Barbie and Ken get a reality check after 30 years
A new study from Australian universities reveals that Barbie and Ken dolls now feature body proportions that more closely resemble real-world human averages compared to 1996 standards. The findings highlight a shift in the toy industry toward greater body diversity and realistic representation.
Why it matters
As global cultural icons, the physical representation of these dolls influences body image perceptions in children, making this shift a notable social development.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Barbie Fashionista. Credit: "Barbie Fashionista 107 (Malibu)" by moggymawee is licensed under CC BY 2.0. She's the blonde bombshell and he's her square-jawed sidekick. But nearly 70 years after the impossibly perfect Barbie and Ken made their debut, a new study from Adelaide University and UNSW Sydney shows the iconic pair are finally looking a little more like the rest of us.
Three decades after a landmark Australian study revealed Barbie and Ken's body proportions were almost unattainable in real life, researchers have revisited the 1996 study and found that Barbie and Ken have undergone a remarkable transformation.
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