter love for Normal Barbie:
Also, Barbie should make dolls with cellulite!!! Hahaha!!! After all, around 95% of ALL women have it!!!
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